| name | recall-reasoning |
|---|---|
| description | Search past reasoning for relevant decisions and approaches |
| user-invocable |
Recall Past Work
Search through previous sessions to find relevant decisions, approaches that worked, and approaches that failed. Queries two sources:
- Artifact Index - Handoffs, plans, ledgers with post-mortems (what worked/failed)
- Reasoning Files - Build attempts, test failures, commit context
When to Use
- Starting work similar to past sessions
- "What did we do last time with X?"
- Looking for patterns that worked before
- Investigating why something was done a certain way
- Debugging an issue encountered previously
Usage
Primary: Artifact Index (rich context)
uv run python scripts/core/artifact_query.py "<query>" [--outcome SUCCEEDED|FAILED] [--limit N]
This searches handoffs with post-mortems (what worked, what failed, key decisions).
Secondary: Reasoning Files (build attempts)
bash "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR/.claude/scripts/search-reasoning.sh" "<query>"
This searches .git/claude/commits/*/reasoning.md for build failures and fixes.
Examples
# Search for authentication-related work
uv run python scripts/core/artifact_query.py "authentication OAuth JWT"
# Find only successful approaches
uv run python scripts/core/artifact_query.py "implement agent" --outcome SUCCEEDED
# Find what failed (to avoid repeating mistakes)
uv run python scripts/core/artifact_query.py "hook implementation" --outcome FAILED
# Search build/test reasoning
bash "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR/.claude/scripts/search-reasoning.sh" "TypeError"
What Gets Searched
Artifact Index (handoffs, plans, ledgers): - Task summaries and status - What worked - Successful approaches - What failed - Dead ends and why - Key decisions - Choices with rationale - Goal and constraints from ledgers
Reasoning Files (.git/claude/):
- Failed build attempts and error output
- Successful builds after failures
- Commit context and branch info
Interpreting Results
From Artifact Index:
- ✓ = SUCCEEDED outcome (pattern to follow)
- ✗ = FAILED outcome (pattern to avoid)
- ? = UNKNOWN outcome (not yet marked)
- Post-mortem sections show distilled learnings
From Reasoning:
- build_fail = approach that didn't work
- build_pass = what finally succeeded
- Multiple failures before success = non-trivial problem
Process
- Run Artifact Index query first - richer context, post-mortems
- Review relevant handoffs - check what worked/failed sections
- If needed, search reasoning - for specific build errors
- Apply learnings - follow successful patterns, avoid failed ones
No Results?
Artifact Index empty:
- Run uv run python scripts/core/artifact_index.py --all to index existing handoffs
- Create handoffs with post-mortem sections for future recall
Reasoning files empty:
- Use /commit after builds to capture reasoning
- Check if .git/claude/ directory exists