Session Continuation Skill

Purpose

Guide Claude sessions to resume work intelligently by recovering context, identifying in-progress tasks, and reconciling state from previous sessions.

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Session Startup Hygiene Protocol (MANDATORY)

BEFORE accepting user's work request, ALWAYS run these checks:

1. Check Git Status

git status

Look for:

• Uncommitted changes: Modified or staged files from previous session
  • Action: Ask user "Commit or discard these changes?"
  • Never proceed with new work until resolved
• Untracked files in backlog/tasks/: Indicates MCP bypass (tasks created via Write instead of MCP tools)
  • Action: STOP immediately and alert user
  • These files won't be indexed by Backlog MCP
• Current branch: Feature work vs. main
• Ahead/behind remote: Unpushed commits

2. Check Backlog State

# Find orphaned In Progress tasks
mcp__backlog__task_list(status="In Progress")

# Find stale Done tasks needing archive
mcp__backlog__task_list(status="Done", limit=20)

Look for:

• "In Progress" tasks: Should typically be 0-1 (focus on one task at a time)
  • Action: Complete tasks with task_complete(id) or reset to "To Do" with task_edit(id, status="To Do")
  • Ask user: "Which task should I focus on?"
• >10 "Done" tasks: Indicates backlog clutter
  • Action: Archive completed tasks with task_complete(id) to move to completed/ folder
  • Keeps active backlog clean and focused

3. Report Findings to User

Present hygiene check results BEFORE starting new work:

Example Report:

Session startup hygiene check:

Git status:
- 2 uncommitted files: draft-1.md (1,200 words), research.md (updated citations)
- Recommendation: Commit these before starting new work?

Backlog state:
- 2 tasks In Progress: task-35.2 (first draft), task-36.1 (research)
- 15 tasks Done (not archived)
- Recommendation: Complete task-35.2 or reset to To Do? Archive Done tasks?

Please confirm cleanup approach before I proceed.

This protocol prevents:

• Lost work from uncommitted changes
• Blocking caused by orphaned In Progress tasks
• Backlog clutter from unarchived Done tasks
• Duplicate work from missing context

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Session Start Protocol

Critical: Assess before acting. Never assume clean slate.

1. Run Mandatory Hygiene Checks (see above)

Complete all cleanup actions before proceeding to context recovery.

2. Read Workflow Overview

# If MCP resources available:
Read backlog://workflow/overview

# If only tools available:
Call: mcp__backlog__get_workflow_overview()

Why: Understand project-specific task management conventions before searching.

3. Read Relevant CLAUDE.md Files

Always read project documentation to understand current state:

# Project root documentation
Read(file_path="/CLAUDE.md")

# If working in subdirectory, read that CLAUDE.md too
Read(file_path="/path/to/subdir/CLAUDE.md")

# Example: Working on Essay 6
Read(file_path="/essays/06-skills-crisis-build-vs-buy/CLAUDE.md")

What to look for:

• Project status and completion notes
• Known issues and blockers
• Next recommended actions
• Quality standards specific to that component
• Recent work artifacts and decisions

4. Search for Relevant Tasks

# Option 1: List all in-progress (after hygiene cleanup)
mcp__backlog__task_list(status="In Progress")

# Option 2: Search by keyword
mcp__backlog__task_search(query="<project-specific term>")

# Option 3: List recent tasks
mcp__backlog__task_list(limit=10)

Priority order: In Progress → assigned to you → recently modified → high priority

5. Assess Current State

Before responding to user, synthesize:

• Active tasks and their status
• Uncommitted changes and what they represent (if hygiene check found any)
• Blockers or dependencies
• Recommended next action (from CLAUDE.md or task notes)

Report findings. Don't start work until user confirms direction.

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Finding Existing Work

Task Discovery Pattern

1. Broad search first:

mcp__backlog__task_list(status="In Progress", limit=20)

2. Narrow by assignment:

mcp__backlog__task_list(assignee="<your-name>", limit=10)

3. Keyword search for topic:

mcp__backlog__task_search(query="essay", status="In Progress")

4. View full context:

mcp__backlog__task_view(id="task-XX")

What to Extract from Tasks

From task metadata:

• Title and description (what needs doing)
• Status (To Do, In Progress, Done)
• Assignee (who's responsible)
• Dependencies (what must complete first)
• Priority (urgency)

From task notes:

• Implementation plan (architectural decisions)
• Progress updates (what's been tried)
• Blockers (issues encountered)
• Commit references (where work is stored)

From acceptance criteria:

• Definition of done
• Quality standards
• Verification steps

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Resuming In-Progress Tasks

Context Recovery Checklist

Before continuing work:

1. Read task plan (task_view → Implementation Plan section)

   • What approach was decided?
   • What architectural decisions were made?
   • Are there known issues flagged?

2. Check implementation notes (task_view → Notes section)

   • What's been completed?
   • Where did previous session stop?
   • Are there partial commits?

3. Review git history

   git log --oneline -10
   git diff
   

   • What was committed?
   • What's uncommitted (work in progress)?
   • Does git state match task notes?

4. Identify continuation point

   • Don't restart completed subtasks
   • Don't re-research already gathered information
   • Pick up where previous session left off

Common Continuation Scenarios

Scenario A: Task marked "In Progress" with commits

• Previous session made progress and committed
• Read commits to understand what's done
• Continue with next subtask in plan

Scenario B: Task marked "In Progress" with uncommitted changes

• Previous session was interrupted mid-work
• Review uncommitted changes to understand intent
• Option 1: Commit work if complete
• Option 2: Continue work if incomplete
• Option 3: Discard if wrong direction (confirm with user)

Scenario C: Task marked "In Progress" with no changes

• Task was started but no progress made
• Previous session may have been planning-only
• Check task notes for decisions/blockers
• Start execution if plan exists

Scenario D: Multiple tasks "In Progress"

• Previous session was coordinating parallel work
• Identify highest priority or most advanced
• Complete one before switching (avoid context thrash)

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Context from Previous Session

User Provides Handoff Message

Common pattern: User pastes final message from previous session:

Example handoff:
"Completed: task-35.1 (research compilation)
In Progress: task-35.2 (first draft - 40% done)
Blocked: task-35.3 (waiting for draft completion)
Next: Finish draft, then move to critique"

Your response:

1. Verify against current state:

   mcp__backlog__task_view(id="task-35.2")
   git status
   

2. Reconcile discrepancies:

   • Handoff says 40% done → Check files/commits for evidence
   • If missing: Ask user if work was committed
   • If present: Confirm continuation point

3. Extract actionable items:

   • What was completed (mark Done if not already)
   • What's in progress (resume here)
   • What's blocked (understand dependency)
   • Recommended next action (execute or propose alternative)

4. Report reconciliation: "Verified: task-35.1 is complete with commit abc123. Task-35.2 shows draft-1.md at 2,100 words (target 4,000-5,000). Resuming draft generation from Section 3."

No Handoff Provided

User says: "Continue where we left off"

Your protocol:

1. Check In Progress tasks
2. Check git status
3. Synthesize state
4. Propose next action
5. Wait for confirmation

Example response: "Found task-35.2 (first draft) marked In Progress. Git shows draft-1.md with 2,100 words uncommitted. Last commit was research completion. Recommend: Continue draft to 4,000-5,000 words, then commit. Proceed?"

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Session Handoff Protocol

Ending a Session

Before closing conversation, document:

1. Completed work:

   • Task IDs marked Done
   • Commits with messages and SHAs
   • Files created/modified

2. In-progress work:

   • Task IDs still active
   • Current state (percentage, section, blocker)
   • Where to resume

3. Blocked work:

   • Task IDs waiting on dependencies
   • What's blocking (missing input, decision needed)
   • Estimated unblock timing

4. Recommended next actions:

   • What should happen next session
   • Priority order if multiple options
   • Dependencies to check

Handoff Template

## Session Summary

**Completed:**
- [task-35.1] Research compilation → commit abc123
- [task-35.5] Editorial standards → commit def456

**In Progress:**
- [task-35.2] First draft (2,100/4,000 words, Section 3 incomplete)
  Resume: Continue Section 3, then Sections 4-5

**Blocked:**
- [task-35.3] Critique (waiting for draft completion)
  Unblock: After task-35.2 completes

**Next Session:**
1. Finish task-35.2 (first draft)
2. Commit draft when complete
3. Start task-35.3 (critique)

Update task notes with this summary:

mcp__backlog__task_edit(
  id="task-35.2",
  notesAppend=["Session ended: 2,100 words complete. Resume at Section 3."]
)

---

Handling Stale State

Detecting Stale State

Indicators:

• Task marked "In Progress" but last modified >24 hours ago
• No commits/notes since marked In Progress
• Multiple tasks In Progress with no clear priority
• Git shows uncommitted changes but task notes silent

Resolution Pattern

1. Assess legitimacy:

• Is work actually in progress? (check files, commits)
• Was session interrupted? (no notes but partial work exists)
• Was task abandoned? (no evidence of work)

2. Update task state:

If work exists but incomplete:

mcp__backlog__task_edit(
  id="task-XX",
  notesAppend=["Resuming after interruption. Found partial work in <file>."]
)

If task should be reset:

mcp__backlog__task_edit(
  id="task-XX",
  status="To Do",
  notesAppend=["Reset to To Do - no progress evidence found."]
)

If task should be completed:

mcp__backlog__task_complete(id="task-XX")
# Then add completion notes

3. Handle uncommitted changes:

If changes are valuable:

git add <files>
git commit -m "[task-XX] Recovered work from previous session"

If changes are experimental/broken:

• Confirm with user before discarding
• Consider stashing: git stash save "WIP from previous session"

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Quick Start Checklist

Every new session, before responding to user:

Hygiene Checks (MANDATORY - Do First)

• Run git status to check uncommitted work and untracked files
• Call task_list(status="In Progress") to find orphaned tasks
• Call task_list(status="Done", limit=20) to check for backlog clutter
• Report hygiene findings to user BEFORE starting work
• Wait for user direction on cleanup actions

Context Recovery (After Hygiene Cleanup)

• Read backlog://workflow/overview or call get_workflow_overview()
• Read /CLAUDE.md (project overview)
• Read subdirectory CLAUDE.md if working in specific component
• Search for relevant tasks (after hygiene cleanup)
• If user provided handoff, call task_view(id=...) to verify
• Synthesize current state (completed, in-progress, blocked)
• Report findings to user with recommended next action
• Wait for user confirmation before executing work

Never assume:

• Clean slate (previous session may have left work)
• Task state is accurate (verify against files/commits)
• User wants to continue last task (ask for priorities)
• Backlog is clean (always run hygiene checks)

Always verify:

• Git status is clean (no uncommitted changes)
• Backlog state is focused (0-1 In Progress tasks, <10 Done tasks)
• What was done (commits, notes)
• What's pending (tasks, dependencies)
• What's blocked (missing inputs, decisions)

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Integration with Project Workflows

This skill is project-agnostic. Combine with project-specific skills:

• Research compilation: Continue gathering sources from where previous session stopped
• Essay drafting: Resume writing at last completed section
• Code implementation: Continue from last commit, check for breaking changes
• Review processes: Pick up review checklist from last verified item

Key principle: Never duplicate work. Always recover context before acting.