why

Explain why code exists by finding the session that produced it.

Steps

1. Call why_did_this_change with the user's target as target:

   • A file → src/cache.ts
   • A specific line → src/cache.ts:142 (pins the commit via git blame)
   • A commit → a sha, tag, or HEAD~2
   • A topic → free text (searches sessions in this repo, no git)

   The tool is read-only: it never writes to the repository.

1. Read the evidence. The result carries the resolved commit (subject, author time, files, trailers; null for the free-text form) and ranked sessions. Trust confidence: files+time (the session edited the committed files inside its window) is stronger than time-only (same repo and window, no file overlap). Two flags change how you read the commit: commit.merge: true means this is the merge that landed the change, not the commit that wrote it — the reasoning lives in the sessions, not the merge subject. A non-empty unlandedAttempts (file form only) means sessions touched this file but no commit ever landed from them — a possible abandoned attempt.

2. Synthesize a short answer from each session's excerpts and headline. Explain the reasoning and any abandoned approaches — the part git does not record. Do not invent rationale the excerpts do not support.

3. Cite each session you used: its tool, date (startedAt), and headline. Distinguish files+time matches from time-only matches so the user can weigh them.

4. Check closed PRs before concluding "fixed". When the question is "was this fixed" or "does this bug still exist", git history alone is not proof: a fix may have been tried and rejected without leaving a commit. If the repo has a GitHub remote and gh is available, run gh search prs --state closed -- <terms> (or gh pr list --search "<file>" --state closed) and report a closed-unmerged attempt alongside any merged fix. Skip silently when gh or a GitHub remote is absent.

5. Offer a deep-dive. If the user wants more, call get_session_messages with a session's filePath (use an excerpts[].msgIndex as the offset) to read the full exchange.

Guidelines

• Empty sessions is a real answer: say no session correlates, rather than guessing.
• A time-only match is a weak signal — present it as "around the same time", not as cause.
• Surface commit trailers (e.g. Co-Authored-By) when present; they annotate authorship.
• Lead with the why, then the citations. Keep it to a few sentences unless asked for more.