The five subcommands

Command	Reads	Writes	Exit codes
snapshot	the upstream file, the working copy if it exists	the working copy (if absent), .cedit/	0, 2
diff	base snapshot, working copy	nothing	0, 2
sync	base snapshot, working copy, upstream	the working copy, .cedit/	0, 1, 2
status	base snapshot, working copy, manifest	nothing	0, 1, 2
resolve	manifest, working copy	the working copy (--take upstream only), .cedit/	0, 2

diff and status are read-only and safe at any moment. sync is the only command that merges. resolve is the only command that can clear a conflict.

Alongside them sits cedit md — five stateless verbs that read no .cedit/ state and work on any Markdown file, tracked or not. They are not part of the workflow above; they are how you look at what the parser sees. The md verbs cover them.