claude-mem/plugin/skills/mem-search/operations/prompts.md

Search User Prompts (Full-Text)

Search raw user prompts to find what was actually asked across all sessions.

When to Use

• User asks: "What did I ask about authentication?"
• User asks: "Find my question about database migrations"
• User asks: "When did I ask about testing?"
• Looking for specific user questions or requests

Command

curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/search/prompts?query=authentication&format=index&limit=5"

Parameters

• query (required): Search terms (e.g., "authentication", "how do I", "bug fix")
• format: "index" (truncated prompts) or "full" (complete prompt text). Default: "full"
• limit: Number of results (default: 20, max: 100)
• project: Filter by project name (optional)
• dateStart/dateEnd: Filter by date range (optional)

When to Use Each Format

Use format=index for:

• Quick overviews of what was asked
• Finding prompt IDs for full text
• Listing multiple prompts
• Token cost: ~50-100 per result (truncated to 200 chars)

Use format=full for:

• Complete prompt text
• Understanding the full user request
• Token cost: Variable (depends on prompt length, typically 100-300 tokens)

Example Response (format=index)

{
  "query": "authentication",
  "count": 5,
  "format": "index",
  "results": [
    {
      "id": 1250,
      "session_id": "S545",
      "prompt_preview": "How do I implement JWT authentication with refresh tokens? I need to handle token expiration...",
      "created_at_epoch": 1699564800000,
      "project": "api-server"
    }
  ]
}

How to Present Results

For format=index, present as a compact list:

Found 5 user prompts about "authentication":

💬 **Prompt #1250** (Session #545)
   > "How do I implement JWT authentication with refresh tokens? I need to handle token expiration..."
   > Nov 9, 2024 • api-server

💬 **Prompt #1251** (Session #546)
   > "The auth tokens are expiring too quickly. Can you help debug the refresh flow?"
   > Nov 8, 2024 • api-server

For complete formatting guidelines, see formatting.md.

What Gets Searched

User prompts search covers:

• All user messages sent to Claude Code
• Raw text as typed by the user
• Multi-turn conversations (each message is a separate prompt)
• Questions, requests, commands, and clarifications

Error Handling

Missing query parameter:

{"error": "Missing required parameter: query"}

Fix: Add the query parameter

No results found:

{"query": "foobar", "count": 0, "results": []}

Response: "No user prompts found for 'foobar'. Try different search terms."

Tips

1. Use exact phrases in quotes: ?query="how do I" for precise matches
2. Start with format=index to see preview, then get full text if needed
3. Use dateStart to find recent questions: ?query=bug&dateStart=2024-11-01
4. Prompts show what was asked, sessions/observations show what was done
5. Combine with session search to see both question and answer

Token Efficiency:

• Start with format=index (~50-100 tokens per result, prompt truncated to 200 chars)
• Use format=full only for relevant items (100-300 tokens per result)
• See ../principles/progressive-disclosure.md

When to Use Prompts vs Sessions

Use prompts search when:

• Looking for specific user questions
• Trying to remember what was asked
• Finding original request wording

Use sessions search when:

• Looking for what was accomplished
• Understanding work summaries
• Getting high-level context

Combine both when:

• Understanding the full conversation (what was asked + what was done)
• Investigating how a request was interpreted