Eggshell

View saved version →

---
name: eggshell
description: Set up, inspect, or troubleshoot Eggshell local memory for Codex. Use when the user asks to install Eggshell, inspect a handoff or pending turn, change memory settings, or diagnose missing cross-chat memory. Ordinary coding tasks use the automatic hooks without loading this skill.
---

# Eggshell

Eggshell records work and observed outcomes locally. Hooks select relevant
history for later Codex chats. Use this skill for setup and memory controls;
normal tasks do not need model-authored summaries or manual memory maintenance.

## Setup

1. Check macOS/Linux, ARM64/x86-64, Python 3, and Codex command-hook support.
   Resolve this skill's installed path: the plugin root is two levels above
   this `SKILL.md` directory. Use absolute paths for the bundled helpers.
2. Explain that setup downloads a checksummed Eggshell runtime, Python packages,
   and MiniLM. The default install root is `~/.local`; preserve an existing
   `EGGSHELL_PREFIX`. Once setup is authorized, run `python3 <plugin-root>/scripts/setup.py`.
   This installs only the runtime. Do not run the standalone release installer
   after directory installation; it registers another copy of the hooks.
3. Check `codex plugin list --marketplace eggshell --json` for the older standalone
   installation. If migrating that installation, remove only `eggshell@eggshell`
   with `codex plugin remove eggshell@eggshell --json` before enabling directory
   hooks. Keep the runtime and `.egg` files. Do not remove unrelated plugins.
4. In the intended project, check for `.eggshell.toml`. If absent, run
   `<prefix>/bin/egg init`; if present, inspect it and retain the user's settings.
   Add `<prefix>/bin` to the relevant PATH. Custom prefixes must also be present
   in Codex's environment as `EGGSHELL_PREFIX`.
5. Have the user review and enable Eggshell's hooks through `/hooks`, then start
   a new chat. Verify memory with an actual related two-chat example: complete
   an investigation, run `!egg keep`, ask a related question in a separate chat
   in the same project, and inspect `!egg graph`. Installation alone does not
   prove that a handoff was received.

## Inspect and control memory

Run `<plugin-root>/bin/egg` with the current thread environment. The equivalent
user shell commands inside Codex are:

- `!egg`: settings and staged turn.
- `!egg inspect`: resolved files and stored-state identifiers.
- `!egg graph`: the handoff actually delivered, without rerunning retrieval.
- `!egg why`: selection details.
- `!egg diff`: preview the staged turn before saving.
- `!egg keep`: explicitly save a finished turn (normal saving is automatic).
- `!egg drop`: clear the active turn; saved observations and queued commits remain.
- `!egg next private`: read memory without saving the next turn.
- `!egg next off`: disable recording and context for the next turn.
- `!egg off` / `!egg on`: disable or enable memory for the current chat.

Do not keep, discard, or change settings merely because the user asks to inspect
memory. Read-only mode still sends selected prior work to Codex. Work files can
contain prompts, code, and tool output; do not publish their contents as part of
a support report without authorization.

## Troubleshooting

For missing context, check hook enablement, the active profile and paths, whether
the earlier observations reached the selected `.egg`, and whether the new request
relates to that work. Tool results are saved during the turn; the final answer is
queued at Stop. A failed write stays queued and retries independently of hooks.
Do not recommend repeating an investigation merely because a hook timed out.
A new chat in another checkout may have a different work file. An empty handoff
is possible when no relevant work is found.

For setup failures, use the actual error. A checksum mismatch must stop setup;
do not bypass verification. Hooks perform no dependency downloads. Missing
runtime leaves Codex usable but provides no Eggshell memory. A failed search
provider permits ordinary matching; it does not establish successful semantic
search. See the public guide for custom configurations and recovery:
https://github.com/momonpya/eggshell/blob/main/docs/codex-plugin.md

Treat old outcomes as evidence, including failures and timeouts. Distinguish
reused findings from new checks and explicitly unverified facts. This skill does
not make memory evidence current or establish a new token-saving measurement.

Referenced files: 1