Get Current Session ID

Purpose: Retrieve the current Claude Code session ID and log file path.

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Primary Method: Use MCP Tool

The current session ID is injected into the system prompt by the vibe-check UserPromptSubmit hook on every turn, in this format:

[vibe-check] Session: <session-id> | Repo: ...

Read the session ID from that hook output, then pass it directly to mcp__vibe-check__vibe_session:

Use mcp__vibe-check__vibe_session with:
- session_id: [session ID from the hook output above]

If the hook output is not present, call with no parameters and the tool will fall back to the most recent session in the database.

The tool returns:

• Session ID
• Log file path
• Session start/end times
• Message counts
• Repository and branch information

Display the session information to the user in a clear format.

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Fallback Method: Legacy Marker Technique

IMPORTANT: Only use this if the MCP tool is unavailable or fails. This is a last resort fallback.

<details> <summary>Click to expand fallback instructions</summary>

Database Location

To find the database location, run:

vibe-check status

The default location is: ~/.vibe-check/vibe_check.db

Note: If the status shows no PID, vibe-check is not running and the database may be stale. Start it with vibe-check start.

Important: Use Read-Only Mode

To avoid database locks when the monitor is running, always use read-only mode:

sqlite3 "file:/path/to/vibe_check.db?mode=ro" "SELECT ..."

How the Fallback Works

This technique uses a clever workaround:

1. Generate a unique marker - Create a random string that won't appear anywhere else
2. Emit the marker - Output it into the conversation so vibe-check logs it
3. Wait briefly - Allow time for vibe-check to process and write to the database
4. Query for the marker - Search conversation_events.event_data for the unique string
5. Extract session info - Return event_session_id and file_name from the matching row

Execution Steps

Step 1: Generate and Emit Marker

Generate a unique marker string using this format:

VIBE_SESSION_MARKER_[random 16 character hex string]

Example: VIBE_SESSION_MARKER_a7f3b2c9e4d1f8a6

IMPORTANT: You MUST output this marker text directly into your response. Say something like:

Looking up session info...
Session marker: VIBE_SESSION_MARKER_a7f3b2c9e4d1f8a6

This ensures the marker gets logged by vibe-check.

Step 2: Wait for Logging

Wait 2 seconds to allow vibe-check to process and log the marker:

sleep 2

Step 3: Query the Database

Find the marker in the database:

SELECT
    event_session_id,
    file_name,
    event_timestamp,
    event_type
FROM conversation_events
WHERE event_data LIKE '%VIBE_SESSION_MARKER_[your-marker-here]%'
ORDER BY event_timestamp DESC
LIMIT 1;

Replace [your-marker-here] with the actual marker string you generated.

Step 4: Present Results

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Response Format

After finding the session info, present it clearly:

Current Session Information

Session ID: abc123def456
Log File: /Users/you/.claude/projects/xyz/abc123.jsonl
Detected at: 2026-01-18 10:30:45

This session has been active since [start time if you query for it].

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Complete Query Example

Here's the full query to run (substitute your marker and database path from vibe-check status):

sqlite3 "file:$HOME/.vibe-check/vibe_check.db?mode=ro" \
  "SELECT event_session_id, file_name, event_timestamp FROM conversation_events WHERE event_data LIKE '%VIBE_SESSION_MARKER_abc123%' ORDER BY event_timestamp DESC LIMIT 1;"

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Troubleshooting

No results found

If the marker isn't found:

1. Wait longer (try 5 seconds) - vibe-check might be slow
2. Check if vibe-check monitor is running: ps aux | grep vibe-check
3. Verify the database exists at the expected path
4. Try the alternate database location

Multiple results

The query orders by event_timestamp DESC and limits to 1, so you'll get the most recent match.

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Additional Session Info

Once you have the session ID, you can get more details:

-- Get session statistics
SELECT
    MIN(event_timestamp) as session_start,
    MAX(event_timestamp) as session_end,
    COUNT(*) as total_events,
    COUNT(CASE WHEN event_type = 'user' THEN 1 END) as user_messages,
    COUNT(CASE WHEN event_type = 'assistant' THEN 1 END) as assistant_messages,
    git_remote_url as repository,
    event_git_branch as branch
FROM conversation_events
WHERE event_session_id = '[session_id]'
GROUP BY event_session_id;

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Use Cases

• Debugging: Find which session you're in when troubleshooting
• Cross-referencing: Link current conversation to database records
• Session tracking: Identify the log file for manual inspection
• Handoffs: Share session ID with another tool or person