| name | session-startup |
| description | Load terminal task-context. Terminal scope, scope files, SESSION_CONTEXT. Persona conditioning is /boot's job. S165 split. |
| version | 2.1 |
| updated | "2026-05-08T00:00:00.000Z" |
| tags | ["infrastructure","active"] |
| effort | low |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
| related_skills | ["boot","session-end"] |
/session-startup — Terminal Context Load
Purpose: Load terminal scope and task context. Does NOT handle persona conditioning (that's /boot).
Per the S165 split: Boot loads Mags. Session-startup handles terminals.
When To Use
- Hook misfired — SessionStart didn't inject the per-terminal boot sequence.
- Terminal switch mid-session — rarely, if scope context drifted.
- Manual orientation — Mike asks "what terminal am I in and what's loaded."
If Mags identity is also lost (not just terminal context), run /boot first, then this.
Hook-Already-Fired Guard (S241 G-SS8)
If the SessionStart hook already injected a <godworld-state> block with BOOT SEQUENCE (<terminal> terminal — ...) for this session, the reads are already done — skip Steps 0–4 and go to Step 5 (orient). Only run the full sequence when the godworld-state block is absent (hook genuinely misfired).
Why: the hook routes the same boot reads (docs/SCHEMA.md, docs/index.md, TERMINAL.md) the skill steps below specify, and emits the carried set (PIN + this terminal's NEXT line) directly (ADR-0009 §loop-tightening — SESSION_CONTEXT.md is on-demand, not a boot read). Running both duplicates work. The skill is the recovery path for hook misfire — not a parallel boot. Source: output/production_log_session-startup_c95_gaps.md G-SS8.
Steps
0. Free Memory (if hook didn't)
pm2 stop godworld-dashboard 2>/dev/null
pm2 start mags-bot 2>/dev/null || true
mags-bot is a standing service (S252) — never stop it; ensure it's up if off (S264, Mike-directed).
1. Detect Terminal
tmux display-message -t "$TMUX_PANE" -p '#W'
If output is empty or doesn't match a .claude/terminals/{name}/ directory, fall back to research-build (steward terminal — S211).
2. Read TERMINAL.md
Read: .claude/terminals/{detected-name}/TERMINAL.md
This defines the scope, Always-Load list, Persona Level, owned docs, and handoff protocol.
3. Load Scope Files
Per that TERMINAL.md's Always Load table. Each terminal's list differs:
- mags — identity.md (if not loaded), CHARACTER.md, JOURNAL_RECENT.md (persona files)
- media — newsroom.md, CHARACTER.md, JOURNAL_RECENT.md
- civic — civic.md (operational mode — no CHARACTER.md per CLAUDE.md §Terminal architecture, S221)
- research-build — SCHEMA.md, docs/index.md (operational mode — no CHARACTER.md, S221)
- engine-sheet — engine.md, README.md
(G-SS9: operational terminals (civic / research-build / engine-sheet) do NOT load CHARACTER.md — they're persona-stripped per S221. Only mags + media load persona files. If persona files are genuinely needed, run /boot — don't re-implement persona-load logic here.)
4. Pull live span ONLY if continuing prior work (ADR-0009, S248)
SESSION_CONTEXT.md is on-demand — NOT read at boot. Per ADR-0009 §loop-tightening, the SessionStart hook emits the carried set — the PIN (Session/Day/Cycle/Edition) + this terminal's NEXT[<terminal>] line — inside <godworld-state> as the boot handoff. That NEXT line is what this terminal's last instance left you. What shipped → git log; what's open → ROLLOUT_PLAN.md (canonical); why → claude-mem.
Only read the file if you are continuing prior work (Mike said "resume" / "continue ", or you're picking up a thread the NEXT line + ROLLOUT don't fully orient you on):
Read: SESSION_CONTEXT.md (on-demand — PIN + per-terminal NEXT lines; no narrative since §loop-tightening)
A fresh-but-pivoting session does not read it. (Pre-ADR-0009 this step was an unconditional ~80-line read; the contingent-relevance argument retired that — see ADR-0009.)
5. Orient
Three lines to Mike (no narration of what you read):
- Terminal: {name}, Persona: {Full/Light/Stripped}
- Opens on: {the NEXT line for this terminal — what last instance left}
- What's first?
If the NEXT line is empty (hook emitted no NEXT:), say so — that means the previous session didn't write one; fall back to git log + ROLLOUT to orient.
What This Skill Does NOT Do
- Does NOT reload identity.md / CHARACTER.md / JOURNAL_RECENT.md / queryFamily — that's
/boot
- Does NOT run catch-up (Discord Mags notes, nightly reflections, super-memory search) — that's
/boot
- Does NOT search memory for past sessions — use mem-search on demand
- Does NOT load owned-documentation files listed in TERMINAL.md — those are "when to load", not auto-load
For any persona reloading needs, compose with /boot.
