trace-claude-session-memory

name	trace-claude-session-memory
description	Use this skill when reconstructing Claude or Codex session history from `.claude/projects/*.jsonl`, sibling `memory/` files, referenced handoff markdowns, or `.specstory/history/`. Use it to identify the latest unfinished task, connect session-internal and post-session documents, distinguish upstream objective from downstream TODOs, or recover provenance for timeline-based debugging.

Trace Claude Session Memory

Reconstruct the timeline from the session artifact first, then connect memory and handoff documents.

Workflow

1. Find the primary session source in .claude/projects/*.jsonl and prefer its line timestamps over file mtimes. (→ knowledge_bases/session-source-order-at2026-03-17-02-40.md)
2. Run scripts/trace_session_timeline.py on the jsonl before opening many files. Use line ranges when the session is large.
3. Separate session-internal docs from post-session docs. Session references seen in jsonl outrank later file timestamps. (→ references/source-order-and-handoff-rules.md)
4. Read sibling memory/ files and referenced handoff docs only after the jsonl path chain is clear. (→ references/source-order-and-handoff-rules.md)
5. Summarize the result as objective -> session flow -> last unfinished task -> dependent docs.
6. If provenance is ambiguous, record the ambiguity explicitly instead of flattening timelines. (→ references/troubleshooting.md)

Scripts

• scripts/trace_session_timeline.py
  • Summarize type counts, line-range rows, referenced paths, and handoff-like markdown mentions from a session jsonl.
• scripts/test_trace_session_timeline.py
  • Minimal regression test for range filtering and path extraction.

References

• references/source-order-and-handoff-rules.md
• references/troubleshooting.md
• knowledge_bases/session-source-order-at2026-03-17-02-40.md
• checklist-forconsistency-evaluation/session-timeline-consistency-at2026-03-17-02-40.md
• checklist-forimplementation/trace-session-memory-implementation-at2026-03-17-02-40.md

Notes

• Session jsonl is the primary timeline anchor; file modification time is secondary.
• NEXT_TASKS or RESUME_CONTEXT documents created after the session are downstream artifacts, not proof of what happened earlier.
• .specstory/history/ is optional evidence, not the first source to trust. (→ references/troubleshooting.md CASE-002)