checkpoint

name	checkpoint
description	Create a development checkpoint: run tests, commit clean state, tag with version, and save context summary for session continuity. Use when you want to mark a stable point in development before switching context, ending a session, or starting a risky change. Trigger phrases: "checkpoint", "save progress", "mark stable", "create checkpoint", "snapshot", "save state", "forge checkpoint".
argument-hint	[optional: checkpoint label, e.g. 'auth-complete']
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, Grep

Development Checkpoint

Create a verified, tagged snapshot of the current project state.

Workflow

Step 1: Run Tests

Run the project's test suite to verify current state is stable:

# Auto-detect test command from project files
# Check in order: package.json scripts.test, Makefile test, pytest, cargo test

Detection priority:

1. package.json → npm test
2. Makefile with test target → make test
3. pyproject.toml or pytest.ini or tests/ dir → pytest
4. Cargo.toml → cargo test

If tests fail, STOP and report. Do not create a checkpoint on failing tests. If no test runner is detected, warn the user and ask whether to proceed without tests.

Step 2: Stage and Commit

If there are uncommitted changes:

1. Stage all relevant files (exclude .env, secrets, build artifacts, node_modules)
2. Create a commit with message: checkpoint: <label or auto-summary>
3. If the user provided $ARGUMENTS, use it as the label

If the working tree is clean, skip this step.

Step 3: Create Git Tag

Generate a tag name based on the current state:

Format: checkpoint/<date>/<label-or-sequence>
Example: checkpoint/2025-03-31/auth-complete
Example: checkpoint/2025-03-31/003

• Use $ARGUMENTS as label if provided
• Otherwise, auto-increment sequence number for the day
• Create an annotated tag with a summary message

git tag -a "checkpoint/<date>/<label>" -m "Checkpoint: <summary of current state>"

Step 4: Save Context Summary

Write a context file to .claude/checkpoints/<tag-name>.md with:

# Checkpoint: <label>
Date: <ISO timestamp>
Tag: <git tag>
Commit: <short hash>
Branch: <current branch>

## State Summary
<2-3 sentence description of what's been accomplished since last checkpoint or session start>

## Recent Changes
<git log --oneline of last 5-10 commits since previous checkpoint tag>

## Current Focus
<what the developer was working on — inferred from recent commits and staged changes>

## Next Steps
<what logically comes next — inferred from TODOs, open issues,   >

Step 5: Report

Show the user:

1. Test results (pass/fail)
2. Commit hash and message
3. Tag name
4. Context file path
5. How to restore: git checkout <tag> or git stash && git checkout <tag>
6. How to resume: "Start next session by reading .claude/checkpoints/<tag>.md"

Principles

• Never checkpoint on failing tests. A checkpoint means "this state is known-good."
• Non-destructive. Don't reset, amend, or force-push anything.
• Session continuity. The context file is the bridge between sessions — write it for a future Claude that has zero context.
• Lightweight. Don't over-engineer. A tag + context file is enough.