Session Handoff Framework

When This Activates

This skill activates when:

• Starting a new session with continuity expectations

• User explicitly asks about previous work

• Context from last session is needed

Session Continuity Data

The system automatically tracks:

Last Session Summary

<session-continuity> [LAST SESSION] Description of what was worked on Files: list of key files </session-continuity>

Recent Decisions

Important choices made recently that affect current work.

Learned Patterns

• Gotchas discovered

• Decisions recorded

• Patterns established

Handoff Protocol

1. Acknowledge State (What we know)

"Continuing from the last session where we worked on [X]...

Current state:

• Last worked on: [from session-continuity]
• Pending items: [from PENDING WORK]
• Blockers: [from BLOCKERS if any]"

2. Address Blockers First (If any)

"I see there's a blocker we need to address first: [blocker description]

Let me investigate this before continuing..."

3. Propose Next Actions

"Based on our pending work, I suggest we:

1. [Most important/blocked item first]
2. [Next priority item]
3. [Continue from where we left off]

Which would you like to tackle?"

4. Check for External Changes

"Let me check what changed since then..." → Use git_awareness for code changes → Check for new errors or issues

MCP Tools for Continuity

Get session context

memory_sessions list_sessions=true

Get recent decisions

memory_sessions category=decision limit=5

Check what changed

memory_query "recent changes to [area]"

Session Recovery Scenarios

"What were we working on?"

• Check <session-continuity> injection

• Query recent session observations

• Summarize last activities

"Continue from last time"

• Recall last session context

• Check git for any external changes

• Resume with state awareness

"Pick up [specific task]"

• Search session history for task

• Load relevant context

• Resume from last known state

State Persistence

Sessions are persisted in:

~/.claude-dash/sessions/ ├── {project}/ │ └── session-{timestamp}.json ├── observations.json (cross-session learnings) ├── summaries/ (per-project summaries) └── transcripts/ (compressed conversation logs)

Best Practices

• End sessions cleanly - Summarize what was done

• Note blocking issues - Record what couldn't be resolved

• Mark next steps - Clarify intended continuation

• Save decisions - Record important choices with context

Actionable Handoff Checklist

At session start:

• Read <session-continuity> injection

• Check for [PENDING WORK] items

• Check for [BLOCKERS]

• address these first

• Acknowledge state to user

• Propose next actions based on priorities

At session end:

• Summarize what was completed

• Note any new blockers discovered

• Update roadmap if tasks completed

• Record any important decisions made

Continuity Phrases

Use these to acknowledge context:

• "Picking up from where we left off..."

• "Based on our last session where we..."

• "Continuing the work on [X]..."

• "As we discussed previously..."

Handling Missing Context

If session context isn't available:

"I don't have specific context from our last session. Could you remind me what we were working on, or should I check the recent git history and project state?"