# Analyze Sessions

> Extract automation patterns from session logs and rank by impact. Use periodically after multiple sessions to identify repetitive workflows that could become skills or hooks.

- Skill: `benjaminshoemaker/analyze-sessions` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add benjaminshoemaker/analyze-sessions`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/benjaminshoemaker/analyze-sessions/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: benjaminshoemaker (https://skillmd.com/u/benjaminshoemaker)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/benjaminshoemaker/analyze-sessions

---


Analyze recorded session data from ALL Claude Code projects to identify patterns and automation opportunities.

## Arguments

- `--project <name>` — Analyze only sessions from the named project (matches the `project` field, which is the basename of the working directory)
- `--targets-only` — Exclude toolkit sessions; only analyze target projects

## Data Location

Session logs are stored centrally in `~/.claude/logs/sessions.jsonl` in JSONL format (one compact JSON object per line).

Each entry contains:
```json
{"session_id":"...","timestamp":"2026-01-23T12:00:00Z","project":"project-name","cwd":"/path/to/project","transcript_path":"/path/to/transcript"}
```

The session-end-logger hook is installed at the user level (`~/.claude/hooks/session-end-logger.sh`) so it captures sessions from every project.

## Analysis Process

Copy this checklist and track progress:

```
Analyze Sessions Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Read session logs
- [ ] Step 2: Calculate statistics (grouped by project)
- [ ] Step 3: Identify target projects
- [ ] Step 4: Analyze transcripts
- [ ] Step 5: Find automation opportunities
- [ ] Step 6: Cross-project insights
- [ ] Step 7: Generate report
```

### 1. Read Session Logs

Read `~/.claude/logs/sessions.jsonl` and parse all entries.

If `--project <name>` was given, filter to entries where `project` matches.
If `--targets-only` was given, identify toolkit projects (see step 3) and exclude them.

If the file doesn't exist or is empty:
```
NO SESSION DATA
===============
No sessions have been logged yet.

Session logging is installed at the user level (~/.claude/hooks/session-end-logger.sh).
Run a few Claude Code sessions in any project, then run /analyze-sessions again.

If the hook is not installed, run /install-hooks and select "session-end-logger".
```

### 2. Calculate Statistics (Grouped by Project)

```
SESSION ANALYSIS
================

Total sessions: {N}
Date range: {earliest} to {latest}
Unique projects: {count}

Sessions per project:
- {project1}: {count} sessions ({first_date} – {last_date})
- {project2}: {count} sessions ({first_date} – {last_date})
```

### 3. Identify Target Projects

Scan `~/Projects/` for directories containing `.claude/toolkit-version.json`.
These are toolkit target projects. All other projects are either the toolkit itself or standalone.

```
Project Classification:
  Toolkit: {toolkit project name}
  Target projects: {list of target project names}
  Other: {list of other project names}
```

### 4. Analyze Transcripts (If Available)

For each session with an accessible transcript_path:

1. Read the transcript file
2. Look for these patterns:

**Manual Interventions:**
- `AskUserQuestion` tool calls — Questions asked during sessions
- Text containing "manually", "by hand", "human must"
- Repeated similar questions across sessions

**Common Blockers:**
- Text containing "BLOCKED", "blocked", "waiting for"
- Error patterns that recur
- Missing credentials/env vars

**Tool Usage Patterns:**
- Count of each tool type used
- Sequences of tools that repeat

**Workflow Friction:**
- "cd" into directories (wrong directory issues)
- Repeated file lookups (missing context)
- Re-reading same files multiple times

### 5. Identify Automation Opportunities

Based on patterns found, identify:

**High Impact (Repeated across 3+ sessions):**
- Manual steps that could be automated with curl/Bash
- Questions that could be pre-answered in AGENTS.md
- Browser checks that could use Playwright

**Medium Impact (Repeated 2 times):**
- Verification steps that could be codified
- Setup steps that could be scripted

**Low Impact (Single occurrence but notable):**
- One-off manual interventions that might recur

### 6. Cross-Project Insights

Compare patterns across projects:

```
CROSS-PROJECT COMPARISON
========================

| Project | Sessions | Avg Questions/Session | Top Blocker | Autonomy Level |
|---------|----------|-----------------------|-------------|----------------|
| {proj}  | {N}      | {avg}                 | {blocker}   | {High/Med/Low} |

Autonomy Level = High (0-1 questions/session), Med (2-3), Low (4+)
```

Identify:
- Which projects need more AGENTS.md guidance (high question rate)
- Which projects have more context overflows (re-reading patterns)
- Common patterns that appear in multiple projects (shared automation opportunities)
- Skills from the toolkit that are underused in target projects

### 6b. Review Findings Before Writing

Before writing the report file, output a summary of key findings to the user:

```
SESSION ANALYSIS PREVIEW
========================
Sessions analyzed: {N}
Top patterns found: {count}

Key findings:
1. {finding 1}
2. {finding 2}
3. {finding 3}

Writing full report to .claude/logs/ANALYSIS_REPORT.md...
```

This gives the user visibility before the file is written.

### 7. Generate Report

Write analysis to `.claude/logs/ANALYSIS_REPORT.md` (in the toolkit).

See [references/output-structure.md](references/output-structure.md) for the full report template including summary, per-project breakdown, cross-project insights, automation opportunities, recommended actions, and raw statistics tables.

### 8. Output Summary

After writing the report:

```
ANALYSIS COMPLETE
=================

Analyzed: {N} sessions across {M} projects
Report: .claude/logs/ANALYSIS_REPORT.md

Key Findings:
- {top finding 1}
- {top finding 2}
- {top finding 3}

Cross-Project:
- {cross-project insight 1}
- {cross-project insight 2}

Recommended next steps:
1. Review .claude/logs/ANALYSIS_REPORT.md for full details
2. Consider creating skills for high-priority patterns
3. Update AGENTS.md with guidance for common questions
```

## Error Handling

| Situation | Action |
|-----------|--------|
| `~/.claude/logs/` directory does not exist | Create it with `mkdir -p ~/.claude/logs`, report no sessions logged yet, suggest running `/install-hooks` |
| Session log file is malformed | Skip malformed lines, continue processing valid entries, note "X entries skipped due to malformed data" |
| Transcript files are inaccessible | Continue analysis without transcript data, mark transcript-dependent insights as "Limited (transcripts unavailable)" |
| No patterns found after analysis | Report "No automation opportunities identified", suggest running again after 5+ additional sessions |
| ANALYSIS_REPORT.md cannot be written | Output the report to the terminal instead, report the write failure with the specific error |

## Limitations

- Transcript files may not be accessible (permissions, deleted)
- Analysis quality depends on session data available
- Some patterns require human judgment to identify
- Cross-project analysis requires the user-level hook to be installed