# AI use cases for Openhistory (ztratar/openhistory)

Repo: [ztratar/openhistory](https://github.com/ztratar/openhistory) | Use cases: 3 | Page: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/ztratar-openhistory/

OpenHistory is a private, searchable timeline of your foreground work on macOS, with summaries that local AI agents can query through a read-only MCP server.

This file holds every use case of this repo. Each one starts with a "## " heading and ends with its URL.

- Recall what you finished and where you left off: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/ztratar-openhistory/recall-where-you-left-off/
- Let a local coding agent list your unfinished work: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/ztratar-openhistory/let-local-agent-list-unfinished-work/
- Audit and scrub recorded history before sensitive work: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/ztratar-openhistory/audit-and-scrub-local-history/

## How to recall what you finished and where you left off with Openhistory

Repo: [ztratar/openhistory](https://github.com/ztratar/openhistory) | Difficulty: Beginner | Time: 15 minutes | Basis: From the README

Search a private timeline of yesterday's foreground work to pick up unfinished tasks.

**Who it is for:** A knowledge worker who switched between editors, browsers, and trackers all day and cannot remember the state of a task the next morning.

**The problem:** Work is spread across many apps, so by the end of the day it is hard to recall what moved forward and what is still open.

**The outcome:** You get a searchable record of the day with hourly and daily recaps, and you can find the last state of a task in minutes.

### Steps

1. Download OpenHistory for Mac from Openhistory.sh, or build it from source with `git clone https://github.com/ztratar/openhistory.git`.
2. On first launch, accept the privacy notice and choose Apple On-Device, a cloud provider, or Summaries off.
3. Open Settings, choose Grant access, and allow OpenHistory in macOS Accessibility.
4. Work normally, then open the timeline and check the hourly and daily recaps for the day.
5. Use the built-in history search on a task name to find where you stopped.

### Prompt to paste into your agent

```text
Using the OpenHistory search in the app, find the most recent activity about <task name> and list the last state of that work in three bullet points. Verify each bullet against a timeline item that shows its date and time before you report it.
```

### Caveat

Email and Messages capture are selected by default during setup, so clear those selections first if you do not want them recorded.

Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/

URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/ztratar-openhistory/recall-where-you-left-off/

## How to let a local coding agent list your unfinished work with Openhistory

Repo: [ztratar/openhistory](https://github.com/ztratar/openhistory) | Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 30 minutes | Basis: From the README

Connect a local agent to OpenHistory's read-only MCP tools to surface open tasks.

**Who it is for:** A developer who uses a local coding agent and wants it to pick up yesterday's open threads without pasting notes by hand.

**The problem:** Agents start each session with no memory of what you did earlier, so you have to re-explain context every time.

**The outcome:** Your agent uses OpenHistory's search and unfinished-work tools to summarize open items, with a revocable credential for that connection.

### Steps

1. Install and open OpenHistory, and let it collect activity after setup.
2. In Settings, choose Copy prompt, then paste it into your local coding agent.
3. Confirm the agent connects to the default endpoint `http://127.0.0.1:47831/openhistory/mcp`.
4. Ask the agent to identify unfinished work and to find referenced files and links.
5. Review the agent's answer against the timeline before acting on it.

### Prompt to paste into your agent

```text
Connect to the OpenHistory MCP server at http://127.0.0.1:47831/openhistory/mcp using the bearer credential from the copied prompt. List the unfinished work from the last <number> days as a short checklist with the source timeline item for each entry, and verify that every entry has a timeline item reference before you report it.
```

### Caveat

The MCP server only reads a redacted projection, so raw activity is not exposed to the agent, and the server binds to 127.0.0.1 only.

Risk, credentials: The agent connection uses a bearer credential that OpenHistory creates; treat it as a secret and revoke it in OpenHistory if the agent setup is no longer trusted.

Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/

URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/ztratar-openhistory/let-local-agent-list-unfinished-work/

## How to audit and scrub recorded history before sensitive work with Openhistory

Repo: [ztratar/openhistory](https://github.com/ztratar/openhistory) | Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 45 minutes | Basis: From the README

Review what OpenHistory keeps, scrub protected events, and delete local data when needed.

**Who it is for:** A user handling client, legal, or other sensitive work who wants to confirm what the local record contains before relying on it.

**The problem:** Enabled email, messaging, or text-edit capture can store sensitive text, and historical protected activity may still be on disk.

**The outcome:** Historical protected activity is removed from raw events, and the local record can be wiped completely when you stop using the app.

### Steps

1. Open Settings and review the Data & privacy section, then turn off email, messaging, or text-edit capture for categories you do not want.
2. Clone the repository with `git clone https://github.com/ztratar/openhistory.git` and enter it with `cd openhistory`.
3. Install dependencies with `npm ci`.
4. Run the raw-event scrub with `npm run privacy:scrub-protected -- "/path/to/activity-data"` using your local data directory path.
5. To remove everything, use Settings > Data & privacy > Delete all local data, then remove the app and its Accessibility permission in System Settings.

### Prompt to paste into your agent

```text
In the openhistory repository, run the privacy scrub against the local activity data directory at <path> and report how many protected events were removed. Verify the output reports the scrub finished before you state the result.
```

### Caveat

The scrub command needs the source checkout and Node.js 22, and the README says startup already removes historical protected activity, so run the manual scrub only when you need an extra pass.

Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/

URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/ztratar-openhistory/audit-and-scrub-local-history/