t3ex-find-thread

# Find an Older Thread Search every local transcript store at once — T3 Code, Codex, and Claude Code — and return the thread the user is thinking of, with the command that resumes it. The usual next step is `t3ex-fork-thread`, which continues a T3 Code thread under a different model. This skill is how you get the id to hand it. ## Run the search `find_thread.py` sits next to this file: ```bash python3 find_thread.py "<pattern>" ``` Python 3.10+ and `ripgrep`. The pattern is a case-insensitive regex, so `indicator|spinner` works. | Flag | Effect | | --- | --- | | `--source t3code\|codex\|claude` | Limit to one store, repeatable | | `--repo TEXT` | Only threads whose working directory contains TEXT | | `--since N` | Only threads active in the last N days | | `--limit N` | Results to show (default 10) | | `--scan-limit N` | Transcript files to open per store, newest first (default 40) | | `--include-deleted` | Include T3 threads deleted in the UI | | `--paths` | Print the backing file for each hit | | `--json` | Machine-readable output | Results are newest first — when someone asks for "that older thread", they almost always mean the most recent one that matches. ## Reading the output ``` 3. [t3code] Start Localhost Dev Server when 2026-07-25 08:33 · 16 matches · codex/gpt-5.6-sol repo /Users/madda/dev/active/Maestro3 said This site can't be reached localhost:3001: Connection refused… also as codex 019f97a1-e620-7a92-abc6-047811367bfb resume /t3ex-fork-thread ce419dc7-4b8f-4d7c-b438-cdeed11ba120 ``` `also as` means the same conversation exists in a second store. A T3 Code thread run on Codex writes a rollout file too; the script folds them into one result and reports the **T3 Code** id, because that is the one `t3ex-fork-thread` takes. ## Narrowing A bare word matches far more than you expect. Every session's system prompt carries the full list of installed skills, so a term like `beads` or `chrome` hits thousands of transcripts that never discussed it. Start narrow and widen only if nothing lands: 1. An exact phrase the user remembers, or a distinctive identifier — an error string, a file name, a port number. 2. Add `--repo` when they name a project. This is the single most effective filter. 3. Add `--since` when they say "yesterday" or "last week". 4. Only then loosen to `term1|term2`. If the script reports transcripts went unread, it means the pattern was too broad — narrow it rather than raising `--scan-limit`, which just reads more irrelevant files. ## Confirm before answering Match counts include assistant replies and tool output, not just what the user typed, so a high count is not proof the thread is about the topic. Before naming a winner, look at the actual text: ```bash python3 find_thread.py "<pattern>" --paths --limit 3 rg -n -i "<pattern>" "<the file path>" | head -20 ``` Quote the line that proves the match. If two threads are close, name the best one and mention the runner-up in a sentence — do not make the user guess. If nothing matches, say which stores were searched and what pattern was used. Do not silently widen to a vaguer term and present those results as the answer. ## Where the transcripts live | Store | Location | Id | | --- | --- | --- | | T3 Code | `~/.t3/userdata/state.sqlite` | thread UUID | | Codex | `~/.codex/sessions/YYYY/MM/DD/rollout-<ts>-<uuid>.jsonl` | trailing UUID | | Codex archive | `~/.codex/archived_sessions/` | trailing UUID | | Claude Code | `~/.claude/projects/<path-slug>/<uuid>.jsonl` | filename | `~/.codex-profiles/*/sessions` and `~/.claude-profiles/*/projects` are searched too, but on this machine they are nearly empty — the real history is under `~/.codex` and `~/.claude`. Claude project folders encode the repo path with dashes: `/Users/madda/dev/active/Maestro3` becomes `-Users-madda-dev-active-Maestro3`. ## Escape hatch — record shapes For anything the script does not surface, read the transcripts directly. **Codex rollouts.** First line is `session_meta`, carrying `session_id`, `cwd`, and `originator` — `t3code_desktop` means the session was driven by T3 Code rather than the CLI. Conversation lines are `response_item` with `payload.role` and `payload.content[].text`. **Claude transcripts.** `ai-title` holds a generated title, `last-prompt` the most recent prompt, and `user`/`assistant` the conversation. `user` records also carry `cwd`, `sessionId`, `gitBranch`, and `timestamp`. **T3 Code.** See the schema table in `t3ex-fork-thread`. Three traps: - **The first user message is never the real prompt.** Both harnesses inject `# AGENTS.md instructions`, `<recommended_plugins>`, `<environment_context>` and similar ahead of it. Skip those wrappers. - **Claude subagent turns are inline.** Filter `isSidechain: true` out or a subagent's prompt reads as the user's. - **`~/.codex/sessions/index/catalog.jsonl` is partial** — about 123 of 4,900 rollouts. Useful for metadata, useless as a search index. ## Related `t3ex-fork-thread` continues a T3 Code thread once you have its id.