session-resume

name: session-resume description: > Use when starting a session that should continue prior work — phrases like "resume the session", "pick up where we left off", "continue from where we stopped", "where were we", "load the continuation file". Consumes the .claude/CONTINUE.md written by session-save: verifies it against the repo, re-hydrates context, briefs, then acts. Not for mid-session checkpoints (use grounding) or recalling stored facts (use repo-memory).

Session Resume

Overview

Consume the continuation file written by session-save: verify it against reality, re-hydrate full context, brief the user, then start on the recorded next action.

Core principle: trust the file's pointers, but verify its claims — the repo may have moved since the save.

Procedure

1. Locate .claude/CONTINUE.md. Also check the repo root for a legacy CONTINUE.md or HANDOFF.md. If none exists, say so plainly and fall back to git log plus repo memory — never invent a prior state.
2. Verify against reality. Compare the file's stamp and claims to the actual repo:
   • Does the recorded branch still exist? Is it checked out?
   • Has HEAD moved past the recorded sha? If so, summarize the intervening commits.
   • Are the recorded dirty files still dirty? Stashes still present?
   • Were the recorded PRs merged or closed in the interim? (gh pr view <n>)
   • Staleness: warn if the save is more than 7 days old. Report any drift to the user before acting.
3. Re-hydrate fully:
   • Load repo memory (.claude/memory/MEMORY.md and the relevant entries) if present.
   • Re-read the 1–3 links under "How to resume".
   • Re-run the baseline command recorded under "Environment & commands"; report pass/fail either way.
4. Brief the user in a few lines: where we were · what changed since · the next action.
5. Delete the continuation file — only after the brief is delivered and verification passed. If verification failed or the drift is severe, leave the file in place and explain why.
6. Act. Start on the recorded next action.

Common mistakes

• Acting on the next action before reporting drift — the user decides what drift means.
• Deleting the file when verification failed — a failed resume must keep its source.
• Pretending to resume when no continuation file exists.
• Re-reading the whole codebase instead of trusting the file's pointers.
• Skipping the baseline command — "it passed last session" is not evidence it passes now.