| name | review-memory |
| description | Use this skill when inspecting RECALL memory quality, when reviewing current memory state, when auditing noise or conflicts, or when gathering memory IDs before maintenance. Use proactively for inspection-only work, not mutation or new-memory capture. |
Review Memory
Use this skill when the user asks what RECALL currently remembers, asks for a memory audit, or needs IDs before changing memory state.
RECALL is local-only project memory. Read from the active project's RECALL memory directory: .recall/ for new projects, or existing .codex_memory/ stores for legacy projects. Never require hosted services or external APIs. Do not repeat secrets verbatim if a stored memory appears to contain sensitive data.
When To Use
Use this skill for:
- broad "what does RECALL know?" questions
- quality checks on noisy or stale memory
- category, status, or source breakdowns
- collecting IDs before lifecycle updates
- verifying whether cleanup is needed after heavy tool use
Do not use this skill to create or mutate memory directly. It is an inspection and audit skill.
Execution Path
Use the public RECALL adapter:
Run these examples from the installed/source plugin root so ./scripts/recall_skill.py resolves. If the shell is in the active project repository, do not look for ./scripts there; use the adapter's absolute path and pass --root <project-root> when needed.
python ./scripts/recall_skill.py review-memory --limit 20
python ./scripts/recall_skill.py audit-memory --limit 20
Use recall_skill.py only. Treat lower-level backend scripts as internal support code.
Contract
This skill receives an inspection request and returns evidence: counts, IDs, quality signals,
and suggested follow-up. It does not mutate memory. If the user asks to edit, archive, confirm,
repair, or delete records, collect the needed IDs here and then hand the action to
manage-memory.
Use the contract asset as the quick boundary check:
{"asset":"assets/contract.json","kind":"inspection-boundary"}
Inputs
This skill usually receives:
| Input shape | Use it for | Example |
|---|
| broad review request | default inspection | "what does recall currently know?" |
| quality or noise concern | audit mode | "is memory noisy?" |
| narrow slice request | filtered review | "show stale risks" |
| follow-up maintenance task | ID gathering | "which memories should I prune?" |
Filters
python ./scripts/recall_skill.py review-memory --status active --category requirements
python ./scripts/recall_skill.py review-memory --source finalizer --limit 50
python ./scripts/recall_skill.py review-memory --status stale --status superseded
Workflow
- Start with
review-memory --limit 20 when the request is broad.
- Use
audit-memory --limit 20 when the user wants signal-vs-noise diagnosis, archive candidates, or noisy command patterns.
- Add
--status, --category, or --source filters when the user asks about a specific slice.
- Use returned IDs with
manage-memory commands such as confirm-memory, resolve-memory, stale-memory, supersede-memory, merge-memories, or prune-memory.
- Treat the review as evidence to inspect, not as guaranteed truth over the current repository state.
Result Handling
Report counts and the most relevant IDs. Prefer concise summaries over dumping every record. If many low-value automatic memories are present, recommend archive-noise for non-destructive cleanup and reserve prune-memory for targeted archival by ID.
Output Format
Return a compact review summary that includes:
- the request scope
- key counts by status, source, or category when relevant
- the most useful IDs
- any cleanup or follow-up recommendation
{
"mode": "audit-memory",
"shown": 6,
"top_ids": [12, 18, 24],
"recommendation": "archive-noise"
}
Examples
Broad review:
python ./scripts/recall_skill.py review-memory --limit 20
Noise-focused audit:
python ./scripts/recall_skill.py audit-memory --limit 20
Focused stale memory slice:
python ./scripts/recall_skill.py review-memory --status stale --category risks --limit 20
Conflict-focused inspection:
python ./scripts/recall_skill.py list-conflicts
Quality audit before cleanup:
python ./scripts/recall_skill.py audit-memory --limit 50
Decision Guide
| Request type | Preferred command | Why |
|---|
| general memory inventory | review-memory | balanced overview |
| signal-vs-noise diagnosis | audit-memory | highlights noisy patterns |
| filtered category slice | review-memory with filters | narrower evidence set |
| maintenance prep | review-memory first | collect IDs before changes |
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
- If the result set is too broad, add
--status, --category, or --source.
- If IDs look outdated, verify repository reality before changing memory state.
- If the audit shows lots of low-value command records, recommend
archive-noise rather than deleting records outright.
- If the user actually wants to edit or resolve a memory, switch to
manage-memory once the needed IDs are known.
- If a record appears to contain a secret, report the ID and risk without repeating the value.
- If review output contradicts the current repository, label the memory stale-candidate instead of treating it as current truth.
Related
See Manage Memory for cleanup, lifecycle changes, and repair work after inspection.
See Retrieve Memory for query-driven lookup when the user already knows the topic.
See Save Insight for creating a new durable memory when the review reveals something missing.
See Audit signals for quality and noise indicators.
Sibling routes: skills/manage-memory, skills/retrieve-memory, skills/save-insight.