Introduction

I recently discovered that the GitHub Copilot app is built on top of GitHub Copilot CLI. This means we get access to powerful session history features, most notably /chronicle, which lets us pull insights from recent coding work across Copilot CLI sessions.

What is /chronicle?

The /chronicle command taps into the session data that GitHub Copilot CLI accumulates as you work. Every interaction, code generation, and terminal command is tracked locally in a session store. /chronicle gives you a way to query and summarise that history.

This is particularly useful for:

• Recalling what was worked on recently
• Generating standup summaries
• Reviewing decisions made during a coding session
• Tracing back through multi-step problem solving

Using /chronicle standup

The most common use case is generating a quick standup summary. Simply run:

/chronicle standup

This queries the last 24 hours of session data and produces a concise summary, what files were touched, what problems were solved, and what tools or commands were used.

The output is ideal for daily standups or async updates to the team.

How It Works Under the Hood

Because the GitHub Copilot app shares the same CLI foundation, session history is unified. Whether I was:

1. Using the Copilot app to scaffold a project
2. Running Copilot CLI in a terminal to debug an issue
3. Asking Copilot to explain code in the editor

All of these interactions feed into the same session store. /chronicle reads from this store, so it’s fast and entirely local.

Querying Specific Sessions

Beyond standup summaries, /chronicle can query specific timeframes or topics:

e.g.

/chronicle search authentication

Refer documentation

This performs a direct content search instead of a semantic one.

Why This Matters

For developers juggling multiple projects or context-switching frequently, /chronicle acts as a persistent memory layer. Instead of manually keeping notes about what was done and why, the session history captures it automatically.

It’s especially powerful for:

• End-of-week summaries: Rolling up a week’s worth of work without checking git logs manually
• Onboarding context: Reviewing how a project was set up days or weeks ago
• Debugging trails: Retracing steps when revisiting a tricky issue

Getting Started

With the GitHub Copilot app installed, /chronicle is available out of the box. No additional setup required, just type /chronicle followed by a query or use the standup subcommand.

For more details, see Using GitHub Copilot CLI session data in the official documentation.

Conclusion

The /chronicle command bridges the gap between working in the moment and reflecting on past work. By leveraging the shared session history between the GitHub Copilot app and CLI, we get a unified view of development activity, no extra tooling required.