takeover

name	takeover
description	Load context from a previous session's handover document and present it to the user. This is a context-loading skill — present the information and let the user decide what to do next.
allowed-tools	["Read","Glob","Grep","Bash(rm *)","Bash(git status *)","Bash(git log *)","Bash(git diff *)","Bash(git branch *)","Bash(git checkout *)","Bash(git stash *)","AskUserQuestion"]

Takeover

Load and present context from a previous session's handover document. Parses the structured JSON section to restore context, re-read important files, and present a prioritized checklist of next steps. Falls back to git state reconstruction if no handover file exists.

---

Workflow

Step	Action	Completion Criteria
1	Find handover files	.claude/HANDOVER-*.md files discovered
2	Parse handover data	JSON block extracted and parsed, or fallback triggered
3	Restore git state	Branch verified, discrepancies identified
4	Re-read important files	Key files loaded into context
5	Present checklist	Prioritized next steps and warnings displayed
6	Clean up and finish	User chooses whether to delete the handover file

---

Step 1. Find Handover Files

Use the Glob tool to search for .claude/HANDOVER-*.md.

• No files found → proceed to Step 2 Fallback Mode
• Exactly one file found → read it and proceed to Step 2 Normal Mode
• Multiple files found → read the first few lines of each file to extract a summary, then call AskUserQuestion to let the user choose:
  • question: "Multiple handover files found. Which one do you want to resume from?"
  • header: "Handover"
  • options: One option per file, with:
    • label: the filename (e.g. HANDOVER-20260213-1430.md)
    • description: first bullet from "What Was Done" section (truncated to fit)
  • After the user selects, read the full file and proceed to Step 2 Normal Mode.

---

Step 2. Parse Handover Data

Normal Mode (handover file exists)

1. Read the full handover file content
2. Extract the JSON block: find content between <!-- HANDOVER_DATA and --> markers
3. Parse the JSON to get structured data fields:
   • current_branch, modified_files, failing_tests
   • approaches_tried_and_failed, next_steps, open_questions
   • important_files, git_state
4. Also note the markdown sections for human-readable context

If the JSON block is missing or malformed (e.g. v1 handover format), fall back to reading the markdown sections only. Extract what you can: branch from the header, next steps from the checklist, important files from the section.

Fallback Mode (no handover file)

When no handover file exists, reconstruct context from git state:

1. Run these commands in parallel:
   • git branch --show-current
   • git log --oneline -20 (extra history to compensate)
   • git status --short
   • git diff --stat
   • git diff --name-only HEAD~5 (recently changed files)
   • git stash list
2. Identify the most recently modified source files from git diff --name-only HEAD~5
3. Read those files (up to 10) to load them into context
4. Construct a synthetic context from git data
5. Skip directly to Step 5 with the reconstructed data, clearly marking it as a fallback reconstruction

---

Step 3. Restore Git State

Compare the handover's recorded state with the current state.

1. Run in parallel:

   • git branch --show-current
   • git log --oneline -5
   • git status --short
   • git diff --stat
   • git stash list

2. Check for discrepancies:

   Branch mismatch: If the current branch differs from the handover's current_branch, ask:

   • AskUserQuestion with question: "You're on '{current}' but the handover was on '{expected}'. Switch branches?"
   • header: "Branch"
   • options: "Switch to {expected}", "Stay on {current}"
   • If switch selected: git checkout {expected}

   New commits since handover: Note any commits made after the handover's generated_at timestamp.

   Uncommitted changes: Note if there are uncommitted changes present now.

   Stashed changes: If the handover's git_state.stashed_changes is true, check git stash list and mention it.

---

Step 4. Re-read Important Files

From the parsed JSON important_files array:

1. Read each file listed (up to 10 files to avoid context bloat)
2. If a file no longer exists, note it as a warning
3. This loads key files into the current session's context for immediate work

If working from a v1 handover (no JSON), extract file paths from the "Important Files" markdown section instead.

---

Step 5. Present Checklist

Display a structured summary to the user.

Normal Mode Output

## Session Takeover

**Previous session**: {generated_at}
**Branch**: {current_branch} {✓ matches / ⚠ switched / ⚠ mismatch}
**Modified files**: {count from modified_files array}

### ⚠ Warnings
- {branch mismatch, new commits, missing files, uncommitted changes}
(omit section if no warnings)

### Failed Approaches — Do Not Retry
- ✗ {approach} — {reason}
(omit section if empty)

### Failing Tests
- ✗ {test} (`{command}`): {error}
(omit section if empty)

### Next Steps
- [ ] 🔴 P1: {task} — {context}
- [ ] 🟡 P2: {task} — {context}
- [ ] 🟢 P3: {task} — {context}

### Open Questions
- ❓ {question}
(omit section if empty)

### Files Loaded into Context
- `{path}` — {reason}

Priority indicators:

• 🔴 Priority 1 — critical or blocking
• 🟡 Priority 2 — important
• 🟢 Priority 3+ — nice to have

Fallback Mode Output

## Session Takeover (Reconstructed from Git)

⚠ No handover file found. Context reconstructed from git state.

**Branch**: {branch}
**Recent commits**:
- {last 5 commit summaries}

**Uncommitted changes**: {yes/no + summary}

### Recently Modified Files (Loaded)
- `{file}` — modified in recent commits

### Suggested Next Steps
Based on recent git activity:
- [ ] {inferred tasks from commit messages and file changes}

> Tip: Use /handover before ending sessions to preserve full context including
> failed approaches, open questions, and prioritized next steps.

---

Step 6. Clean Up and Finish

Skip this step entirely if in fallback mode.

Call AskUserQuestion with:

• question: "Delete the handover file?"

• header: "Takeover"

• options (exactly 2):

  • { "label": "Delete", "description": "Remove the handover file now that context is loaded" }
  • { "label": "Keep", "description": "Keep the handover file for reference" }

• User selects "Delete" → rm .claude/HANDOVER-{filename}.md, then finish

• User selects "Keep" → leave the file in place, then finish

• User enters custom text via "Other" → follow the user's instructions

The skill is complete after this step.