How do I install the Pickbrain skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/pickbrain in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Pickbrain safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Pickbrain?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Pickbrain free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Pickbrain?

tomevault-io (@tomevault-io) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Pickbrain by tomevault-io — Agent Skill

Name: Pickbrain
Author: tomevault-io

Pickbrain

Semantic search over past Pi, Claude Code, and Codex conversations and memories. Use when the user wants to recall, find, or reference something from a previous coding session — e.g. "what did we discuss about X", "find that conversation where we fixed Y", "search my history for Z". Use when this capability is needed.

tomevault-io Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Pickbrain — Semantic Search for AI Coding History

Search past Pi, Claude Code, and Codex conversations, memory files, and authored files using semantic search.

Usage

Run pickbrain with the user's query:

pickbrain "$ARGUMENTS"

Pickbrain automatically ingests new Pi/Claude/Codex sessions, memories, and project config files (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, and their @ references) before each search.

Interpreting Results

Each result includes:

Timestamp and project directory
Session ID and turn number — identifies the exact conversation turn
Matching text — the relevant chunk from the conversation

Present results as a concise summary. Quote the most relevant excerpts. To dig deeper into a specific session:

pickbrain --dump <session-id> --turns <start>-<end>

Filtering

Search within the current (calling) session:

pickbrain --current "<query>"

Search within a specific session by ID:

pickbrain --session <session-id> "<query>"

Exclude the current (calling) session from results:

pickbrain --exclude-current "<query>"

Exclude specific sessions by ID (comma-separated or repeated):

pickbrain --exclude <uuid1>,<uuid2> "<query>"
pickbrain --exclude <uuid1> --exclude <uuid2> "<query>"

Search only recent history:

pickbrain --since 24h "<query>"
pickbrain --since 7d "<query>"
pickbrain --since 2w "<query>"

Notes

First run requires a full ingest+embed pass (~7s). Subsequent searches are incremental.
The database lives at ~/.pickbrain/pickbrain.db.
Results are ranked by semantic similarity — they may not contain the exact query words.
The active session's JSONL is skipped during ingest if it was indexed less than 10 minutes ago. If the active session can't be detected, everything is ingested eagerly.

Source: dropbox/witchcraft — distributed by TomeVault.

---name: pickbraindescription: Semantic search over past Pi, Claude Code, and Codex conversations and memories. Use when the user wants to recall, find, or reference something from a previous coding session — e.g. "what did we discuss about X", "find that conversation where we fixed Y", "search my history for Z". Use when this capability is needed.---# Pickbrain — Semantic Search for AI Coding HistorySearch past Pi, Claude Code, and Codex conversations, memory files, and authored files using semantic search.## UsageRun `pickbrain` with the user's query:```bashpickbrain "$ARGUMENTS"```Pickbrain automatically ingests new Pi/Claude/Codex sessions, memories, and project config files (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, and their @ references) before each search.## Interpreting ResultsEach result includes:- **Timestamp** and **project directory**- **Session ID** and **turn number** — identifies the exact conversation turn- **Matching text** — the relevant chunk from the conversationPresent results as a concise summary. Quote the most relevant excerpts. To dig deeper into a specific session:```bashpickbrain --dump <session-id> --turns <start>-<end>```## FilteringSearch within the current (calling) session:```bashpickbrain --current "<query>"```Search within a specific session by ID:```bashpickbrain --session <session-id> "<query>"```Exclude the current (calling) session from results:```bashpickbrain --exclude-current "<query>"```Exclude specific sessions by ID (comma-separated or repeated):```bashpickbrain --exclude <uuid1>,<uuid2> "<query>"pickbrain --exclude <uuid1> --exclude <uuid2> "<query>"```Search only recent history:```bashpickbrain --since 24h "<query>"pickbrain --since 7d "<query>"pickbrain --since 2w "<query>"```## Notes- First run requires a full ingest+embed pass (~7s). Subsequent searches are incremental.- The database lives at `~/.pickbrain/pickbrain.db`.- Results are ranked by semantic similarity — they may not contain the exact query words.- The active session's JSONL is skipped during ingest if it was indexed less than 10 minutes ago. If the active session can't be detected, everything is ingested eagerly.---> Source: [dropbox/witchcraft](https://github.com/dropbox/witchcraft) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).

Frequently asked questions