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

Get Context Timeline

Get a chronological timeline of observations, sessions, and prompts around a specific point in time.

When to Use

• User asks: "What was happening when we deployed?"
• User asks: "Show me context around that bug fix"
• User asks: "What happened before and after that change?"
• Need temporal context around an event

Command

# Using observation ID as anchor
curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/timeline/context?anchor=1234&depth_before=10&depth_after=10"

# Using session ID as anchor
curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/timeline/context?anchor=S545&depth_before=10&depth_after=10"

# Using ISO timestamp as anchor
curl -s "http://localhost:37777/api/timeline/context?anchor=2024-11-09T12:00:00Z&depth_before=10&depth_after=10"

Parameters

• anchor (required): Point in time to center timeline
  • Observation ID: 1234
  • Session ID: S545
  • ISO timestamp: 2024-11-09T12:00:00Z
• depth_before: Number of records before anchor (default: 10, max: 50)
• depth_after: Number of records after anchor (default: 10, max: 50)
• project: Filter by project name (optional)

Response Structure

Returns unified chronological timeline:

{
  "anchor": 1234,
  "depth_before": 10,
  "depth_after": 10,
  "total_records": 21,
  "timeline": [
    {
      "record_type": "observation",
      "id": 1230,
      "type": "feature",
      "title": "Added authentication middleware",
      "created_at_epoch": 1699564700000
    },
    {
      "record_type": "prompt",
      "id": 1250,
      "session_id": "S545",
      "prompt_preview": "How do I add JWT authentication?",
      "created_at_epoch": 1699564750000
    },
    {
      "record_type": "observation",
      "id": 1234,
      "type": "feature",
      "title": "Implemented JWT authentication",
      "created_at_epoch": 1699564800000,
      "is_anchor": true
    },
    {
      "record_type": "session",
      "id": 545,
      "session_id": "S545",
      "title": "Implemented JWT authentication system",
      "created_at_epoch": 1699564900000
    }
  ]
}

How to Present Results

Present as chronological narrative with anchor highlighted:

## Timeline around Observation #1234

### Before (10 records)

**2:45 PM** - 🟣 Observation #1230: Added authentication middleware

**2:50 PM** - 💬 User asked: "How do I add JWT authentication?"

### ⭐ Anchor Point (2:55 PM)
🟣 **Observation #1234**: Implemented JWT authentication

### After (10 records)

**3:00 PM** - 🎯 Session #545 completed: Implemented JWT authentication system

**3:05 PM** - 🔴 Observation #1235: Fixed token expiration edge case

For complete formatting guidelines, see formatting.md.

Anchor Types

Observation ID:

• Use when you know the specific observation ID
• Example: anchor=1234

Session ID:

• Use when you want context around a session
• Example: anchor=S545

ISO Timestamp:

• Use when you know approximate time
• Example: anchor=2024-11-09T14:30:00Z

Error Handling

Missing anchor parameter:

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

Fix: Add the anchor parameter

Anchor not found:

{"error": "Anchor not found: 9999"}

Response: "Observation #9999 not found. Check the ID or try a different anchor."

Invalid timestamp:

{"error": "Invalid timestamp format"}

Fix: Use ISO 8601 format: 2024-11-09T14:30:00Z

Tips

1. Start with depth_before=10, depth_after=10 for balanced context
2. Increase depth for broader investigation (max: 50 each)
3. Use observation IDs from search results as anchors
4. Timelines show all record types interleaved chronologically
5. Perfect for understanding "what was happening when X occurred"

Token Efficiency:

• depth 10/10: ~3,000-4,000 tokens (21 records)
• depth 20/20: ~6,000-8,000 tokens (41 records)
• depth 50/50: ~15,000-20,000 tokens (101 records)
• See ../principles/progressive-disclosure.md

When to Use Timeline

Use timeline when:

• Need context around specific event
• Understanding sequence of events
• Investigating "what was happening then?"
• Want all record types (observations, sessions, prompts) together

Don't use timeline when:

• Just need recent work (use recent-context)
• Looking for specific topics (use search)
• Don't have an anchor point (use timeline-by-query)

Comparison with Timeline-by-Query

Feature	timeline	timeline-by-query
Requires anchor	Yes (ID or timestamp)	No (uses search query)
Best for	Known event investigation	Finding then exploring context
Steps	1 (direct timeline)	2 (search + timeline)
Use when	You have observation ID	You have search term

Timeline is faster when you already know the anchor point.