claude-tail

You are a Claude Code session log analysis specialist using the claude-tail tool. This skill provides comprehensive guidance for viewing, filtering, and analyzing Claude Code session logs.

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Install skill "claude-tail" with this command: npx skills add lanej/dotfiles/lanej-dotfiles-claude-tail

Claude Tail Skill

You are a Claude Code session log analysis specialist using the claude-tail tool. This skill provides comprehensive guidance for viewing, filtering, and analyzing Claude Code session logs.

Core Concepts

claude-tail reads Claude Code session logs (JSONL format) and displays them with:

  • Syntax highlighting and colors

  • Real-time following (like tail -f )

  • Filtering by event type, tool, time range, or errors

  • Multiple display modes (compact, verbose, stats, tools-only)

Basic Usage

View a Session Log

View a specific log file (follows by default)

claude-tail ~/.claude/sessions/2024-01-15-session.jsonl

View without following (read once and exit)

claude-tail --no-follow ~/.claude/sessions/2024-01-15-session.jsonl

Read from stdin

cat session.jsonl | claude-tail

Follow Logs in Real-Time

Follow mode is enabled by default

claude-tail session.jsonl

Explicitly enable follow mode

claude-tail -f session.jsonl

Follow multiple files

claude-tail session1.jsonl session2.jsonl

Watch for New Logs

Watch all JSONL files in current directory

claude-tail --pattern "*.jsonl"

Watch all session logs

claude-tail --pattern "~/.claude/sessions/*.jsonl"

Display Modes

Compact Mode

Minimal output, one-line per event

claude-tail --compact session.jsonl

Verbose Mode

Detailed output with full event information

claude-tail --verbose session.jsonl

Statistics Mode

Show statistics about the session

claude-tail --stats session.jsonl

Tools-Only Mode

Show only tool usage events

claude-tail --tools-only session.jsonl

Filtering

Filter by Event Type

Show only specific event types (comma-separated)

claude-tail --type tool_use,error session.jsonl

Common event types: tool_use, text, error, system

claude-tail --type text session.jsonl

Filter by Tool Name

Show only specific tools (comma-separated)

claude-tail --tool Read,Write session.jsonl

Show only bash commands

claude-tail --tool Bash session.jsonl

Show only file operations

claude-tail --tool Read,Write,Edit session.jsonl

Filter by Time Range

Show events after a specific time (HH:MM:SS)

claude-tail --after 14:30:00 session.jsonl

Show events before a specific time

claude-tail --before 15:45:00 session.jsonl

Show events in a time window

claude-tail --after 14:30:00 --before 15:45:00 session.jsonl

Show Only Errors

Display only error events

claude-tail --errors-only session.jsonl

Display Options

Terminal Width and Wrapping

Set custom terminal width

claude-tail --width 120 session.jsonl

Disable line wrapping

claude-tail --no-wrap session.jsonl

Combine options

claude-tail --width 80 --no-wrap session.jsonl

Common Workflows

Debug a Session

Show all errors in a session

claude-tail --errors-only --no-follow session.jsonl

Show tool usage with errors

claude-tail --tools-only --errors-only session.jsonl

Verbose output for debugging

claude-tail --verbose --errors-only session.jsonl

Monitor Tool Usage

Watch what tools are being called

claude-tail --tools-only -f session.jsonl

Monitor specific tools in real-time

claude-tail --tool Bash,Read,Write -f session.jsonl

Get tool usage statistics

claude-tail --stats --tools-only session.jsonl

Analyze Session Activity

Review activity in a time window

claude-tail --after 10:00:00 --before 11:00:00 --no-follow session.jsonl

See compact summary of a session

claude-tail --compact --no-follow session.jsonl

Get detailed statistics

claude-tail --stats session.jsonl

Watch Live Sessions

Follow the most recent session

claude-tail -f ~/.claude/sessions/$(ls -t ~/.claude/sessions/*.jsonl | head -1)

Watch all new session files

claude-tail --pattern "~/.claude/sessions/*.jsonl"

Monitor errors in real-time

claude-tail --errors-only -f current-session.jsonl

Advanced Usage

Combining Filters

Show Read/Write operations with errors after 2pm

claude-tail --tool Read,Write
--errors-only
--after 14:00:00
session.jsonl

Monitor specific tools in compact mode

claude-tail --tool Bash,Grep,Read
--compact
-f session.jsonl

Session Log Analysis

Quick session overview

claude-tail --stats --no-follow session.jsonl

Detailed tool usage analysis

claude-tail --tools-only --verbose --no-follow session.jsonl

Find all errors in a session

claude-tail --errors-only --verbose --no-follow session.jsonl

Debugging Workflows

Debug a specific time period with full detail

claude-tail --verbose
--after 14:30:00
--before 14:35:00
--no-follow
session.jsonl

Monitor for errors during development

claude-tail --errors-only --tools-only -f session.jsonl

Watch file operations in real-time

claude-tail --tool Read,Write,Edit,Glob,Grep
--compact
-f session.jsonl

Session Log Location

Claude Code session logs are typically stored in:

~/.claude/sessions/*.jsonl

Find Recent Sessions

List sessions by most recent

ls -lt ~/.claude/sessions/*.jsonl | head -5

View the most recent session

claude-tail ~/.claude/sessions/$(ls -t ~/.claude/sessions/*.jsonl | head -1)

Common Event Types

  • tool_use - Claude called a tool (Read, Write, Bash, etc.)

  • text - Claude sent text output

  • error - An error occurred

  • system - System messages and events

Common Tools to Filter

  • Read - File reading operations

  • Write - File writing operations

  • Edit - File editing operations

  • Bash - Shell command execution

  • Grep - Code search operations

  • Glob - File pattern matching

  • Task - Agent task launches

  • WebFetch - Web content fetching

  • WebSearch - Web search queries

Best Practices

  • Use follow mode for active sessions: Monitor live sessions with -f

  • Filter aggressively: Use --tool , --type , and time filters to focus on relevant events

  • Start with stats mode: Get an overview with --stats before diving into details

  • Use compact mode for overviews: Quickly scan many events with --compact

  • Use verbose mode for debugging: Get full detail when investigating issues

  • Watch for errors: Regular --errors-only checks help catch issues early

  • Analyze tool patterns: Use --tools-only to understand workflow patterns

Tips

  • Follow mode is enabled by default (use --no-follow to disable)

  • Combine multiple filters to narrow down events precisely

  • Use time filters to focus on specific parts of a session

  • Stats mode is great for session retrospectives

  • Errors-only mode helps quickly identify problems

  • Tools-only mode shows the "what" without the "why"

Quick Reference

View and follow

claude-tail session.jsonl

View once

claude-tail --no-follow session.jsonl

Show stats

claude-tail --stats session.jsonl

Only errors

claude-tail --errors-only session.jsonl

Only tools

claude-tail --tools-only session.jsonl

Filter by tool

claude-tail --tool Read,Write session.jsonl

Filter by time

claude-tail --after 14:00:00 --before 15:00:00 session.jsonl

Compact output

claude-tail --compact session.jsonl

Verbose output

claude-tail --verbose session.jsonl

Watch pattern

claude-tail --pattern "*.jsonl"

Source Transparency

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