session-start

name	session-start
description	Start or reconnect a Polygraph session for shared, resumable agent context. Use when the user asks to start a Polygraph session, create session memory, share or resume work context, include related repositories, or inspect an existing session before continuing.

Start a Polygraph Session

Start or reconnect a Polygraph session so the current work has shared, resumable context: session URL, repository graph visibility, linked PR/CI state, and the option to expand across repository boundaries when needed.

{% if platform == "codex" %}

Codex Routing Rule

Use Codex spawn_agent with agent_type: "polygraph-init-subagent" for session creation or repository discovery. Do NOT call the Polygraph MCP list_repos or start_session tools directly from the parent conversation. Direct add_repo is allowed only when the user gives exact repository refs for an existing session.

Do NOT pass fork_context: true to Codex spawn_agent when agent_type is a custom agent.

{% endif %}

Check Authentication First

Before session work, the parent conversation must check Polygraph auth with whoami or polygraph whoami.

• If auth is valid and an organization is selected, continue.
• If auth is missing, expired, or no organization is selected, stop session work. Do not keep trying session creation or discovery.
• Facilitate user reauth through the browser-based flow, such as polygraph auth login or the MCP login equivalent. After login, make sure an organization is selected with polygraph account select or the MCP equivalent when needed.
• Re-run whoami after reauth. Continue only after it confirms a valid login and selected organization.

Do not breeze past auth failures. In Codex Desktop, auth recovery usually requires the user to complete the browser login flow; surface that clearly and wait for it before continuing.

Parent Session Detection

The parent conversation is responsible for detecting an existing Polygraph session ID from the current context, startup banner, or user-provided session URL/ID, then passing that sessionId explicitly to polygraph-init-subagent when launching it. The init subagent cannot infer the parent's current session context by itself.

For a fresh Codex Desktop conversation started with /polygraph:session-start, no sessionId is expected. Launch polygraph-init-subagent without sessionId so it creates a new session.

Decide the Session Path

Pick one path before using tools.

1. Existing session with repos - If a Polygraph session ID is already in scope and the user did not ask to add repositories, pick by intent: to continue the session's work from this conversation, join it via resume_session; to only inspect it, call show_session and print the session details. Do not create a new session.
2. Existing session, adding exact repository refs - If a session ID is in scope and the user provided exact refs by ID, short name, full name, GitHub owner/repo slug, URL-like slug, or MCP resource syntax, call add_repo(sessionId, repoIds: [...]) directly. Do not run discovery.
3. Existing session, discovery needed - If a session ID is in scope but repos need to be discovered or selected, launch polygraph-init-subagent with the existing sessionId and userContext. The subagent must use add_repo, not start_session.
4. No session in scope - Launch polygraph-init-subagent with userContext and no sessionId. The subagent will discover related repositories when needed and call start_session.

Exact refs are not limited to organization repos. Public open-source repos can be added by owner/repo slug or URL even if they do not appear in repository discovery.

{% if platform == "codex" %}

Launch the Init Subagent

Use this shape when discovery or new-session creation is needed:

{% raw %}

spawn_agent(
  agent_type: "polygraph-init-subagent",
  message: """
    Parameters:
    - sessionId: "<existing-session-id-or-omit-for-new-session>"
    - userContext: "<description of what the user wants to do>"

    The parent conversation detected any existing sessionId from current context, startup banner, or user-provided session URL/ID and passed it explicitly here. The init subagent cannot infer parent session context by itself.

    If sessionId is provided, reuse that session and use add_repo to attach repositories -- do NOT call start_session. If exact repo refs were provided, pass them directly to add_repo and do NOT call list_repos. If discovery is needed, discover candidates and select relevant repos. If sessionId is omitted, this is a fresh session-start flow; create a new session via start_session. Return a structured summary.
  """
)

{% endraw %}

Omit the sessionId line when creating a new session. Include it when attaching discovered repos to an existing session. Collect the result with wait_agent when the main flow needs the session before proceeding.

{% elsif platform == "claude" %}

Launch the plugin-namespaced polygraph:polygraph-init-subagent Task for discovery or new-session creation. Use direct add_repo only for exact refs on an existing session.

{% elsif platform == "opencode" %}

Invoke @polygraph-init-subagent for discovery or new-session creation. Use direct add_repo only for exact refs on an existing session.

{% else %}

If there is no subagent mechanism, use list_repos only when discovery is needed, then call start_session for a new session or add_repo for an existing session.

{% endif %}

Print the Result

When a brand-new session is created, render the session welcome card. Prefer the session_intro MCP tool when available; otherwise run polygraph session intro -s <sessionId> and print the returned markdown verbatim.

For an existing or reconnected session, print:

Session: POLYGRAPH_SESSION_URL

Repositories in this session:

• REPO_FULL_NAME

Use polygraphSessionUrl from the session response for POLYGRAPH_SESSION_URL, and use repository entries from the session response for REPO_FULL_NAME.