Load Plans from a File

Overview

The --from-file flag allows you to load plans from a previously exported JSON file rather than scanning the live ~/.claude/plans/ directory. This enables offline viewing and sharing plans across machines.

Usage

claude-plan-viewer --from-file plans.json

Or using the short flag:

claude-plan-viewer -f plans.json

Workflow Example

1. Export plans on Machine A

claude-plan-viewer --json --output plans.json

2. Transfer the file

Copy plans.json to Machine B via USB, cloud storage, or any file transfer method.

3. View plans on Machine B

claude-plan-viewer --from-file plans.json

Behavior Differences

When loading from a file, the following behaviors change:

WARNING

File watching is disabled when using --from-file. The viewer displays a static snapshot of plans from the JSON file. Changes to the source file after startup are not detected.

Feature	Normal Mode	From File Mode
File watching	Enabled	Disabled
Live updates	Yes	No
Refresh API	Reloads from disk	Reloads from disk (not JSON file)
Open in editor	Works	May fail if paths differ

WARNING

Calling the refresh API (POST /api/refresh) in from-file mode will reload plans from the default ~/.claude/plans directory, replacing your JSON snapshot.

Use Cases

• Offline Viewing - View plans without access to the original Claude Code installation
• Team Sharing - Share a snapshot of plans with colleagues for review or collaboration
• Historical Review - Load older backups to review past planning sessions
• Demo Mode - Present plans in environments without Claude Code installed

INFO

The JSON file must match the format produced by --json export. See JSON Export for details on the expected structure.