What is claude-historian?

A plugin that automatically searches past sessions and plans to inform current work, reducing redundancy and enriching context.

How does it improve efficiency?

By reusing prior queries, approaches, and fixes, it shortens research cycles and speeds debugging with historical insights.

Which tools and hooks does it rely on?

Key tools include find_similar_queries, search_plans, find_tool_patterns, get_error_solutions, find_file_context, and search_conversations; it operates via PreToolUse and PostToolUse hooks and supports /search-historian.

claude-historian

Scanned

npx machina-cli add skill Vvkmnn/claude-emporium/claude-historian --openclaw

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SKILL.md

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Historian Plugin

Session memory. Checks past sessions before redundant research, planning, or debugging.

Hooks

Hook	When	Action
PreToolUse(WebSearch/WebFetch)	Before web research	Checks `find_similar_queries()` first
PreToolUse(EnterPlanMode)	Before planning	Searches `search_plans()` for past approaches
PreToolUse(Task)	Before agents	Checks `find_tool_patterns()` for workflows
PostToolUse(Bash)	After errors	Suggests `get_error_solutions()`

Commands

Command	Description
`/search-historian <query>`	Search past sessions for solutions, decisions, context

Workflows

Search (standalone)

search_conversations("query") — full-text across all sessions
If error-related: get_error_solutions("error pattern")
If file-related: find_file_context("filename")
Summarize relevant findings

Search (with siblings)

search_conversations("query") — historian's own search
If praetorian active: praetorian_restore("query") for compacted context (denser than raw history)
If oracle active: search("query") when error patterns suggest a missing tool
Combine: historian provides breadth (all sessions), praetorian provides depth (curated insights)

Error Resolution (standalone)

get_error_solutions("error pattern") — how was this fixed before?
If found: apply the previous solution
If not: proceed with normal debugging

Error Resolution (with siblings)

get_error_solutions("error pattern") — historian checks past fixes
If oracle active: search("error tool") for tools that address this error class
If gladiator active: check if this error was already observed as a pattern
Present combined findings: past fix + available tools + pattern context

Sibling Synergy

Sibling	Value	How
Praetorian	Research will be compacted after	Praetorian prompts saving after web searches historian triggers
Oracle	Tools found for error patterns	Oracle searches for tools when historian finds recurring errors
Gladiator	Observations correlate with history	Past solutions enrich gladiator reflection
Vigil	Checkpoints complement history	File state preserved alongside session history

MCP Tools Reference

Tool	Purpose
`search_conversations`	General history search
`find_similar_queries`	Find related past questions
`get_error_solutions`	Find how errors were fixed
`find_file_context`	Track file changes
`find_tool_patterns`	Discover successful workflows
`list_recent_sessions`	Browse recent work
`search_plans`	Find past implementation plans

Requires

claude mcp add historian -- npx claude-historian-mcp

Source

git clone https://github.com/Vvkmnn/claude-emporium/blob/main/plugins/claude-historian/skills/claude-historian/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

Historian Plugin performs session memory checks before redundant research, planning, or debugging. It leverages past conversations, plans, and workflows to deepen coverage and avoid repeating work, with sibling components enhancing context when available.

How This Skill Works

On PreToolUse hooks, it searches past sessions with find_similar_queries before web research, scans past approaches with search_plans before planning, and reviews workflows with find_tool_patterns before tasks. PostToolUse returns help from get_error_solutions after errors. It can also combine results from list_recent_sessions and full-text history via search_conversations for broader context.

When to Use It

Before starting a web search to reuse related past queries
Before planning to build on previous approaches found in search_plans
Before executing a task to adopt proven workflows via find_tool_patterns
After a tool error to retrieve prior fixes with get_error_solutions
When exploring past sessions for broader context, potentially using siblings for compacted or enhanced insights

Quick Start

Step 1: /search-historian <query> to locate relevant past sessions
Step 2: Before web research, run find_similar_queries to reuse related history
Step 3: Before planning, run search_plans; before tasks, run find_tool_patterns

Best Practices

Use /search-historian <query> to locate relevant prior sessions quickly
Check find_similar_queries before web searches to avoid duplicates
Consult search_plans before drafting new plans to leverage past strategies
Review get_error_solutions during debugging to accelerate resolution
Leverage siblings (Praetorian, Oracle, Gladiator) for depth, tools, and pattern context

Example Use Cases

Reuse a successful web search path by finding related past questions with find_similar_queries
Recover a proven plan approach via search_plans before drafting a new plan
Adopt a known workflow by reviewing find_tool_patterns before task execution
Resolve a recurring error quickly by applying a prior get_error_solutions fix
Compact context with Praetorian after historian results for dense but rich input

Frequently Asked Questions

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