| name | ctx-next |
| description | Suggest what to work on next. Use when starting a session, finishing a task, or when unsure what to prioritize. |
| allowed-tools | Bash(ctx:*), Read |
Analyze current tasks and recent session activity, then suggest
1-3 concrete next actions with rationale.
When to Use
- At session start after loading context ("what should I do?")
- After completing a task ("what's next?")
- When the user asks for priorities or direction
- When multiple tasks exist and it's unclear which to pick
When NOT to Use
- When the user has already stated what they want to work on
- When actively mid-task (don't interrupt flow with suggestions)
- When no context directory exists (nothing to analyze)
Usage Examples
/ctx-next
/ctx-next (just finished the auth refactor)
Process
Do all of this silently: do not narrate the steps:
- Read TASKS.md to get the full task list with statuses,
priorities, and phases
- Check recent sessions to understand what was just worked
on and avoid suggesting already-completed work:
ctx journal source --limit 3
- Read the most recent session file (if any) to understand
what was accomplished and what follow-up items were noted
- Analyze and rank tasks using the priority logic below
- Present 1-3 recommendations in the output format below
Priority Logic
Rank candidate tasks using these criteria (in order):
- Explicit priority:
#priority:high > #priority:medium
#priority:low > untagged
- Unblocked: tasks not tagged
#blocked or listed under a
"Blocked" section
- In-progress first:
#in-progress tasks should be resumed
before starting new ones (finishing > starting)
- Momentum: prefer tasks related to recent session work
(continuing a thread is cheaper than context-switching)
- Phase order: earlier phases before later phases (Phase 0
before Phase 1, etc.) unless priority overrides
- Quick wins: if two tasks have equal priority, prefer the
one that seems smaller/faster (builds momentum)
Skip these tasks:
[x] completed tasks[-] skipped tasks- Tasks explicitly tagged
#blocked with no resolution path
- Tasks that were the main focus of the most recent session
(user likely wants variety or the session ended because it
was done)
Output Format
Present your recommendations like this:
Recommended Next
1. [Task title or summary] #priority:X
[1-2 sentence rationale: why this, why now]
2. [Task title or summary] #priority:X
[1-2 sentence rationale]
3. [Task title or summary] (optional: only if genuinely
useful)
[1-2 sentence rationale]
Based on N pending tasks across M phases. Last session:
[topic] ([date]).
Rules for recommendations:
- 1-3 items only: more than 3 defeats the purpose
- Be specific: "Fix
block-non-path-ctx hook" not
"work on hooks"
- Include the priority tag so the user sees the weight
- Rationale must reference context: why this task, not
just what it is. Connect to recent work, priority, or
dependencies
- If an in-progress task exists, it should almost always be
recommendation #1 (don't abandon unfinished work)
Examples
Good Output
Recommended Next
1. Fix block-non-path-ctx hook #priority:high
Still open from yesterday's session. The hook is too
aggressive: it blocks git -C path commands that don't
invoke ctx. Quick fix, clears a blocker.
2. Add Context.File(name) method #priority:high
Eliminates 10+ linear scan boilerplate instances across
5 packages. High impact, low effort: good consolidation
target.
3. Topics system (T1.1) #priority:medium
Journal site's most impactful remaining feature. Metadata
is already in place from the enrichment work.
Based on 24 pending tasks across 3 phases. Last session:
doc-drift-cleanup (2026-02-11).
Bad Output
"You have many tasks. Here are some options:
- Do some stuff with hooks
- Maybe work on tests
- There's also some docs to write"
(Too vague, no priorities, no rationale, no connection to
context.)
Quality Checklist
Before presenting recommendations, verify:
