| name | start_session |
| description | Start a new work session in the NestBrain workspace. Triggered when the user says "Buongiorno, Claude" or "Good morning, Claude". Creates a timestamped session file in Daily/, shows a recap of the previous session, and begins logging macro-tasks across the Projects touched during the session. |
start_session
You run this skill when the user greets you with "Buongiorno, Claude" or "Good morning, Claude" (case-insensitive, comma optional).
Path resolution: every path in this skill (Daily/, Projects/<name>/.nest/STATE.md, etc.) resolves against <nestbrain_root>, not your current working directory. See the "Finding the NestBrain root" section of <nestbrain_root>/CLAUDE.md. Use absolute paths when reading/writing.
Step 1 — Check for an already-open session
List <nestbrain_root>/Daily/*.md. Find the most recent by filename (they are sorted lexicographically by YYYY-MM-DD_HH-mm-ss.md). Read its frontmatter.
- If
status: open → the user already has an active session. Do not open a new one. Respond: "There's already an open session from [time] — close it with 'Arrivederci, Claude' before starting a new one." Stop here.
- If
status: closed or Daily/ is empty → proceed to Step 2.
Step 2 — Show a recap of the previous session
Find the most recent closed session in <nestbrain_root>/Daily/ (skip the one you are about to create). Read its ## Summary section.
- If the previous session is from today → open with "In your previous session today you..."
- If the previous session is from yesterday → open with "Yesterday you..."
- If the previous session is from 2+ days ago → open with "In your last session (N days ago) you..."
- If there is no previous closed session → open with a friendly "This looks like your first session. Welcome." and skip the recap.
Then print 3–5 short bullets distilled from the previous session's Summary + Next sections. Macro level only — the goal is orientation, not a full replay. Keep it tight.
Step 3 — Create the new session file
Create <nestbrain_root>/Daily/YYYY-MM-DD_HH-mm-ss.md using the current local time. Format:
---
session_id: YYYY-MM-DD_HH-mm-ss
started_at: <ISO-8601 with timezone offset>
ended_at: null
status: open
projects: []
---
# Session YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm
## Log
<!-- macro-task entries go here, one per line, as they happen -->
Leave ## Summary, ## Next, and ## Git sections unwritten — they will be filled in by the end_session skill.
Step 4 — Acknowledge and await instructions
Respond with one short sentence confirming the session is open, e.g. "Session started. What shall we work on?"
Logging rules during the session (applies until end_session runs)
Once the session is open, append to the session file's ## Log section after each completed macro-task. A macro-task is a unit of work a user would describe in one sentence — not an individual file edit or tool call.
Examples of what to log:
- 09:42 — [Projects/my-api] Scaffolded FastAPI app with Postgres and initial /users routes- 10:15 — [Projects/landing] Fixed hero layout bug on mobile- 11:03 — [workspace] Ingested 3 arXiv papers on retrieval-augmented generation and recompiled wiki
Do not log:
- Individual file edits ("edited main.ts line 42")
- Individual tool calls or commands
- Internal deliberation or exploration that didn't produce a result
Path tag rules:
- Work inside
Projects/<name>/ → tag [Projects/<name>]
- Work outside
Projects/ (notes, wiki, settings) → tag [workspace]
Projects tracking: every time you log a task tagged [Projects/<name>], make sure <name> is present in the frontmatter projects: array. Add it if missing.
First time a new project appears in the session: ask the user one short question — "What's this project about, in one line?" — and remember the answer. You will write it into that project's .nest/STATE.md as Purpose: when end_session runs. Do not interrogate the user beyond this one question.
Token discipline: be sparing. Fewer, meaningful log entries > many granular ones. When in doubt, skip.
