orient-to-recent-work

name	orient-to-recent-work
description	Build a compact mental model of recent project activity before any non-trivial task. Use proactively at the start of a session and before any investigation, planning, refactor, or multi-file change. Skip only for trivial fixes (typos, isolated docs, version bumps, mechanical refactors with a known target).

Orient to recent work

Before starting a non-trivial task, build a compact mental model of what has happened recently in this repository. This prevents re-litigating settled decisions and surfaces context that may not be in code or docs.

When to use

Use proactively:

• At the start of a session (before the first task)
• Before any investigation, planning, refactor, or multi-file change
• When picking up a thread after a break

Skip for:

• Single-line typo fixes
• Isolated documentation updates
• Dependency version bumps without logic changes
• Mechanical refactors with a known target

Protocol (do once per session, hold the result)

1. Read CHANGELOG.md [Unreleased] — pending changes the team is preparing
2. Read the most recent released section of CHANGELOG.md — what just shipped
3. Run git log --oneline -20 — recent commits at a glance
4. For commits that touch files you'll modify, run git show <hash> --stat — scope only, not the full diff
5. Hold this mental model in working memory for the session; re-run only if task scope changes dramatically

Output format

A 3–5 line summary capturing:

• What's in flight (Unreleased highlights)
• What just shipped (last release)
• Any recent decisions affecting your task (naming, refactor, schema)
• If your task touches recently-modified files, append: Recent touch on <files>: <commit summary>

Why

• Decisions have non-code context (commit messages, PR descriptions)
• Fresh sessions have no memory — this creates session-level orientation
• Prevents re-litigating recently-settled questions