Session transcripts

The coding agent keeps a record of each session: the prompts, the tool calls and their results. Read afterwards, and across many sessions, it shows what the agent actually did.

Finding it

The agent decides where it writes them. Claude Code keeps one JSON Lines file per session under ~/.claude/projects/, in a directory named after the project's path. An agent that exports OpenTelemetry events sends them to the collector its settings name.

Using it

• In batches, on a schedule: patterns show across many sessions, not in one.
• Parse the records: each line is a JSON object, and jq picks out the tool calls, their results and their errors.
• Scrub before sharing: transcripts hold file contents, commands and sometimes secrets, which are removed before anything leaves the machine.
• Keep them long enough: Claude Code deletes old transcripts after a set number of days (cleanupPeriodDays), so copy them when they are needed later.

Examples: Claude Code's session files, OpenTelemetry events from the agent.