nixos/shared/linked-dotfiles/opencode/llmemory/DELETE_IMPLEMENTATION.md

Delete Command Implementation

Summary

Successfully implemented a robust delete command for llmemory that allows flexible deletion of memories by various criteria. The implementation follows TDD principles, matches existing code patterns, and includes comprehensive safety features.

Implementation Details

Files Created/Modified

1. src/commands/delete.js (NEW)

   • Implements deleteMemories(db, options) function
   • Supports multiple filter criteria: IDs, tags (AND/OR), LIKE queries, date ranges, agent
   • Includes expired memory handling (exclude by default, include with flag, or only expired)
   • Dry-run mode for safe preview
   • Safety check: requires at least one filter criterion

2. src/cli.js (MODIFIED)

   • Added import for deleteMemories
   • Added delete command with 14 options
   • Confirmation prompt (requires --force flag)
   • Support for --json and --markdown output
   • Helpful error messages for safety violations
   • Updated --agent-context help documentation

3. test/integration.test.js (MODIFIED)

   • Added 26 comprehensive tests in describe('Delete Command') block
   • Tests cover all filter types, combinations, safety features, and edge cases
   • All 65 tests pass (39 original + 26 new)

Features

Filter Criteria

• By IDs: --ids 1,2,3 - Delete specific memories by comma-separated IDs
• By Tags (AND): --tags test,demo - Delete memories with ALL specified tags
• By Tags (OR): --any-tag test,demo - Delete memories with ANY specified tag
• By Content: --query "docker" - Case-insensitive LIKE search on content
• By Date Range: --after 2025-01-01 --before 2025-12-31
• By Agent: --entered-by test-agent - Filter by creator
• Expired Only: --expired-only - Delete only expired memories
• Include Expired: --include-expired - Include expired in other filters

Safety Features

• Required Filters: Must specify at least one filter criterion (prevents accidental "delete all")
• Confirmation Prompt: Shows count and requires --force flag to proceed
• Dry-Run Mode: --dry-run shows what would be deleted without actually deleting
• Clear Output: Shows preview of memories to be deleted with full details

Output Formats

• Standard: Colored, formatted output with memory details
• JSON: --json for programmatic processing
• Markdown: --markdown for documentation

Usage Examples

# Preview deletion by tag
llmemory delete --tags test --dry-run

# Delete test memories (with confirmation)
llmemory delete --tags test
# Shows: "⚠ About to delete 6 memories. Run with --dry-run to preview first, or --force to skip this check."

# Delete test memories (skip confirmation)
llmemory delete --tags test --force

# Delete by specific IDs
llmemory delete --ids 1,2,3 --force

# Delete by content query
llmemory delete --query "docker" --dry-run

# Delete by agent and tags (combination)
llmemory delete --entered-by test-agent --tags demo --force

# Delete expired memories only
llmemory delete --expired-only --force

# Delete old memories before date
llmemory delete --before 2025-01-01 --dry-run

# Complex query: test memories from specific agent, created after date
llmemory delete --tags test --entered-by manual --after 2025-10-01 --dry-run

Design Decisions

1. Keep Prune Separate ✅

Decision: Created separate delete command instead of extending prune

Rationale:

• Semantic clarity: "prune" implies expired/old data, "delete" is general-purpose
• Single responsibility: Each command does one thing well
• Better UX: "delete by tags" reads more naturally than "prune by tags"

2. Require At Least One Filter ✅

Decision: Throw error if no filter criteria provided

Rationale:

• Prevents accidental bulk deletion
• Forces users to be explicit about what they want to delete
• Safer default behavior

Alternative Considered: Allow --all flag for "delete everything" - rejected as too dangerous

3. Exclude Expired by Default ✅

Decision: By default, expired memories are excluded from deletion (consistent with search/list)

Rationale:

• Consistency: Matches behavior of search and list commands
• Logical: Users typically work with active memories
• Flexibility: Can include expired with --include-expired or target only expired with --expired-only

4. Reuse Search Query Logic ✅

Decision: Adopted same query-building patterns as search.js

Rationale:

• Consistency: Users familiar with search filters can use same syntax
• Proven: Search query logic already tested and working
• Maintainability: Similar code structure makes maintenance easier

Future Refactoring: Could extract query-building to shared utility in src/utils/query.js

Test Coverage

Test Categories

1. Delete by IDs (4 tests)

   • Single ID, multiple IDs, non-existent IDs, mixed valid/invalid

2. Delete by Tags (5 tests)

   • Single tag, multiple tags (AND), OR logic, no matches

3. Delete by Content (3 tests)

   • LIKE query, case-insensitive, partial matches

4. Delete by Date Range (3 tests)

   • Before date, after date, date range (both)

5. Delete by Agent (2 tests)

   • By agent, agent + tags combination

6. Expired Memory Handling (3 tests)

   • Exclude expired (default), include expired, expired only

7. Dry Run Mode (2 tests)

   • Doesn't delete, includes memory details

8. Safety Features (2 tests)

   • Requires filter, handles empty results

9. Combination Filters (3 tests)

   • Tags + query, agent + date, all filters

Test Results

✓ test/integration.test.js  (65 tests) 56ms
  Test Files  1 passed (1)
       Tests  65 passed (65)

Performance

• Delete operations are fast (uses indexed queries)
• Transaction-safe: Deletion happens in SQLite transaction
• CASCADE delete: Related tags cleaned up automatically via foreign keys
• No performance degradation observed with 100+ memories

Comparison with Prune

Feature	Prune	Delete
Purpose	Remove expired memories	Remove by any criteria
Default behavior	Expired only	Requires explicit filters
Filter by tags	❌	✅
Filter by content	❌	✅
Filter by agent	❌	✅
Filter by date	Before date only	Before, after, or range
Filter by IDs	❌	✅
Include/exclude expired	N/A (always expired)	Configurable
Dry-run	✅	✅
Confirmation	✅	✅

Future Enhancements (Not Implemented)

1. Interactive Mode: --interactive to select from list
2. Backup Before Delete: --backup <file> to export before deletion
3. Regex Support: --regex for pattern matching
4. Undo/Restore: Soft delete with restore capability
5. Batch Limits: --limit to cap deletion count
6. Query DSL: More advanced query language

Lessons Learned

1. TDD Works: Writing tests first helped catch edge cases early
2. Pattern Reuse: Adopting search.js patterns saved time and ensured consistency
3. Safety First: Confirmation prompts and dry-run are essential for destructive operations
4. Clear Errors: Helpful error messages (like listing available filters) improve UX
5. Semantic Clarity: Separate commands with clear purposes better than multi-purpose commands

Testing Checklist

• Unit tests for all filter types
• Combination filter tests
• Dry-run mode tests
• Safety feature tests
• CLI integration tests
• Manual testing with real database
• Help text verification
• Error message clarity
• Output format tests (JSON, Markdown)
• Confirmation prompt behavior

Documentation Updates

• CLI help text (llmemory delete --help)
• Agent context help (llmemory --agent-context)
• This implementation document
• Update SPECIFICATION.md (future)
• Update README.md examples (future)

Conclusion

The delete command implementation is complete and production-ready. It provides:

• ✅ Flexible deletion by multiple criteria
• ✅ Comprehensive safety features
• ✅ Consistent with existing commands
• ✅ Thoroughly tested (26 new tests, all passing)
• ✅ Well-documented with clear help text
• ✅ Follows TDD principles

The implementation successfully addresses all requirements from the original investigation and provides a robust, safe tool for managing llmemory data.