session-start

name	session-start
description	Use when opening a Memex session: at the SessionStart hook, after `/clear`, when resuming after a break, or when context feels stale mid-session. Loads tiered context and outputs a briefing.

Memex - Session Start

Wikilink rule: When referencing files in any markdown you write, use [[filename]] format. Plain-text filenames break Obsidian graph connectivity.

Orient fast, deliver a tight briefing.

Step 1: Detect workspace state

Run WORKSPACE_ROOT=$(pwd) && echo "$WORKSPACE_ROOT" via Bash.

Check _MANIFEST.md at the workspace root:

• No manifest: tell the user to run /memex:init to set up structured memory here, then stop.
• Marker present and current: full Memex mode, continue.
• Anything else (no marker, or an outdated marker): read references/workspace-modes.md, then continue.

Unclean-close detection (mtime-based). No session lock exists. If any workspace .md file (excluding .git, .claude, .obsidian, memex, node_modules) is newer than status.md by 5+ minutes, the previous session likely skipped session-end — append after the briefing:

⚠ Files were modified after the last status.md update. The previous session may not have closed cleanly. Run /memex:update to refresh status, or describe what's been happening and we'll capture it.

Otherwise no warning — the only state check, no lock file involved.

Step 2: Scan the manifest

Read _MANIFEST.md's Tier 1/Tier 2 summaries and Hub Map (hub-to-domain mapping) without opening every file.

Resolve paths (first match wins): manifest config table → convention (memory/status.md, session-log.md, decisions.md, glossary.md, scratch/ideas.md or ideas.md) → search by name.

Step 3: Load context

Read in order: status.md (full file — priorities/blockers) → session-log.md (top entry only, stop at first ---) → decisions.md (last 5 entries) → ideas.md (skim, note routing) → memory/_CLOSETS.md if present (typed-field index over Tier 1 files — subjects/people/claims/decisions/dates/status — for field-level lookups instead of re-scanning full text).

Missing file: note briefly, continue. If memory/_CLOSETS.md is missing on a 2.1.x+ workspace, flag it for Step 6 (memory closets missing — run /memex:reindex --hub memory).

Parse status.md's "Last updated" date; if more than 3 days old, flag for the briefing.

Step 4: Pre-load relevant domain

If the opening message names a domain, find its hub from the manifest summaries and read the hub's _CLOSETS.md first (sibling of the hub index, e.g. programs/_CLOSETS.md) — a typed-field index over the hub's files, so you decide what to open without reading each. No _CLOSETS.md: fall back to the hub index, note the gap for Step 6. Schema/semantics/pagination: ../session-end/references/closets-format.md (read once).

Field-level retrieval is the point: "what about Mike" → people:; "what did I tell you about X" → claims:. Each typed field is its own searchable line, not a sub-bullet of the file's topic.

Graph hint. If the message names an entity and memory/.graph.md exists, grep -i "<entity>" memory/.graph.md first — typed edges (people, supersedes, blocks) surface files closets alone may miss. Graph lags reindex/consolidate; treat hits as hints, not ground truth.

Closets coverage scan. Skip in compatible mode (no marker — pre-v2 workspaces don't owe coverage). Otherwise check every Hub Map hub for <hub-folder>/_CLOSETS.md; hold the covered-vs-missing count for Step 6.

Closets archive fallback (deterministic). On a primary-closets miss, grep 2-4 key terms from the question across every _CLOSETS-archive.md before opening files:

find "$WORKSPACE_ROOT" -name '_CLOSETS-archive.md' -exec grep -il -e "term1" -e "term2" {} +

Read any hit (same field-level logic). No hits: proceed as today. Never load archives eagerly.

Step 5: Scan for untracked content

Scan for markdown files/folders not listed in any hub or manifest (skim to understand content). Flag folders with 3+ untracked files, and loose root/untracked files that look like project docs. Build a short suggestion list for the briefing.

Step 6: Output the briefing

No preamble. No pleasantries. Exact format:

---

Status: [one sentence from status.md Active Focus]

Stale: [Only when status.md is >3 days old, else omit this line: Status is [N] days old (last updated [date]). Consider "Update first" below, or run /memex:lint for a full health check.]

Last session: [2-3 bullets from the most recent session-log entry]

In flight:

• [items from status.md What's In Progress]

Blocked:

• [items from status.md What's Blocked]

Relevant decisions: [1-2 entries from decisions.md that directly constrain today's likely work. Omit if nothing applies.]

Ideas inbox: [each item with suggested routing destination. If empty: "Empty."]

---

Append if triggered — untracked content (Step 5), outdated v1 marker (Step 1), or closets coverage gaps (Step 4; omit if every hub is covered):

Untracked content detected:
  [folder]/ ([count] files, appears to be about [topic]) - /memex:add-domain [name]
  [file.md] (looks like it belongs in [domain]/) - move it? say "organize files"

Memex upgrade available — workspace is on v1; run /memex:upgrade to migrate to v2 retrieval.

Closets missing for [N] of [M] hubs — run /memex:reindex to backfill.

Always end with:

→ **Start session** - jump straight in
→ **Update first** - flag what's changed since last session

"Update first" (or signs of drift): ask what changed, update status.md, then proceed. "Start session" (or stating the task): move on. Don't ask twice.

Output rules

• Briefing takes 30 seconds to read; trim if longer than ~20 lines.
• Surface only what's actionable.
• Use [[filename]] wikilink format when referencing files.
• Wikilinks and closets entries are pointers, not load triggers — seeing [[X]] doesn't mean load it; only load files the current task requires.

---

Gotchas

• Timed-out sessions skip session-end — the unclean-close check (Step 1) catches the resulting staleness; suggest "Update first" if seen.
• Only the most recent session-log entry loads (stops at first ---). A malformed file (missing separators) reads too much — flag and ask if you hit one.
• "Update first" updates status.md immediately, then proceeds.
• Closets and wikilinks are pointers, not load triggers. See Output rules — read closets once, decide which 0–2 files the task needs, open only those.
• Field-level retrieval beats topic-level (Step 4) — this is the benchmark win; ignoring typed fields ignores the moat.
• No session lock (v2.1+ dropped it) — staleness detection uses mtimes instead (Step 1); the 5-minute window absorbs clock drift, not session-start's own writes.
• Graph hints can lag. memory/.graph.md refreshes only via /memex:reindex or /memex:consolidate, not every session. A miss doesn't mean no relationship exists; a hit should still be checked against current content.