| name | save-conversation |
| description | Save the current conversation as a structured markdown file for selective history preservation. Use when a conversation is worth keeping for future reference. |
| disable-model-invocation | false |
| user-invocable | true |
| argument-hint | [topic-name] |
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Bash, Glob, AskUserQuestion |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0","created":"2025-02-20T00:00:00.000Z","author":"Ability.ai","changelog":["1.0: Initial version — save the current conversation as a structured markdown file for selective history preservation."]} |
Save Conversation
ℹ️ First, set expectations: before anything else, print one short line with this skill's version and its most recent change — the top entry of metadata.changelog above — e.g. save-conversation vX.Y — recent: <summary>. Then proceed.
Capture the current conversation as a markdown file in a standardized folder structure. Unlike automatic session logs, this is selective - only save conversations worth preserving.
When to Use
- Completed a meaningful task you want to reference later
- Had a discussion with important decisions or insights
- Debugging session with a solution worth documenting
- Research conversation with findings to preserve
- Any conversation that shouldn't disappear into the void
Configuration
Storage Location
Default: saved-conversations/ in the current working directory.
Create a .conversation-config file to customize:
storage_path: ./my-conversations
Or use environment variable: CONVERSATION_STORAGE_PATH
Workflow
Step 1: Determine Topic Name
If provided as argument ($ARGUMENTS), use it.
Otherwise, derive from the conversation:
- Identify the primary goal or topic discussed
- Use lowercase-with-hyphens format
- Be descriptive:
debug-auth-token-refresh not debugging
- Prefix with category when appropriate:
research-, fix-, setup-
If unclear, ask the user for a topic name.
Step 2: Check Storage Location
Check for .conversation-config file:
cat .conversation-config 2>/dev/null || echo "not found"
Check environment variable:
echo "${CONVERSATION_STORAGE_PATH:-not set}"
Default to saved-conversations/ if neither exists.
Step 3: Generate Filename
Format: YYYY-MM-DD_[topic-name].md
Example: 2025-02-20_debug-auth-token-refresh.md
If file already exists, append incrementing number:
2025-02-20_topic.md2025-02-20_topic-2.md2025-02-20_topic-3.md
Step 4: Analyze Conversation
Review the current conversation to extract:
- Context: What triggered this conversation? What was the starting point?
- Goal: What was the user trying to accomplish?
- Key Exchanges: The important back-and-forth (not every message)
- Decisions Made: Choices and their rationale
- Actions Taken: What was actually done (files changed, commands run)
- Outcome: What was the result? Successful? Partial? Needs follow-up?
- Insights: Learnings, gotchas, or things to remember
Step 5: Generate Markdown
Structure the file as:
# [Topic Title]
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
**Duration:** [Approximate conversation length]
**Outcome:** [Success | Partial | Needs Follow-up | Research]
## Summary
[2-4 sentence overview of what happened]
## Context
[What triggered this conversation? What was the starting state?]
## Goal
[What was the user trying to accomplish?]
## Key Exchanges
### [Exchange 1 Topic]
**User:** [Summarized request or question]
**Claude:** [Summarized response or action]
[Repeat for other significant exchanges]
## Decisions Made
- **[Decision]:** [Rationale]
- **[Decision]:** [Rationale]
## Actions Taken
- [Action 1] → [Result]
- [Action 2] → [Result]
## Outcome
[What was accomplished? What's the final state?]
## Insights
- [Insight or learning 1]
- [Insight or learning 2]
## Follow-up
- [ ] [Any remaining tasks or things to revisit]
---
*Saved from conversation on YYYY-MM-DD*
Step 6: Create Directory and Save
mkdir -p [storage_path]
Write the markdown file:
Step 7: Confirm to User
Report:
Conversation saved to: [full path]
Summary:
- Topic: [topic name]
- Date: [date]
- Outcome: [outcome status]
- [N] key exchanges captured
- [N] actions documented
Extraction Guidelines
What to Include
- Key decisions: Choices with significant impact
- Important commands/code: Working solutions, not debugging attempts
- Insights: Things learned that weren't obvious
- Final state: What exists now after the conversation
What to Exclude
- Trivial exchanges ("Let me check that", "Sure")
- Failed attempts and debugging dead-ends (unless they contain lessons)
- Repeated/redundant information
- Overly detailed step-by-step (summarize instead)
Summarization Level
| Conversation Type | Detail Level |
|---|
| Quick fix/task | Brief - just outcome and solution |
| Complex debugging | Medium - include key discoveries |
| Research/exploration | Detailed - capture findings |
| Decision-making | Focus on options considered and rationale |
Examples
Example 1: Debugging Session
User: /save-conversation debug-api-timeout
Extracted:
- Context: API calls failing with 504 errors
- Goal: Fix timeout issues in production
- Key exchange: Identified retry logic bug
- Decision: Increased timeout to 30s, added exponential backoff
- Actions: Modified api-client.ts, deployed to staging
- Outcome: Success - errors resolved
- Insight: Default axios timeout was too low for our backend
Example 2: Research Discussion
User: /save-conversation
Claude: What topic should I use for this conversation?
User: comparing-auth-libraries
Extracted:
- Context: Evaluating auth options for new project
- Goal: Choose between Auth0, Clerk, and custom JWT
- Key exchanges: Pros/cons discussion, pricing analysis
- Decision: Go with Clerk for this project
- Actions: None (research only)
- Outcome: Research complete
- Insights: Clerk has better DX, Auth0 better enterprise features
Tips
- Save meaningful conversations only: This is selective archival, not automatic logging
- Name descriptively: Future you should understand the topic from the filename
- Save before context fades: Best to save right after concluding
- Edit after saving: The generated file is a starting point - refine if needed
Related Skills
