# Rekall

> Compact the current Codex VS Code extension thread through Rekall with a verified handoff and optional one-time continuation. Use on an explicit compaction request or after a substantial completed stage; standalone Codex CLI sessions are unsupported.

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

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# Rekall

Rekall requires a thread owned by the Codex extension in VS Code, on Windows, macOS, or Linux. It uses that extension's IPC owner and lifecycle events. Standalone Codex CLI sessions, the Codex desktop app, and Claude Code are unsupported. Installing the plugin with the Codex CLI does not change this host requirement. Do not start a separate App Server or resume another process to work around a missing extension owner.

Use Rekall only for the current thread. Obtain `CODEX_THREAD_ID` from the environment; never guess an identifier or select a thread from history.

Before scheduling, finish and verify the current stage. Call `compaction_status` to ensure there is no unfinished job, then call `probe_compaction` to verify the owner, IPC compatibility, and thread state. Rekall has no context-use threshold for scheduling a user-requested compaction.

Create a handoff containing:

- `summary`: the task, constraints, decisions, completed work, validation, and work that remains.
- `preserve`: facts and instructions that need detailed retention.
- `discard`: repeated or obsolete conversation history that may be summarized. This never authorizes deleting files.
- `nextStep`: the exact already-authorized continuation and where it must stop.
- `resume`: an explicit boolean.

Keep it below 32,000 UTF-8 bytes, with no more than 40 entries in either list, and exclude secrets. Use `resume: true` only when concrete work remains within the user's existing authorization. Use `resume: false` when the task is done, the user asked to stop, or further work needs their response.

Call `schedule_compaction` once. Report the returned queued status and end the current response so the worker can observe idle state. Do not wait for completion in that same turn, and do not describe `scheduled`, `requesting`, or `accepted` as completed.

Automatic continuation is separately guarded after compaction. It proceeds only when fresh telemetry reports context use at or below 60%. When use is higher or telemetry is missing or stale, treat compaction as completed and continuation as skipped with `resumeSkipped: "insufficient_headroom"`.

On an automatic continuation, read the referenced handoff, verify the exact job with `compaction_status`, honor any newer user instruction, perform only `nextStep`, and stop at its stated boundary. Never schedule another compaction merely because the continuation occurred. Do not retry a failed, cancelled, timed-out, or unknown outcome automatically.