context-save

name	context-save
description	Snapshot current working context (git state, in-flight tasks, key decisions, modified files) so a future session or post-compact resumption can pick up without losing progress. Pair with /context-restore.
allowed-tools	["Bash","Read","Write","AskUserQuestion"]

/context-save — Snapshot Working Context

Saves a structured snapshot of the current session's state to .claude/state/context/ so a future session (or this session after /compact) can re-engage without re-reading everything.

Adapted from garrytan/gstack/context-save — DOTS version drops the gstack-specific telemetry/sync scaffolding and writes plain markdown.

When to Use

• Before /compact if you want to preserve task state beyond what compaction keeps
• End of a working session, before stepping away
• Switching between unrelated work streams (e.g., DOTS → another repo → back)
• After hitting a non-trivial decision you don't want to re-derive next session

What gets captured

Run via Bash to gather:

SLUG=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
[[ -n "${1:-}" ]] && SLUG="${SLUG}-${1// /-}"  # optional descriptor

STATE_DIR="${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR}/.claude/state/context"
mkdir -p "$STATE_DIR"
SNAP="$STATE_DIR/$SLUG.md"

{
    echo "# Context Snapshot — $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"
    echo
    echo "## Git state"
    echo "- Branch: \`$(git branch --show-current 2>/dev/null || echo unknown)\`"
    echo "- HEAD: \`$(git log -1 --oneline 2>/dev/null || echo unknown)\`"
    echo
    echo "### Staged"
    git diff --cached --name-only 2>/dev/null | sed 's/^/- /'
    echo
    echo "### Unstaged"
    git diff --name-only 2>/dev/null | sed 's/^/- /'
    echo
    echo "### Untracked"
    git ls-files --others --exclude-standard 2>/dev/null | sed 's/^/- /'
    echo
    echo "## Recent commits (last 5)"
    git log -5 --oneline 2>/dev/null | sed 's/^/- /'
} > "$SNAP"

echo "Snapshot started at: $SNAP"

Then append the agent-supplied narrative — these are the parts the user / agent know that git doesn't:

1. In-flight task: what feature/fix is being worked on (1-3 sentences). If a GitHub issue is open, link it.
2. Decisions made this session: bullet list of choices that shaped the current state and shouldn't be re-litigated. Include the why, not just the what.
3. Open questions / blockers: what's NOT yet decided that the next session needs to address.
4. Files in flight: which files are mid-edit and why (one line each).
5. Next concrete step: the single next action a fresh session should take.
6. Anything that surprised you this session: the kind of thing future-you would forget. (Optional — but the highest-value field when present.)

Use AskUserQuestion to gather any of these the user can fill faster than you can infer.

Output format (what gets written)

# Context Snapshot — 2026-04-26T15:30:12Z

## Git state
- Branch: bannerlord-1.3.15
- HEAD: 2c4d414 process(.claude): retroactive RCA on Codex review #28
### Staged
- (none)
### Unstaged
- Main/Features/CareerSystem/Services/CareerService.cs
### Untracked
- (none)

## Recent commits (last 5)
- 2c4d414 process(.claude): retroactive full RCA on Codex review #28 + preventives
- 5fd9719 fix(.claude): close prevention-theater holes flagged by Codex (#92)
- ...

## In-flight task
Implementing Tier 2 + Tier 3 picks from Claude Code ecosystem review (#93). 6 of 8 picks done; refactoring-specialist subagent next.

## Decisions made this session
- Skipped #8 (persistent task DAG) — TodoWrite is sufficient for solo dev
- Used `effort: high` only on /deep-review (verified docs allow it)
- Dropped gstack telemetry scaffolding from /context-save port (not relevant solo)

## Open questions / blockers
- (none — clear runway)

## Files in flight
- `Main/Features/CareerSystem/Services/CareerService.cs` — mid-investigation of Codex finding on stale buff cache; not yet modified

## Next concrete step
Port refactoring-specialist subagent to .claude/agents/, run /context-budget to confirm headroom impact, then commit.

## Anything that surprised you this session
The amend bypass (Codex review #28) was a real prevention-theater finding. Now codified in harness-facts.md "Amend exemptions" section so the same mental model error can't recur.

Storage

• Snapshots live at .claude/state/context/<timestamp>[-<slug>].md
• Directory is gitignored (snapshots are local working state, not part of the repo)
• Naming convention: ISO-style timestamp first so ls orders chronologically
• Old snapshots are NOT auto-pruned — clean up manually with rm or via /context-restore's "clear" mode

Pair with

• /context-restore — load the most recent (or named) snapshot
• /compact — actual context compression. /context-save complements it: compact reduces in-context tokens, context-save persists state OUT of context for later retrieval.

Notes

• This skill writes ONE file. It does not modify your git tree, settings, or memory.
• The write goes into .claude/state/context/. Freeze interaction:
  • If you've frozen to Main/Features/<X>/, DOTS.Tests/, or any other directory that does NOT contain .claude/state/context/, the snapshot write WILL BE BLOCKED by the /freeze hook. Run /unfreeze first or widen the boundary.
  • If you've frozen to .claude/ (or any ancestor of .claude/state/context/), the write is INSIDE the freeze boundary and will be ALLOWED. (Codex review #29 caught the prior version of this note for stating the opposite — .claude/ freeze ALLOWS the write because check-freeze.sh permits in-boundary writes.)