| name | checkpoint |
| description | Mid-session save point: create a descriptive git commit and a brief handoff note, then keep working. Use before a risky change or refactor, when switching tasks, or to bank progress without ending the session. Triggers on: /checkpoint, "checkpoint", "save progress", "commit and handoff", "save state", "pause here", "before a risky change". For the full end-of-session ritual with learning extraction, use /wrap-up instead.
|
| disable-model-invocation | true |
/checkpoint
What
A quick mid-session save that banks the known-good state in two moves:
- Descriptive git commit — stage relevant changes and commit with a
message that summarizes the work.
- Brief handoff note — write
.claude/handoff.md so a resumed session
(or you, after a botched refactor) knows exactly where things stand.
Checkpoint is the mid-session save; /wrap-up is the end-of-session ritual.
Checkpoint commits and jots a note, then keeps working. Wrap-up does the full
handoff plus learning extraction into MEMORY.md.
When
- Before a risky refactor or destructive change — checkpoint the known-good state
- When switching to a different task or feature mid-session
- After completing a logical unit of work — bank it
- User says "checkpoint", "save progress", "save state", "pause here"
- If the session is actually ending, use
/wrap-up for the full ritual
How
- Assess state —
git status and git diff to see staged and unstaged
changes.
- Stage changes — Stage specific files; never
git add -A. Exclude
generated files, build artifacts, and secrets (.env, credentials).
- Commit — Descriptive message following the repo's commit style
(conventional prefixes:
feat:, fix:, refactor:). New commit, never
amend. If there is nothing to commit, skip to the handoff.
- Write handoff note —
.claude/handoff.md, same format as /wrap-up
but abbreviated: Completed, Pending (with specific next steps), Learned
(only if something non-obvious surfaced), and Context (branch + commit
hash). One file, always overwritten.
- Confirm — Report the commit hash and the handoff summary, then resume
work.
Safety Rules
- Never push, force-push, or touch remote branches
- Never commit secrets
- Never amend — a checkpoint is a new commit you can return to
- No changes to commit? Update the handoff only
Example
User: /checkpoint — about to try the EF Core split-query refactor
Claude: 3 files modified, 1 new.
Commit a1b2c3d: "feat: add CreateOrder validation with FluentValidation"
- src/Orders/Features/CreateOrder.cs
- src/Orders/Features/CreateOrderValidator.cs (new)
- tests/Orders.Tests/Features/CreateOrderTests.cs
Handoff updated (.claude/handoff.md):
## Completed
- [x] CreateOrder validation + 3 test scenarios
## Pending
- [ ] Split-query refactor in GetOrderDetails (about to attempt)
## Context
- Branch: feature/order-validation | Checkpoint: a1b2c3d
Checkpoint saved — safe to proceed with the risky refactor.
Related
/wrap-up — End-of-session ritual: full handoff format definition plus
learning extraction into MEMORY.md/build-fix — Get the build green before checkpointing
