savepoint

name: savepoint description: "Drop, search, list, and read Savepoints — structured moments of clarity captured in v3.2 protocol syntax. Use when the user wants to record a decision, insight, or crystallized thought, or search/browse existing savepoints. Supports project scoping, keyword filtering, and context reconstruction." user_invocable: true

Savepoint Protocol — Claude Code Skill

Purpose

Savepoints are atomic, timestamped records of crystallized thought — decisions, insights, drift detections, or declarations captured in the moment they become clear. This skill implements the four core operations: drop, search, list, read.

Installation

To use with Claude Code, copy this skill file to your Claude Code skills directory:

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/savepoint
cp skills/claude-code/SKILL.md ~/.claude/skills/savepoint/SKILL.md

Then restart Claude Code. The /savepoint command will be available in all projects.

Quick Reference

/savepoint drop [content]     # Record a new savepoint
/savepoint search [query]     # Search across savepoints in conversation history
/savepoint list               # List recent savepoints from conversation history
/savepoint read [query]       # Find and display a savepoint from history

Savepoint v3.2 Syntax

Every savepoint uses this exact format:

<Savepoint
  protocol_version:3.2
  category:[domain_context]
  function:[role]
  timestamp:[ISO 8601 UTC]
  project:[project_name]
  keywords:[comma-separated terms]
  context:[what was actually decided or realized]
  # [semantic content]
/>

Required Fields

Optional Fields

Commands

1. /savepoint drop [content]

Record a new savepoint.

Behavior:

1. Content: If provided as argument, use it directly. If not provided, ask: "What crystallized?"
2. Timestamp: Generate current UTC time in ISO 8601 format (use date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)
3. Category: Suggest a category based on the content. Present it as a default the user can accept or change. Use these heuristics:
   • Contains "decided" / "choosing" / "going with" → decision
   • Contains "broke" / "fix" / "bug" / "wrong" → debugging
   • Contains "drift" / "deviated" / "off track" → drift_detected
   • Contains "structure" / "architecture" / "layout" → architecture
   • Contains "design" / "style" / "visual" → design_note
   • Contains "process" / "workflow" / "method" → process
   • Contains "realized" / "insight" / "pattern" → insight
   • Default → system_logic
4. Function: Default to declaration. If content suggests drift, use drift_detected. If it references changing a previous decision, use revision.
5. Project: Infer from conversation context. If working in petersalvato.com, set project:petersalvato.com. If working in homelab, set project:homelab. If unclear, leave blank.
6. Keywords: Extract 2-4 key terms from the content that would help find this savepoint later. Leave blank if the content and category are sufficient.
7. Context: One sentence that captures the actual substance of what was decided, realized, or shifted. The # line is a headline. The context: line is the reconstruction payload. If a future session reads only the savepoint (not the surrounding conversation), the context: line should be enough to understand what happened. Leave blank only if the # line is already fully self-explanatory.
8. Output: Print the savepoint directly in the conversation using the v3.2 syntax. Do NOT write to disk.

Why conversation, not files: Savepoints are designed to be found during ideation history traversal. AI coding tools like Claude Code export conversation logs that can be searched later. Writing savepoints to isolated files puts them outside the searchable conversation stream. The conversation IS the archive — savepoints dropped in chat are automatically captured alongside the context that produced them.

Example output (printed in chat, not saved to file):

<Savepoint
  protocol_version:3.2
  category:system_logic
  function:declaration
  timestamp:2026-02-23T14:30:00Z
  project:homelab
  keywords:versioning, drift, structure
  context:When state changes frequently and snapshots go stale, the structure itself should recurse rather than being captured at a point in time.
  # Recursive structures should replace version snapshots wherever drift is likely.
/>

2. /savepoint search [query]

Search across savepoints in conversation history.

Behavior:

1. Search locations — search available conversation exports and session logs for <Savepoint tags:
   • Claude Code session logs (.claude/projects/*/ JSONL files)
   • Any exported conversation archives the user has configured
2. Match against: The <Savepoint tag, # content line, project: field, keywords: field, and context: field
3. Filtering: If query matches a known project name, filter by project: field first, then search content. Otherwise search all fields.
4. Display results sorted by timestamp (most recent first), limited to 10:
   • Timestamp
   • Project (if set)
   • Category
   • Content (the # line)
   • Context (the context: line, if present)
   • Source (which session/export it was found in)
5. If no results, say so and suggest broadening the query.

3. /savepoint list

List recent savepoints from conversation history.

Behavior:

1. Search the same locations as /savepoint search but with the pattern <Savepoint to find all savepoints.
2. Display in reverse chronological order (most recent first), limited to 20.
3. Show: timestamp, category, content (truncated to 80 chars), source.

4. /savepoint read [query]

Find and display a savepoint's full content from conversation history.

Behavior:

1. Search using the query across the same locations as /savepoint search.
2. Display the full <Savepoint ... /> block with surrounding conversation context (a few lines before/after).
3. If multiple matches, list them and ask which one.

Notes

• Savepoints are lightweight. Drop them frequently. A savepoint that captures the wrong thing is better than a lost insight.
• The # content line should be one clear sentence — the crystallized thought, not a summary of the session.
• The context: line should capture enough substance to reconstruct meaning without the surrounding conversation. The # line gets you to the neighborhood. The context: line lets you understand what happened.
• Category and function are structural metadata for search. Don't overthink them.
• Timestamps are always UTC.
• NEVER write savepoints to disk. Print them in the conversation. The conversation exports are the archive.