Quickstart

sivtr has two everyday paths:

• For humans: open the sivtr TUI panel to browse terminal output and agent sessions together, search across sources, and copy the exact part you need.
• For agents: install the bundled sivtr-memory skill, then use CLI commands such as sivtr search, sivtr copy --print, and sivtr show to retrieve local workspace memory.

1. Install the CLI and skill

Follow Installation first. The important point is that agent workflows need both parts:

• the sivtr CLI must be on PATH;
• the bundled sivtr-memory skill must be installed with npx skills add Ariestar/sivtr --skill sivtr-memory -g.

After that, the agent can be told to “use sivtr first” and will have a concrete procedure for searching local memory.

2. Put terminal history into the workspace

If this is your first time using sivtr, install shell integration once:

sivtr init powershell
# or: sivtr init bash
# or: sivtr init zsh
# or: sivtr init nushell

Restart the shell, then work normally:

bun run build
cargo test
git status --short

Recent commands and output will now appear in the workspace. Agent sessions (Claude, Codex, Hermes, OpenCode, Pi) are read from their local session directories.

3. Open the unified workspace TUI

Run:

sivtr

This is the most important entry point. It is not terminal-only, and it is not tied to one agent provider. It puts local workspace memory into one interface.

The workspace TUI has four panes:

Pane	Purpose
Source	Choose a source, such as terminal, Claude, Codex, Hermes, OpenCode, or Pi.
Sessions	Choose a terminal record or agent session.
Dialogues	Choose a dialogue turn or command block.
Content	Inspect input, output, tool results, or message content.

Common keys:

Key	Action
0 / 1 / 2 / 3	Focus Source, Sessions, Dialogues, or Content
j / k	Move inside the focused pane
h / l	Move to the previous / next pane
Space	Toggle the current source, session, or dialogue
/	Search the workspace
n / N	Next / previous search result
i	Copy input or question
o	Copy output or answer
y	Copy input + output
c	Copy bare command when available
:	Set a line filter for the next copy
t	Open the current content in full view
z	Toggle focused pane fullscreen
?	Help
q / Esc	Back or quit

Workspace search supports prefixes:

Query	Scope
error	Content
#build	Dialogue or command-block title
>release	Session title

4. Open only one kind of content

The unified workspace is the default entry point. When you only want one source, use a more specific picker.

Terminal command blocks only:

sivtr copy --pick

One agent provider only:

sivtr copy claude --pick
sivtr copy codex --pick
sivtr copy hermes --pick
sivtr copy opencode --pick
sivtr copy pi --pick

These are filtered workspace views, not the main entry point.

5. Copy directly when you know what you need

When you already know what to fetch, you do not need to open the TUI:

sivtr copy          # latest command + output
sivtr copy out      # latest output only
sivtr copy cmd      # latest command only
sivtr copy out 2    # previous command output
sivtr copy 2..4     # recent range

Read agent sessions:

sivtr copy claude out --print
sivtr copy codex out --print
sivtr copy hermes out --print
sivtr copy opencode out --print
sivtr copy pi out --print

For agent use, prefer --print so the command returns text instead of opening an interactive UI or only writing to the clipboard.

6. Let the agent search workspace memory first

When something fails, tell the agent:

Fix the terminal error. Use sivtr first.

The agent should search the same workspace memory:

sivtr search terminal --match "error|failed|panic|Traceback|Exception|exit code|FAILED" --format json --limit 20
sivtr search terminal --status failure --latest 1 --format json
sivtr copy out 1 --print
sivtr copy cmd 1..10 --print

Then it can read code, patch the issue, and rerun the smallest relevant verification command.

This is the core value: what you can see in the unified workspace, the agent can also read through commands.

7. Return to exact evidence with refs

Search results include refs. A ref can point to a terminal command block, an agent session, a dialogue, or a specific content block.

sivtr search terminal --match "build error" --format json --limit 20
sivtr show terminal/current/2
sivtr show claude/<session>/3
sivtr show claude/<session>/3/2

Refs let humans and agents return to the same evidence instead of relying on vague summaries.

8. Use the single-output browser when needed

Besides the workspace TUI, sivtr also has a single-buffer browser for temporary long output:

cargo test 2>&1 | sivtr
sivtr run bun run build

This browser is for one captured output. The bare sivtr workspace TUI is the main entry point for terminal and agent memory together.

Next steps

• Read the Mental Model to understand sources, sessions, dialogues, blocks, and refs.
• See Playbooks for real workflows.
• Read Browse and Select for full workspace TUI controls.
• Keep CLI Reference open for exact options.