# Read Memories

> Search past Claude Code session logs to recover your own context. Invoke this proactively when you need to recall past decisions, patterns, or unresolved work — either across all projects or scoped to the current one.

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

---


Use this to recover your own context from past sessions. Do NOT narrate the
process to the user — silently run the query, absorb the results, and continue
with enriched context.

`$0` is the keyword to search for.
Pass `--here` as a second argument (`$1`) to scope the search to the current project only.

## Step 1 — Set the search path

```bash
ALL_PROJECTS="$HOME/.claude/projects/*/*.jsonl"
CURRENT_PROJECT="$HOME/.claude/projects/$(echo "$PWD" | sed 's|[/_]|-|g')/*.jsonl"
```

Use `$CURRENT_PROJECT` if `$1` is `--here`, otherwise use `$ALL_PROJECTS`.

## Step 2 — Query

```bash
duckdb :memory: -c "
SELECT
  regexp_extract(filename, 'projects/([^/]+)/', 1) AS project,
  strftime(timestamp::TIMESTAMPTZ, '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M') AS ts,
  message.role AS role,
  message.content::VARCHAR AS content
FROM read_ndjson('<SEARCH_PATH>', auto_detect=true, ignore_errors=true, filename=true)
WHERE message::VARCHAR ILIKE '%<KEYWORD>%'
  AND message.role IS NOT NULL
ORDER BY timestamp
LIMIT 40;
"
```

Replace `<SEARCH_PATH>` and `<KEYWORD>` with the resolved values before running.

## Step 3 — Internalize

From the results, extract:
- Decisions made and their rationale
- Patterns and conventions established
- Unresolved items or open TODOs
- Any corrections the user made to your prior behavior

Use this to inform your current response. Do not repeat back the raw logs to the user.