toseekandfind ELF Session Search Command
Search through Claude Code session history using natural language queries.
Purpose
The /search command helps you find:
- Previous prompts and conversations
- Work on specific topics
- Files modified in past sessions
- Context from earlier iterations
- Related discussions across sessions
Usage Examples
/search what was my last prompt?
/search what was I working on yesterday?
/search find prompts about git
/search show me recent conversations
/search where did I edit the router?
How It Works
When you invoke /search:
- Extract your query from the command
- Search session logs - Parse JSONL files from
~/.claude/projects/ - Find matches - Natural language matching against user messages
- Show results - Display relevant prompts and context
- Answer your question - Use results to provide context
Session Log Format
Session data is stored in:
- Location:
~/.claude/projects/[project-name]/*.jsonl - Format: Line-delimited JSON with message objects
- Content: User prompts and Claude responses
- Indexed: Most recent files first (by mtime)
Each JSONL file contains:
type: "user"- Your promptstype: "assistant"- My responses- Skips: Subagent logs (agent-*.jsonl)
Implementation Steps
- Scan session directory:
ls -t ~/.claude/projects/*/*.jsonl - Skip agent logs: Filter out
agent-*.jsonl - Read JSONL: Parse JSON line-by-line
- Extract messages: Filter for "user" and "assistant" types
- Search: Match your query against content
- Display: Show matching prompts with context
Search Capabilities
- Topic search - Find discussions about specific subjects
- Temporal search - Find work from yesterday, last week, etc.
- File-based search - Find when you last edited a file
- Tool search - Find when you used specific tools
- Pattern search - Find similar problems or approaches
Integration with ELF
The search command integrates with the building's session summaries. After search:
- Relevant heuristics might be suggested
- Related failures/successes found
- Continuous context preserved
This helps you avoid repeating past mistakes and leverage previous insights.
Search Tips
- Use specific keywords - "router" not just "code"
- Try natural language - System understands intent
- Include context - "when I worked on auth" not just "auth"
- Check timeframe - Session logs are dated