Memex Search

Use this skill to index local history and retrieve results in a structured, LLM-friendly way.

Indexing

• •Build or update the index (incremental):
  • •memex index
• •Continuous index:
  • •memex index-service enable --continuous
• •Full rebuild (clears index):
  • •memex reindex
• •Embeddings are on by default.
• •Disable embeddings:
  • •memex index --no-embeddings
• •Backfill embeddings only:
  • •memex embed
• •Common flags:
  • •--source <path> for Claude logs
  • •--include-agents to include agent transcripts
  • •--codex/--no-codex to include or skip Codex logs
  • •--model <minilm|bge|nomic|gemma|potion> to select embedding model
  • •--root <path> to change data root (default: ~/.memex)

Search (LLM default JSON)

Run a search; output is JSON lines by default.

memex search "query" --limit 20

Each JSON line includes:

• •doc_id, ts (ISO), session_id, project, role, source_path
• •text (full record text)
• •snippet (trimmed single-line summary)
• •matches (offsets + before/after context)
• •score (ranked score)

Mode decision table

Filters

• •--project <name>
• •--role <user|assistant|tool_use|tool_result>
• •--tool <tool_name>
• •--session <session_id> (search inside a transcript)
• •--source claude|codex
• •--since <iso|unix> / --until <iso|unix>
• •--limit <n>
• •--min-score <float>

Grouping / dedupe

• •--top-n-per-session <n> (top n per session)
• •--unique-session (same as top-k per session = 1)
• •--sort score|ts (default score)

Output shape

• •JSONL default (one JSON per line)
• •--json-array for a single JSON array
• •--fields score,ts,doc_id,session_id,snippet to reduce output
• •-v/--verbose for human output

Background index service (macOS launchd)

memex index-service enable
memex index-service enable --continuous
memex index-service disable

Narrow first (fastest reducers)

1. •Global search with --limit
2. •Reduce with --project and --since/--until
3. •Optionally --top-n-per-session or --unique-session
4. •memex session <id> for full context

Practical narrowing tips

• •Start with exact terms (quoted) before hybrid if results are noisy.
• •Use --unique-session to collapse PR-link spam fast.
• •Use --min-score to prune low-signal hits.
• •Use --sort ts when you want a timeline view.
• •Use --role assistant for narrative outcomes; --role tool_result for command errors.
• •For a specific session, prefer search "<term>" --session <id> --sort ts --limit 50 to jump to outcomes.

Config

Create ~/.memex/config.toml (or <root>/config.toml if you use --root):

embeddings = true
auto_index_on_search = true
model = "potion"  # minilm, bge, nomic, gemma, potion
scan_cache_ttl = 3600  # seconds (default 1 hour)
index_service_mode = "interval"  # interval or continuous
index_service_interval = 3600  # seconds (ignored when mode = "continuous")
index_service_poll_interval = 30  # seconds

auto_index_on_search runs an incremental index update before each search. scan_cache_ttl sets the maximum scan staleness for auto-indexing. index-service reads config defaults (mode, interval, log paths). Flags override. Service logs and the plist live under ~/.memex by default.

Recommended when embeddings are on (especially non-potion models): run the background index service or index --watch, and consider setting auto_index_on_search = false to keep searches fast.

Semantic and Hybrid

• •Semantic: --semantic
• •Hybrid (BM25 + vectors, RRF): --hybrid
• •Recency tuning:
  • •--recency-weight <float>
  • •--recency-half-life-days <float>

Fetch Full Context

• •One record:
  • •memex show <doc_id>
• •Full transcript:
  • •memex session <session_id>

Both commands return JSON by default.

Human Output

Use -v/--verbose for human-readable output:

• •memex search "query" -v
• •memex show <doc_id> -v
• •memex session <session_id> -v

Sharing Sessions

Share a session transcript via agentexport (requires brew install nicosuave/tap/agentexport):

memex share <session_id>
memex share <session_id> --title "Bug fix session"

Returns an encrypted share URL like https://agentexports.com/v/abc123#key.

In the TUI (memex tui), press S to share the selected session.

Recommended LLM Flow

1. •memex search "query" --limit 20
2. •Pick hits using matches or snippet
3. •memex show <doc_id> or memex session <session_id>
4. •Refine with --session, --role, or time filters
5. •Share relevant sessions with memex share <session_id>