claude-mem/plugin/skills/search/operations/common-workflows.md

Common Workflows

Step-by-step guides for typical user requests.

Workflow 1: Understanding Past Work

User asks: "What did we do last session?"

Steps:

1. Use recent-context.md to get last 3 sessions
2. Parse and format the summary, observations, and outcomes
3. Present in readable markdown

Example:

RESULT=$(curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/context/recent?limit=3")
# Parse JSON and format for user

Present as:

• Show session request
• List key accomplishments
• Highlight important observations
• Note any next steps

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Workflow 2: Finding a Specific Bug Fix

User asks: "Did we fix the login timeout issue?"

Steps:

1. Search observations with by-type.md: type=bugfix
2. Or use observations.md: query=login+timeout
3. If results found, show title + subtitle + ID
4. Offer to get more details or timeline context

Example:

# Option 1: Search by type
curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/search/by-type?type=bugfix&limit=20&format=index"

# Option 2: Full-text search
curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/search/observations?query=login+timeout&format=index&limit=10"

Present as:

• List matching bugfixes
• Include observation ID for follow-up
• Offer to show full details or timeline

---

Workflow 3: Understanding File History

User asks: "What changes have we made to auth/login.ts?"

Steps:

1. Use by-file.md to search by file path
2. Get both observations and sessions
3. Sort chronologically and present

Example:

curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/search/by-file?filePath=auth/login.ts&limit=10&format=index"

Present as:

• Chronological list of changes
• Separate observations and sessions
• Include what changed and when
• Highlight recent modifications

---

Workflow 4: Timeline Investigation

User asks: "What were we working on around the time of that deployment?"

Steps:

1. Use timeline-by-query.md for one-shot query
2. Or two-step: search for "deployment" to get ID, then use timeline.md

Option 1 (Recommended): One request

curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/timeline/by-query?query=deployment&depth_before=10&depth_after=10"

Option 2: Two requests

# Step 1: Find the deployment
curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/search/observations?query=deployment&format=index&limit=5"
# Get observation ID (e.g., #1234)

# Step 2: Get timeline around it
curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/context/timeline?anchor=1234&depth_before=10&depth_after=10"

Present as:

• Show the anchor point (deployment observation)
• Chronological timeline grouped by day
• Highlight observations, sessions, and prompts
• Use emojis for visual clarity

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Workflow 5: Understanding Decisions

User asks: "Why did we choose PostgreSQL over MySQL?"

Steps:

1. Search for decisions using by-type.md: type=decision
2. Filter results for "PostgreSQL" or "MySQL"
3. Show the decision observation with full context

Example:

curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/search/by-type?type=decision&limit=20&format=index"
# Then search results for database-related decisions

Or use full-text search:

curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/search/observations?query=PostgreSQL+MySQL+decision&format=full&limit=5"

Present as:

• Show the decision with full narrative
• Include facts and rationale
• Link to related observations if available

---

Workflow 6: Exploring a Topic

User asks: "What have we learned about authentication?"

Steps:

1. Use observations.md for full-text search
2. Filter by type=discovery for learnings
3. Or use by-concept.md for concept=discovery

Example:

# Full-text search
curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/search/observations?query=authentication&format=index&limit=20"

# Or discoveries only
curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/search/by-type?type=discovery&limit=20&format=index"
# Then filter for "authentication" in results

Present as:

• Group by type (features, bugs, decisions, discoveries)
• Show progression of work over time
• Highlight key learnings

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Tips for All Workflows

1. Start with format=index for overviews, then format=full for details
2. Use limit=5-10 initially, expand if needed
3. Combine operations for comprehensive answers
4. Offer follow-ups: "Want more details?" "See timeline context?"
5. Use project filtering when working on one codebase