Recall — Session Memory
Retrieve relevant history, rules, and anti-patterns from past sessions. Direct execution.
Design rationale: This skill executes directly rather than spawning subagents because memory retrieval is a simple command sequence (~200 tokens), not substantial analytical work. Per Lita research: "Simple agents achieve 97% of complex system performance with 15x less code."
When This Applies
| Signal | Action |
|---|---|
| Starting non-trivial task | Distilled context |
| "What do we know about X?" | Distilled context |
| "How did we do this before?" | Session search |
| Looking for patterns/anti-patterns | Distilled context |
| Stuck on a problem | Deep dive |
| User says "/recall" | Full protocol |
Default: Retrieve context before any non-trivial implementation.
Tool Reference
Commands
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
cm context "task" --json | Distilled rules + anti-patterns |
cm doctor | Health check |
cass search "query" --robot | Raw session search |
cass view /path.jsonl --json | View full session |
cass expand /path -n LINE -C 3 --json | Expand with context |
cass timeline --today --json | Today's sessions |
cass index --full | Rebuild index |
Critical Rule
Always use --robot or --json. Never run bare cass.
Bare cass launches a TUI that will hang AI agents.
Execution Flow
Execute these steps directly. No subagents needed.
Step 1: Distilled Context (Always Start Here)
bash
cm context "{task_description}" --json
Returns:
- •Rules — Distilled patterns from past sessions
- •Anti-patterns — What NOT to do (and why)
- •Suggested searches — Specific CASS queries for more detail
- •Historical context — Related past work
Example:
bash
cm context "implement OAuth login" --json cm context "add new database migration" --json cm context "refactor the payment module" --json
Step 2: Review and Extract
From cm context output, extract:
| Category | What to Note |
|---|---|
| Must-follow rules | "Always use X", "Never do Y" |
| Anti-patterns | Past failures to avoid |
| Relevant sessions | Sessions to dig into |
| Unknowns | Gaps that need grounding |
Step 3: Deep Dive (If Needed)
If cm context suggests searches or you need more detail:
Search for specific patterns:
bash
cass search "{pattern}" --robot --fields minimal --limit 5
View a specific session:
bash
cass view /path/to/session.jsonl --json
Expand around a match:
bash
cass expand /path -n {line} -C 3 --json
Step 4: Apply Context
Before implementing:
- • Rules noted and will be followed
- • Anti-patterns noted and will be avoided
- • Prior solutions reviewed for reuse
- • Gaps identified for grounding
Search Patterns
Task-based
bash
cm context "implement user authentication" --json cm context "fix pagination bug" --json cm context "add API endpoint for X" --json
Pattern-based
bash
cm context "error handling in API routes" --json cm context "database transaction patterns" --json cm context "form validation" --json
Problem-based
bash
cm context "timeout errors in background jobs" --json cm context "memory leak in long-running process" --json
CASS Search Reference
Basic Search
bash
cass search "query" --robot --limit 5
Lean Output (fewer tokens)
bash
cass search "query" --robot --fields minimal --limit 5
With Summary
bash
cass search "query" --robot --fields summary
Token-Budgeted
bash
cass search "query" --robot --max-tokens 2000
Workspace-Specific
bash
cass search "query" --workspace "/path/to/project" --robot
By Time Range
bash
cass search "query" --robot --since 7d
Timeline Commands
bash
# Today's sessions cass timeline --today --json # Last week cass timeline --since 7d --json # Recent activity cass timeline --days 7 --json --limit 10
Output Interpretation
Rules (high signal)
json
{
"rules": [
{"pattern": "auth", "rule": "Always use bcrypt cost >= 12"}
]
}
Follow these. They're distilled from successful sessions.
Anti-patterns (high signal)
json
{
"antipatterns": [
"Don't use localStorage for tokens - session abc failed"
]
}
Avoid these. They caused failures before.
Suggested searches (medium signal)
json
{
"suggested_searches": [
"cass search 'jwt refresh' --robot"
]
}
Run these if you need more detail on a specific aspect.
Output Formats
bash
--robot # Default structured output --robot-format jsonl # Streaming format --robot-format compact # Minimal single-line JSON --fields minimal # Reduce output size --fields summary # Just summaries
Query Tips
| Query Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Exact phrase | "error handling" |
| Wildcard | auth* |
| Multiple terms | database migration |
| Recent | Add --since 7d |
Search Refinement
| If results are... | Try... |
|---|---|
| Too broad | Add specific terms, use quotes |
| Too narrow | Remove terms, try synonyms |
| Wrong domain | Add project/feature qualifiers |
| Too old | Use --since flag |
Integration with Workflow
At session start (via /prime)
bash
cm context "{project_name}" --json
After claiming a bead (via /advance)
bash
cm context "{bead_title}" --json
Before implementation
bash
cm context "{what_you're_about_to_build}" --json
When stuck
bash
cm context "{problem_description}" --json
cass search "{error_message}" --robot
Troubleshooting
Search returns nothing
bash
# Rebuild index cass index --full # Health check cass health cm doctor
Export for reference
bash
cass export /path/session.jsonl --format markdown -o reference.md cass export /path/session.jsonl --format json
When to Use /recall vs Other Tools
| Need | Use |
|---|---|
| Learned patterns/rules | /recall (cm context) |
| Past session content | /recall (cass search) |
| Current codebase | /explore (warp-grep) |
| External documentation | /ground (exa) |
| Task graph | bv commands |
Quick Reference
bash
# Distilled context (always start here) cm context "task description" --json # Health check cm doctor # Search sessions cass search "query" --robot --limit 5 cass search "query" --robot --fields minimal # View session cass view /path.jsonl --json # Expand with context cass expand /path -n 42 -C 3 --json # Timeline cass timeline --today --json cass timeline --since 7d --json # Index cass index --full
Anti-Patterns
| Don't | Why | Do Instead |
|---|---|---|
Run bare cass | TUI hangs agents | Always --robot or --json |
| Skip cm context | Miss learned patterns | Always check before non-trivial work |
| Use raw search for rules | Less relevant results | Use cm context first |
| Ignore anti-patterns | Repeat past mistakes | Note and avoid them |
| Skip suggested searches | Miss important history | Run if cm suggests them |
See Also
- •
/prime— Session startup (includes recall) - •
/advance— Bead workflow (includes recall after claiming) - •
/ground— External documentation search