load-context - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: load-context description: Resume session from CONTEXT-llm.md. Use when resuming work, loading saved context, continuing a previous session. Triggers include "load context", "resume session", "continue where I left off". argument-hint: "[stream-name] [--full]" allowed-tools: bash, read, askuserquestion model: haiku context: main user-invocable: true

Load Context

Load session state from .context/session/CONTEXT-{stream}-llm.md and optionally expand full resources.

Speed: < 3 seconds (default), 5-8 seconds (--full)

⚠️ AskUserQuestion Guard

CRITICAL: After EVERY AskUserQuestion call, check if answers are empty/blank. Known Claude Code bug: outside Plan Mode, AskUserQuestion silently returns empty answers without showing UI.

If answers are empty: DO NOT proceed with assumptions. Instead:

Output: "⚠️ Questions didn't display (known Claude Code bug outside Plan Mode)."
Present the options as a numbered text list and ask user to reply with their choice number.
WAIT for user reply before continuing.

Performance Rules

Use rtk for ALL shell commands
Parallel tool calls — ALL independent calls in one message
Minimize round-trips
No unnecessary synthesis — present parsed data directly

Workflow

Phase 1: Detect & Read (parallel)

Bash: rtk ls -t .context/session/CONTEXT-*llm.md .context/session/done/CONTEXT-*llm.md 2>/dev/null || true
Read: .context/session/CONTEXT-{stream}-llm.md (if stream known from $ARGUMENTS)

If not found in .context/session/, check .context/session/done/ subfolder. If found there, note 📦 (from done/) in report.

If multiple streams and no selection → AskUserQuestion with options (mark done/ files with 📦).

Filename: "default" → .context/session/CONTEXT-llm.md, "{name}" → .context/session/CONTEXT-{name}-llm.md

Phase 2: Expand Resources (if --full)

Parallel Read: OpenSpec project/proposal/tasks.md, top 3 hot files, manifest.yaml. DO NOT restore tasks — informational only.

Thinking Artifacts (if ## Thinking Artifacts section exists in CONTEXT file):

Default mode: display artifact paths in resume report (no content read)
--full mode: Read referenced thinking artifacts and include brief summaries in report

Phase 3: Format Resume Report

Parse key-value header + markdown sections → human-friendly report.

See reference.md for section mapping, report structure, error messages, and formatting rules.

Philosophy

Resume, don't restart — loading context is about continuing with intent intact, not re-reading a history log.
Trust the INDEX.md — the index is the authoritative pointer to current context; do not browse the directory manually.
Verify before acting — a loaded context must be confirmed against the current task before influencing decisions.
Done means done — contexts in done/ are retired; loading them requires explicit user confirmation.

When to Use

At the start of a new session when .context/session/INDEX.md or CONTEXT-*.md files exist from prior work.
When resuming interrupted work and the agent needs prior decisions, open tasks, and rationale.
When the user says "load context", "resume session", "continue where I left off", or similar.
When switching between named work streams and a specific CONTEXT-{name}-llm.md snapshot exists.
When --full expansion is needed to bring in hot files, proposals, or thinking artifacts alongside the base context.

When Not to Use

When starting a genuinely new session with no prior .context/session/ files — there is nothing to load.
When the user has explicitly asked to start fresh or discard prior context.
When only a quick one-off question is being answered and persistent session state is irrelevant.
When the context files are clearly stale (weeks old and unrelated to the current task) — load only after confirming with the user.
When the target CONTEXT-*.md file is already loaded in the current session and re-loading would cause duplication.

Anti-Patterns

NEVER load context from done/ without checking dates — Stale context from completed sessions misleads current decisions. Why: The done/ folder contains retired sessions; always check INDEX.md first to confirm the most recent active context before falling back to done/.
NEVER skip verifying the session_id after load — Loading the wrong context silently diverges from the user's intent. Why: Multiple streams may coexist in .context/session/; the wrong file causes invisible drift and incorrect assumptions.
NEVER proceed with assumptions when AskUserQuestion returns empty — Blank answers mean the UI never rendered. Why: A known Claude Code bug silently swallows questions outside Plan Mode; always fall back to a numbered text list and wait for a reply.
NEVER restore tasks from the context file as actionable work items — Context files are informational snapshots, not live task lists. Why: The --full expansion is read-only; acting on tasks from a snapshot without user confirmation can duplicate or conflict with current work.
NEVER omit the 📦 (from done/) marker when reporting a done/-sourced file — Users need to know the context came from an archived session. Why: Presenting done/ context without a marker makes it indistinguishable from an active session, causing confusion about what work is current.

Usage Examples

Loading context at the start of a resumed session:

# Skill reads .context/session/INDEX.md to find the latest snapshot
# Loads .context/session/CONTEXT-2026-04-10-143022.md
# Agent now has prior decisions, open tasks, and rationale

Loading a named work stream:

# User: "load context --stream api-redesign"
# Skill loads .context/session/CONTEXT-api-redesign-llm.md
# Resume report shows stream name, last updated timestamp, and open items

Expanding full resources with --full:

# User: "load context --full"
# Skill loads .context/session/CONTEXT-llm.md (base)
# Also reads top 3 hot files and thinking artifacts referenced in ## Thinking Artifacts
# Report includes brief summaries of each artifact; tasks remain read-only

References

Reference — detailed section mapping, report structure, error messages, and formatting rules