FPGA Version Control

The problem

FPGA development often leaves a trail of orphaned bitstreams and unidentifiable binary artifacts spread across network shares. Without a rigid link between source code commits and generated hardware files, verifying what code is actually running on a board becomes impossible.

What it does

• Enforces a standardized local repository layout for Verilog, constraints, scripts, and documentation.
• Automates bitstream tracking by renaming files with commit hashes and logging SHA-256 manifests.
• Provides a reverse-lookup tool to identify unknown .bit or .bin files and match them to their original source commit.
• Orchestrates local-only Git server setups (Forgejo/Docker) to keep sensitive IP off the cloud.
• Implements signed tags and evidence chains to document development chronology for patent or prior-art protection.

Frameworks & tools

Git, Git-LFS, Bash (3.2+), Docker, Forgejo, Synology/NAS environments, and FPGA toolchains like Vivado.

Why this beats prompting it yourself

General-purpose LLMs lack the specific constraints required for hardware versioning, such as avoiding SMB mounts for .git folders or handling large binary artifacts correctly. This skill provides battle-tested shell scripts for manifest management and specific infrastructure patterns that ensure 100% traceability between bits and code.

Use cases

• Identify which source code version a customer's returned bitstream was built from.
• Clean up a legacy NAS share full of unnamed FPGA projects and unlinked binaries.
• Establish a provable timeline of inventions using signed GPG tags without external exposure.
• Migrate loose project folders into a structured Git-LFS workflow with automated manifest logging.

Known limitations

Requires a local Bash environment (Linux or macOS). Does not support cloud-based CI/CD or SaaS platforms like GitHub/GitLab by design to maintain air-gapped security.