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?”

1. Check <session-continuity> injection
2. Query recent session observations
3. Summarize last activities

“Continue from last time”

1. Recall last session context
2. Check git for any external changes
3. Resume with state awareness

“Pick up [specific task]”

1. Search session history for task
2. Load relevant context
3. 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

1. End sessions cleanly – Summarize what was done
2. Note blocking issues – Record what couldn’t be resolved
3. Mark next steps – Clarify intended continuation
4. 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?"