gh-thedotmack-rad-mem-plugin/skills/mem-search/operations/formatting.md

Response Formatting Guidelines

How to present search results to users for maximum clarity and usefulness.

General Principles

1. Progressive disclosure - Show index results first, full details on demand
2. Visual hierarchy - Use emojis, bold, and structure for scannability
3. Context-aware - Tailor presentation to user's question
4. Actionable - Include IDs for follow-up queries
5. Token-efficient - Balance detail with token budget

---

Format: Index Results

When to use: First response to searches, overviews, multiple results

Structure:

Found {count} results for "{query}":

{emoji} **#{id}** {title}
   > {subtitle}
   > {date} • {project}

Example:

Found 5 results for "authentication":

🟣 **#1234** Implemented JWT authentication
   > Added token-based auth with refresh tokens
   > Nov 9, 2024 • api-server

🔴 **#1235** Fixed token expiration edge case
   > Handled race condition in refresh flow
   > Nov 9, 2024 • api-server

Type Emojis:

• 🔴 bugfix
• 🟣 feature
• 🔄 refactor
• 🔵 discovery
• 🧠 decision
• ✅ change
• 🎯 session
• 💬 prompt

What to include:

• ✅ ID (for follow-up)
• ✅ Type emoji
• ✅ Title
• ✅ Subtitle (if available)
• ✅ Date (human-readable)
• ✅ Project name
• ❌ Don't include full narrative/facts/files in index format

---

Format: Full Results

When to use: User requests details, specific items selected from index

Structure:

## {emoji} {type} #{id}: {title}

**Summary:** {subtitle}

**What happened:**
{narrative}

**Key Facts:**
- {fact1}
- {fact2}

**Files modified:**
- {file1}
- {file2}

**Concepts:** {concepts}

**Date:** {human_readable_date}
**Project:** {project}

Example:

## 🟣 Feature #1234: Implemented JWT authentication

**Summary:** Added token-based auth with refresh tokens

**What happened:**
Implemented a complete JWT authentication system with access and refresh tokens. Access tokens expire after 15 minutes, refresh tokens after 7 days. Added token signing with RS256 algorithm and proper key rotation infrastructure.

**Key Facts:**
- Access tokens use 15-minute expiration
- Refresh tokens stored in httpOnly cookies
- RS256 algorithm with key rotation support
- Token refresh endpoint handles race conditions gracefully

**Files modified:**
- src/auth/jwt.ts (created)
- src/auth/refresh.ts (created)
- src/middleware/auth.ts (modified)

**Concepts:** how-it-works, pattern

**Date:** November 9, 2024 at 2:55 PM
**Project:** api-server

What to include:

• ✅ Full title with emoji and ID
• ✅ Summary/subtitle
• ✅ Complete narrative
• ✅ All key facts
• ✅ All files (with status: created/modified/deleted)
• ✅ Concepts/tags
• ✅ Precise timestamp
• ✅ Project name

---

Format: Timeline Results

When to use: Temporal investigations, "what was happening" questions

Structure:

## Timeline: {anchor_description}

### Before ({count} records)

**{time}** - {emoji} {type} #{id}: {title}
**{time}** - {emoji} {type} #{id}: {title}

### ⭐ Anchor Point ({time})
{emoji} **{type} #{id}**: {title}

### After ({count} records)

**{time}** - {emoji} {type} #{id}: {title}
**{time}** - {emoji} {type} #{id}: {title}

Example:

## Timeline: Deployment

### Before (10 records)

**2:30 PM** - 🟣 #1230: Prepared deployment scripts
**2:45 PM** - 🔄 #1232: Updated configuration files
**2:50 PM** - 💬 User asked: "Are we ready to deploy?"

### ⭐ Anchor Point (2:55 PM)
🎯 **Session #545**: Deployed to production

### After (10 records)

**3:00 PM** - 🔴 #1235: Fixed post-deployment routing issue
**3:10 PM** - 🔵 #1236: Discovered caching behavior in production
**3:15 PM** - 🧠 #1237: Decided to add health check endpoint

What to include:

• ✅ Chronological ordering (oldest to newest)
• ✅ Human-readable times (not epochs)
• ✅ Clear anchor point marker (⭐)
• ✅ Mix of all record types (observations, sessions, prompts)
• ✅ Concise titles (not full narratives)
• ✅ Type emojis for quick scanning

---

Format: Session Summaries

When to use: Recent context, "what did we do" questions

Structure:

## Recent Work on {project}

### 🎯 Session #{id} - {date}

**Request:** {user_request}

**Completed:**
- {completion1}
- {completion2}

**Key Learning:** {learning}

**Observations:**
- {emoji} **#{obs_id}** {obs_title}
  - Files: {file_list}

Example:

## Recent Work on api-server

### 🎯 Session #545 - November 9, 2024

**Request:** Add JWT authentication with refresh tokens

**Completed:**
- Implemented token-based auth with refresh logic
- Added JWT signing and verification
- Created refresh token rotation

**Key Learning:** JWT expiration requires careful handling of refresh race conditions

**Observations:**
- 🟣 **#1234** Implemented JWT authentication
  - Files: jwt.ts, refresh.ts, middleware/auth.ts
- 🔴 **#1235** Fixed token expiration edge case
  - Files: refresh.ts

What to include:

• ✅ Session ID and date
• ✅ Original user request
• ✅ What was completed (bulleted list)
• ✅ Key learnings/insights
• ✅ Linked observations with file lists
• ✅ Clear hierarchy (session → observations)

---

Format: User Prompts

When to use: "What did I ask" questions, prompt searches

Structure:

Found {count} user prompts:

💬 **Prompt #{id}** (Session #{session_id})
   > "{preview_text}"
   > {date} • {project}

Example:

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

What to include:

• ✅ Prompt ID
• ✅ Session ID (for context linking)
• ✅ Preview text (200 chars for index, full text for full format)
• ✅ Date and project
• ✅ Quote formatting for prompt text

---

Error Responses

No results found:

No results found for "{query}". Try:
- Different search terms
- Broader keywords
- Checking spelling
- Using partial paths (for file searches)

Service unavailable:

The search service isn't available. Check if the worker is running:

```bash
pm2 list

If the worker is stopped, restart it:

npm run worker:restart

**Invalid parameters:**
```markdown
Invalid search parameters:
- {parameter}: {error_message}

See the [API help](help.md) for valid parameter options.

---

Context-Aware Presentation

Tailor formatting to user's question:

"What bugs did we fix?" → Use index format, emphasize date/type, group by recency

"How did we implement X?" → Use full format for best match, include complete narrative and files

"What was happening when..." → Use timeline format, emphasize chronology and causality

"Catch me up on recent work" → Use session summary format, focus on high-level accomplishments

---

Token Budget Guidelines

Minimal presentation (~100-200 tokens):

• Index format with 3-5 results
• Compact list structure
• Essential metadata only

Standard presentation (~500-1,000 tokens):

• Index format with 10-15 results
• Include subtitles and context
• Clear formatting and emojis

Detailed presentation (~1,500-3,000 tokens):

• Full format for 2-3 items
• Complete narratives and facts
• Timeline with 20-30 records

Comprehensive presentation (~5,000+ tokens):

• Multiple full results
• Deep timelines (40+ records)
• Session summaries with observations

Always start minimal, expand only when needed.

---

Markdown Best Practices

1. Use headers (##, ###) for hierarchy
2. Bold important elements (IDs, titles, dates)
3. Quote user text (prompts, questions)
4. Bullet lists for facts and files
5. Code blocks for commands and examples
6. Emojis for type indicators
7. Horizontal rules (---) for section breaks
8. Blockquotes (>) for subtitles and previews

---

Examples by Use Case

Use Case 1: Quick Overview

User: "What did we do last session?"

## Recent Work

### 🎯 Session #545 - November 9, 2024
Implemented JWT authentication system

**Key accomplishment:** Added token-based auth with refresh tokens
**Key learning:** JWT expiration requires careful handling of refresh race conditions

Use Case 2: Specific Investigation

User: "How did we implement JWT authentication?"

## 🟣 Feature #1234: Implemented JWT authentication

**What happened:**
Implemented a complete JWT authentication system with access and refresh tokens. Access tokens expire after 15 minutes, refresh tokens after 7 days. Added token signing with RS256 algorithm.

**Files:**
- src/auth/jwt.ts (created)
- src/auth/refresh.ts (created)
- src/middleware/auth.ts (modified)

**Key insight:** Refresh race conditions require atomic token exchange logic.

Use Case 3: Timeline Investigation

User: "What was happening around the deployment?"

## Timeline: Deployment

[... chronological timeline with before/after context ...]

Choose presentation style based on user's question and information needs.