memory-recall

name	memory-recall
description	Recall full context from a past Claude session. Use when the user needs detailed context from previous work — architecture decisions, implementation approaches, debugging sessions, or conversation threads.
allowed-tools	Bash, Read

Memory Bank Recall

Retrieve full conversation context from past Claude sessions. Goes beyond search snippets to pull complete session threads and synthesize relevant context.

When to use

Activate when the user asks:

• "What was our approach to X?"
• "Bring in context from when we worked on Y"
• "What did we decide about Z?"
• "Remind me what we did for that auth refactor"
• "Pull up that debugging session where we fixed..."
• "What was the plan for X?"
• Continuing work from a previous session
• Referencing decisions or patterns from past work

Prerequisites

memory-bank stats

If the command is not found, the user needs to install memory-bank:

uv tool install memory-bank
memory-bank setup install

If the DB is empty (0 messages), ingest first:

memory-bank ingest claude-code

When to search vs. recall

User asks	Approach
"Did we discuss X?"	Search first with --agent to find relevant messages
"Show me the full conversation about X"	Search to find session ID, then replay full session
"What was our solution for X?"	Search with --role assistant to focus on solutions
"What requirements did we discuss for X?"	Search with --role user to focus on requirements
"Remind me of that debugging session"	List sessions, then recall full session

Recall workflow

Step 1: Find the relevant session

Use search with --agent mode to find matching sessions:

memory-bank search "topic keywords" --agent --limit 10

Look at the sid (session ID) field in results to identify which session(s) are relevant.

Narrow by project if needed:

memory-bank search "topic" --agent --project project-name

For long-running projects with many sessions, add a time range to reduce scope:

memory-bank search "topic" --agent --project my-app --since 30d

If multiple sessions match with similar scores: Refine the query with more specific keywords, add --project filtering, or inspect candidates with memory-bank session <uuid> before committing to one.

If no sessions match: Broaden the query (fewer or different keywords), remove --since filters, or switch to listing sessions directly with memory-bank sessions --project <name>.

Step 2: Browse sessions (alternative)

List recent sessions for a project:

memory-bank sessions --project project-name --limit 10

Or list all recent sessions:

memory-bank sessions --limit 20

Filter by time range for large projects:

memory-bank sessions --project my-app --since 1m --before 1w

Step 3: Retrieve full session context

Once you have the session ID, pull messages from that session:

memory-bank session <session-uuid>

Or search within a specific session for targeted results:

memory-bank search "topic" --session <session-uuid> --agent --limit 10

Add --context to include surrounding messages — useful to understand if a result was a solution or a dead-end:

memory-bank search "topic" --session <session-uuid> --agent --context 3

Use role filtering to focus the search:

# Focus on what Claude recommended (solutions, implementation)
memory-bank search "implementation" --session <session-uuid> --role assistant --agent

# Focus on what the user requested (requirements, questions)
memory-bank search "requirements" --session <session-uuid> --role user --agent

Step 4: Synthesize and present

• Extract the key decisions, approaches, and outcomes from the session
• Present a concise summary focused on what's relevant to the current task
• Quote specific messages when precision matters (e.g., exact commands, config values)
• Note the date and project for temporal context
• For large sessions, use --role filters to narrow before synthesizing rather than reading everything

Tips

• Start broad ("auth refactor") and narrow to specific sessions
• Use --project filter when the user mentions a specific project
• Use --role assistant to focus on what Claude recommended
• Use --role user to focus on what the user described/requested
• Multiple search queries may be needed to find the right session
• If a session is very long, use targeted searches within it with --session <uuid> + --role filter
• Use --current-project to automatically scope to the current git project

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
No results found	Rephrase query, lower --min-score 0.3, remove --since filters, or use memory-bank sessions to browse
Multiple sessions match	Inspect each with memory-bank session <uuid> to compare before choosing
"DB locked" error	Another process is ingesting — wait and retry, or check with memory-bank stats
Session is very large	Use --session <uuid> + --role filter to focus; add --context N for surrounding messages
Command not found	Run uv tool install memory-bank && memory-bank setup install, or ensure ~/.local/bin is on your PATH