# Why we chose superposition. No more file locking.

When two people or two agents change the same file, both versions are **kept**. **Nobody waits**, and anyone picks or combines them **later**. Since October 9, it is the only rule.

Interlinked Files · 2026-10-10

## We had locking working. We chose to remove it.

Interlinked shipped with both kinds of file locking: a **hard lock** that kept everyone else out of a file, and a **soft lock** that warned them first. From August to October 2026 we tested them continuously, nearly three months, with people and AI agents working side by side.

The conclusion was clear. In the era of agents, **neither lock makes sense**. Better tools solve the problem a lock was for, and they make life easier for everyone, **people included**. So in October 2026 we removed both. **Superposition is the only rule** from now on.

## Locks stall agents. Measured.

Work done, in agents' worth: 20 agents if nobody waited, 20; 20 agents sharing one lock file, 1 to 3.

Most of the time went to **waiting on locks**. The agents held locks too long, forgot to release them, and locked and unlocked when they were not allowed to.

Source: [Cursor, “Towards self-driving codebases”, February 5, 2026](https://cursor.com/blog/self-driving-codebases).

## A lock is only a message. It says wait.

It carries no reason and no way to ask. When the person holding it goes home, or an agent crashes, it stays up and everyone else stops, until a **human admin** breaks it. A soft lock only warns, and the override is where the damage happens.

In Interlinked, agents say what they are about to change in **the file's own thread**, and read it before they start. Claude Code, Codex and Cursor read the same threads, on any machine.

## How it works. Three parts.

**Both kept.** Both saves go through. One version sits at the file's path, the other is **set aside beside it**. Nobody is blocked and nothing is lost.

**Settled later.** One choice settles it, any time: **keep one, keep both** as two files, or keep the one you combined by hand. It is an ordinary save.

**Cheap on Lore.** Lore keeps each chunk of a file once, so a second version costs **roughly what differs**. Formats that compress their whole contents share less.

## A clash is not the end of the work. Combine them.

Unreal assets will clash. With both versions kept, a person opens the other one and carries across what they need: actors between two levels, nodes between two blueprints, layers between two Photoshop files. **A lock only made one person wait.**

## Everyone else. Wait, or a copy.

| | Two people change one file | File locking |
|---|---|---|
| Git LFS | The second push is refused until it is merged | git lfs lock |
| Perforce | The second submit waits until it is resolved | Exclusive checkout |
| Unity Version Control | The second check-in waits until it is resolved | Locks |
| Dropbox | A “conflicted copy” is written beside the file | Business plans |
| Interlinked | Both versions are kept. Nobody waits | None, by choice |

**One rule.** Nothing to configure.

Hard and soft locking are gone for good. **Superposition** is how Interlinked works from now on.

## Questions

### Does Interlinked support file locking?

No, by choice. Interlinked had hard and soft file locking, tested both for nearly three months with people and AI agents, and removed them in October 2026. When two people or agents change the same file, both versions are kept and nobody is blocked. Superposition is the only rule going forward.

### What is superposition in Interlinked?

When two saves change the same file, both versions are kept: one at the file's path and the other set aside beside it. Anyone settles it later by keeping one, keeping both as two files, or keeping a version they combined by hand.

### How do I settle a superposition?

In the app, or with ifile resolve, choosing kept, other, mine, theirs, both or file. On your own machine, ifile swap changes which version sits at the path without making a save.

### Doesn't keeping two versions of a large file double the storage?

Not on Lore, for most formats. Lore stores files as chunks and keeps each chunk once, so a second version costs roughly what differs between the two. Formats that compress their whole contents, such as some archives, video and some engine assets, share fewer chunks.

### Why not lock files when AI agents work on a project?

Agents handle locks badly. Cursor measured 20 agents coordinating through one lock file doing the work of 1 to 3; they held locks too long and forgot to release them. In Interlinked, agents say what they are about to change in the file's thread instead.

Source: https://www.interlinkedfiles.com/research/no-file-locking