| name | recall |
| description | Post-compaction context recovery. Reconstruct working context from session transcripts using MCP tools or CLI. Use when user says "recall", "recover context", "what was I doing", "after compaction", "lost context", or when context has been compacted and needs reconstruction.
|
Recall Skill
Recover working context after compaction. JSONL transcripts are NEVER deleted - they persist at ~/.claude/projects/*/. Compaction only clears the live context window.
Workflow
Step 1: Get Recent Messages
Use MCP tool (preferred):
recall_recent 5
CLI fallback:
session-recall --recent 10
Step 2: Find Active Task
Search for what was being worked on:
recall_search "workplan|task|fixing|implementing|debugging"
CLI fallback:
session-recall "workplan task fixing implementing"
Step 3: Find Active Workplan
find . ~/Downloads /root -name "WORKPLAN-*.md" -mtime -1 2>/dev/null | sort
Read the most recent one if found. It is the external brain - re-read it fully before continuing.
Step 4: Reconstruct Context
From the recalled messages and workplan, identify:
- What task was in progress
- What step was last completed
- What the next step is
- Any errors or blockers encountered
Use targeted searches if needed:
recall_search "error|failed|blocked|next step"
recall_decisions
CLI fallback:
session-recall --report
session-recall "error failed blocked"
Step 5: Persist Lessons (Optional)
If patterns or corrections were found in the session that should be saved:
recall_apply
MCP Tools Reference
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|
recall_search "keyword" | Search transcripts by keyword |
recall_recent N | Get last N human messages |
recall_report | Analyze errors, retries, corrections |
recall_decisions | Find key decisions made |
recall_list | List available sessions |
recall_apply | Persist lessons to CLAUDE.md/MEMORY.md |
CLI Fallback Reference
session-recall "keyword"
session-recall --recent 10
session-recall --report
session-recall --all 5
Key Fact
Transcripts are at ~/.claude/projects/*/. They are append-only JSONL files. Compaction does not touch them. Any content from any past session is recoverable. Never say "can't recover" compacted content.
