session-reader

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Efficiently read and analyze pi agent session JSONL files. Use when asked to "read a session", "review a session", "analyze a session", "what happened in this session", "load session", "parse session", "session history", "go through sessions", or given a .jsonl session file path.

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/HazAT/pi-config/blob/HEAD/skills/session-reader/SKILL.md

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Read Pi Sessions

Parse pi session JSONL files into readable output. Sessions live in ~/.pi/agent/sessions/<project>/ as .jsonl files.

Step 1: Find the Session

ls -t ~/.pi/agent/sessions/*<project>*/*.jsonl | head -10

Step 2: Start with Table of Contents

Always start with toc to get a numbered map of the session:

uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/read_session.py <path> --mode toc

This prints a compact numbered list of every user exchange with timestamps and tools used.

Step 3: Read the Conversation

Default mode — shows only user messages and assistant text responses. Tool calls are hidden but hinted at with [used: tool1, tool2].

# Full conversation (default mode)
uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/read_session.py <path>

# Specific range
uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/read_session.py <path> --offset 5 --limit 3

# Search for specific topic
uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/read_session.py <path> --search "error"

Step 4: Drill Into a Turn

See everything about a specific exchange — thinking, tool calls, tool results, costs:

uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/read_session.py <path> --mode turn --turn 7

Mode Reference

Mode	Shows	Use for
`conversation`	User + assistant text only (default)	Reading what happened
`toc`	Numbered exchange list	Navigation, finding the right turn
`turn`	Full detail for one exchange	Drilling into specifics
`issues`	Errors, failures, retries, user complaints	Finding what broke
`overview`	Metadata + exchange summaries	Quick session assessment
`full`	Everything including tool I/O	Deep debugging
`tools`	Tool calls and results only	Understanding agent actions
`costs`	Token usage and cost per turn	Cost analysis
`subagents`	Subagent task/status/cost/paths	Reviewing delegated work

Flags

Flag	Effect
`--offset N`	Skip first N exchanges
`--limit N`	Show at most N exchanges
`--turn N`	Exchange number to drill into (with `--mode turn`)
`--search TERM`	Filter exchanges containing TERM (case-insensitive)
`--max-content N`	Max chars per block (default: 3000, 0=unlimited)

Typical Workflow

--mode toc → scan the session, find interesting exchanges
Default (conversation) → read the human-readable flow
--mode turn --turn N → drill into specific exchanges
--mode subagents → review delegated work and follow subagent session paths

Subagent Drill-Down

Subagent session files can be read with the same script:

# From --mode subagents output, grab the JSONL path
uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/read_session.py <subagent-jsonl-path> --mode toc

Session Format Reference

Read ${CLAUDE_SKILL_ROOT}/references/session-format.md only if custom parsing is needed.