CLI Chat Exporter

中文

CLI Chat Exporter provides the cce command for exporting local AI assistant chat histories to readable Markdown and HTML archives.

It currently supports local histories from Codex, Cursor, and OpenClaw. The npm CLI is intentionally scoped to the current local user.

Preview

| Format | Concise | Detail | | --- | --- | --- | | HTML | | | | Markdown (previewed) | | |

Installation

npm install -g @benryoung/cli-chat-exporter

Requirements:

• Node.js 20 or newer.
• Python 3 available as python3 or python, or configured through CCE_PYTHON / runtime.python.
• Automatic local-user discovery uses native system paths; Windows currently auto-discovers Codex only.

Quick Start

cce help
cce doctor
cce config init # interactive setup, including scheduled service
cce export --source all --format both --output ~/AIChatRecords # manual backup

The default output directory is ~/AIChatRecords. Each export writes both concise and detailed versions unless you choose a single format.

What It Exports

cce export scans local session files for:

• Codex
• Cursor
• OpenClaw

Supported output formats:

• Markdown (.md)
• HTML (.html)
• Both formats in one run

Each session is exported as:

• *_concise: user and assistant conversation content for reading and archiving.
• *_detail: additional metadata, tool calls, events, and diagnostic context.

How It Works

Current user home
    |
    +-- ~/.codex/sessions/...
    +-- ~/.cursor/projects/...
    +-- ~/.openclaw/agents/...
            |
            v
    Python exporter core
            |
            v
    Markdown / HTML archive files

The npm package is a Node.js wrapper around the Python exporter core. Runtime logs are written outside the package directory under the configured state/log paths.

Commands

cce help
cce version
cce doctor
cce export [--source all|codex|openclaw|cursor|auto] [--format both|html|md] [--output DIR] [--overwrite]
cce config get
cce config init
cce config set [--source SOURCE] [--output DIR] [--earliest HH:MM] [--latest HH:MM] [--interval 1h] [--log-dir DIR]
cce service run
cce service start
cce service stop
cce service status

Configuration

cce config get
cce config init
cce config set --output ~/AIChatRecords --source all --earliest 00:00 --latest 23:00 --interval 1h

Configuration is stored at:

~/.config/cce/config.json

Runtime state and logs default to:

~/.local/state/cce/

Scheduled Service

Start a lightweight background scheduler:

cce service start
cce service status

Stop it:

cce service stop

This is a user-level process, not a system service manager integration. If npm removes or replaces the package while the scheduler is running, the background process detects the missing package files and exits.

Current-User Scope and Privacy

The npm CLI exports only the current local user's readable chat histories. It does not request elevated privileges, write sudoers rules, or attempt to read other users' home directories.

All processing is local. The tool does not upload chat records.

Advanced Python Usage

The underlying Python exporter still supports explicit user scope for local administrator workflows. For example, on a machine you administer:

sudo /path/to/python /path/to/chatManager/export_session.py --user all --format both --output /path/to/AIChatRecords

This mode is intentionally not exposed through the npm CLI.

Troubleshooting

Check the runtime first:

cce doctor

If cce cannot find Python, either install Python 3 or set:

export CCE_PYTHON=/path/to/python

If exports appear empty, verify that the current user has local histories under supported application directories.

Development

npm test
npm run pack:check

License

MIT