Display contents of the trash directory, showing deleted memories, files, and folders for restoration.

​
Synopsis

claude-mem trash-view

​
Description

View deleted items:
  1. File Listing - Shows all trashed items with metadata
  2. Size Information - Displays individual and total sizes
  3. Deletion Dates - When items were moved to trash
  4. Restore Instructions - How to recover items

​
Examples

​
View Trash Contents

claude-mem trash-view
Sample Output: 

🗑️  Trash Contents

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

📁 project-backup
   Size: 2.3 MB | Trashed: 9/15/2025, 10:30:15 AM
   ID: project-backup.1726405815234

📄 old-memories.jsonl
   Size: 456.7 KB | Trashed: 9/14/2025, 3:45:22 PM
   ID: old-memories.jsonl.1726319122456

📄 session-transcript.log
   Size: 123.4 KB | Trashed: 9/14/2025, 11:20:08 AM
   ID: session-transcript.log.1726302008789

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Total: 1 folders, 2 files (2.9 MB)

To restore files: claude-mem restore
To empty trash:   claude-mem trash empty

​
Empty Trash

Empty trash: 
claude-mem trash-view
Output: 
🗑️  Trash is empty

​
Item Display Format

​
Files

File display: 
📄 filename.ext
   Size: 123.4 KB | Trashed: 9/14/2025, 3:45:22 PM
   ID: filename.ext.1726319122456
  • 📄 Icon - Indicates file type
  • Size - Human-readable file size
  • Trashed Date - When item was deleted
  • ID - Unique identifier for restoration

​
Directories

Folder display: 
📁 folder-name
   Size: 2.3 MB | Trashed: 9/15/2025, 10:30:15 AM
   ID: folder-name.1726405815234
  • 📁 Icon - Indicates directory
  • Size - Total size of all contents
  • Recursive Calculation - Includes all subdirectories and files

​
Trash Item Naming

​
Naming Convention

Items renamed with timestamps: 
original-name.timestamp
For example:
  • config.json → config.json.1726405815234
  • project-folder → project-folder.1726405815234

​
Timestamp Format

Unix epoch milliseconds:
  • 1726405815234 = September 15, 2025, 10:30:15.234 AM
Ensures unique names and preserves deletion order.

​
Size Formatting

Human-readable format:
RangeFormatExample
< 1 KBBytes512 B
< 1 MBKilobytes456.7 KB
< 1 GBMegabytes2.3 MB
≥ 1 GBGigabytes1.2 GB
Limited to 2 decimal places.

​
Sorting

Deletion order:
  • Newest first - Most recently deleted items at top
  • Chronological - Based on deletion timestamp
  • Mixed types - Files and folders intermixed by date

​
Directory Size Calculation

Folder size represents total contents: 
project-folder/
├── src/
│   ├── main.js (50 KB)
│   └── utils.js (25 KB)
├── docs/
│   └── readme.md (10 KB)
└── package.json (5 KB)

Total: 90 KB
Shows: 
📁 project-folder
   Size: 90 KB | Trashed: 9/15/2025, 10:30:15 AM

​
Error Handling

​
Permission Issues

claude-mem trash-view
Output: 
Failed to read trash directory
Permission denied: ~/.claude-mem/trash/
Solution: 
# Fix permissions
chmod 755 ~/.claude-mem/trash/

​
Corrupted Trash

Damaged trash directory: 
claude-mem trash-view
Output: 
Failed to read trash directory
Error: Invalid directory structure
Solutions: 
# Recreate trash directory
rm -rf ~/.claude-mem/trash/
mkdir -p ~/.claude-mem/trash/

# Or reinstall claude-mem
claude-mem install --force

​
Management Actions

​
After Viewing Trash

Next steps: 
# Restore specific item
claude-mem restore

# Empty entire trash
claude-mem trash empty

# Restore all items
claude-mem restore --all

​
Selective Restoration

Identify items for restoration:
  1. Note the ID - Copy the unique identifier
  2. Run restore - Use claude-mem restore
  3. Select item - Choose from interactive list

​
Storage Location

Storage location: 
~/.claude-mem/trash/
├── config.json.1726405815234
├── old-memories.jsonl.1726319122456
├── project-backup.1726405815234/
└── session-transcript.log.1726302008789
Don’t manipulate trash directory directly. Use claude-mem restore and claude-mem trash empty.

​
Performance Considerations

​
Large Directories

Large folders:
  • Size calculation may take time
  • Progress not shown during scan
  • Consider using claude-mem trash empty for large cleanups

​
Many Items

Many items:
  • All items displayed (no pagination)
  • Consider regular cleanup
  • Use claude-mem trash empty periodically

​
Integration

​
With Scripts

Check status programmatically: 
#!/bin/bash

# Check if trash has contents
if claude-mem trash-view | grep -q "📄\|📁"; then
    echo "Trash contains items"
    claude-mem trash-view
else
    echo "Trash is empty"
fi

​
With Cleanup Workflows

Regular maintenance: 
# Weekly cleanup script
if claude-mem trash-view | grep -q "Total:"; then
    echo "Cleaning up trash..."
    claude-mem trash empty --force
fi

​
Troubleshooting

​
Missing Items

Missing items:
  1. Check spelling - Verify original filename
  2. Check timing - Item might not be in trash
  3. Check permissions - Ensure read access to trash
  4. Check location - Verify trash directory path

​
Size Discrepancies

Size discrepancies:
  1. Hidden files - May include system files
  2. Symlinks - Links counted as files
  3. Sparse files - May report differently

​
Restore Issues

Restore issues:
  1. Check IDs - Ensure correct identifier format
  2. Check permissions - Verify write access to destination
  3. Check space - Ensure sufficient disk space

​
See Also