/recall

/recall Command

Search past sessions stored in context memory.

Usage

/recall <query> [options]

Arguments:

• query (required): Search terms to find relevant sessions

Options:

• --project: Limit search to current project only
• --detailed: Include full message content and code snippets
• --limit N: Maximum number of results (default: 10)
• --format: Output format: json or markdown (default: markdown)

Examples

/recall authentication
/recall "database migration" --project
/recall jwt --detailed --limit 5
/recall "error handling" --project --detailed

Workflow

When the user runs /recall:

1. Parse Query and Options

   Extract the search query and any flags:

   • --project -> filter by current project path
   • --detailed -> include tier 2 content
   • --limit N -> cap results

2. Execute Search

   Run the search script:

   python "~/.claude/skills/context-memory/scripts/db_search.py" "<query>" [--project "$(pwd)"] [--detailed] [--limit N] --format markdown
   

3. Present Results

   Display results in a clear, scannable format:

   # Context Memory Results
   **Query**: "authentication"
   **Results**: 3 sessions
   
   ---
   ## 1. 2026-01-15 | my-app (Match #1)
   **Summary**: Implemented JWT auth with refresh token rotation
   **Topics**: authentication, JWT, security, Node.js
   **Decisions**:
   - Use RS256 for token signing
   - 15-minute access token expiry
   
   <details><summary>Full Context</summary>
   [Detailed content when --detailed flag is used]
   </details>
   

4. Offer Follow-up Actions

   If results are helpful, offer to:

   • Show more details for a specific session
   • Apply learnings from a past session to current work
   • Search with different terms

   If results are insufficient:

   • Suggest broader search terms
   • Offer to search in messages (deeper search)
   • Suggest removing --project filter

Search Tips

The search uses FTS5 full-text search with Porter stemming:

• Stemming: "running" matches "run", "authentication" matches "authenticate"
• Multiple terms: Space-separated terms are OR'd together
• Phrases: Use quotes for exact phrases (handled internally)

Good search queries:

• authentication - Find auth-related sessions
• react hooks - Find React or hooks sessions
• database migration - Find database or migration sessions
• bug fix error - Find debugging sessions

Output Modes

Standard (default)

Shows brief summaries, topics, and key decisions. Fast overview of matching sessions.

Detailed (--detailed)

Includes:

• Full detailed summaries
• Key message excerpts
• Code snippets with language highlighting

Use --detailed when you need to deeply understand a past session or reference specific code.

No Results

If no sessions match the query:

# Context Memory Results
**Query**: "quantum computing"
**Results**: 0 sessions

No matching sessions found.

Try:
- Using broader search terms
- Removing the --project filter
- Checking related topics

Notes

• Search is case-insensitive
• Results are ranked by relevance (BM25 algorithm)
• Database is located at ~/.claude/context-memory/context.db
• First search may be slower as database warms up; subsequent searches are faster