Pick up where you left off from a previous session — use after context resets, compaction, or new conversations
disable-model-invocation
true
Host: Codex CLI — This skill was designed for Claude Code and adapted for Codex.
Cross-reference commands use installed skill names in Codex rather than /octo:* slash commands.
Use the active Codex shell and subagent tools. Do not claim a provider, model, or host subagent is available until the current session exposes it.
For host tool equivalents, see skills/blocks/codex-host-adapter.md.
Session Restoration
Overview
Restore context from a previous session and seamlessly continue the workflow where you left off.
Core principle: Check state → Load adaptive context → Display restoration summary → Route to appropriate action.
When to Use
Use this skill when user says:
"Resume" or "continue working"
"Pick up where I left off"
"What was I doing?"
"Restore session"
"Continue from last time"
Do NOT use for:
Starting new projects (use /octo:embrace)
Checking current status only (use /octo:status)
Modifying state directly (use octo-state.sh)
The Process
Phase 0: Check Session Handoff File (v9.6.0)
Step 0: Check for .octo-continue.md
Before checking .octo/, look for a session handoff file. This is written automatically
by PreCompact and SessionEnd hooks and contains a human-readable summary of the last session.
if [[ -f ".octo-continue.md" ]]; thencat".octo-continue.md"fi
If .octo-continue.md exists, read it and display its contents to the user as
context. Then continue to Phase 1 to load the full state. The handoff file provides a
quick overview; .octo/STATE.md provides the authoritative state.
Phase 1: Check Project Initialization
Step 1: Verify .octo/ Directory Exists
if [[ ! -d ".octo" ]]; thenecho"No project state found"exit 1
fi
If .octo/ does not exist but .octo-continue.md exists, display the handoff file
contents and offer to start a new session based on that context.
If neither exists, display:
## Session Restoration Failed**No project state found.**
There is no `.octo/` directory in this project, which means no previous session state exists.
### Get Started
Run `/octo:embrace [your project description]` to start a new project.
**Example:**
/octo:embrace build a REST API with user authentication
This will:
1. Initialize .octo/ directory with STATE.md, PROJECT.md, ROADMAP.md
2. Begin the Double Diamond workflow
3. Create session state you can resume later
# Extract blockers section
sed -n '/^## Blockers/,/^## /p' .octo/STATE.md | head -n -1 | tail -n +2
Expected format:
If blockers exist: List of blocker items
If no blockers: (none)
Step 3: Read Project Title from PROJECT.md
# Get project title (first H1)head -n 5 .octo/PROJECT.md | grep "^# " | head -1 | sed 's/^# //'
Phase 5: Display Restoration Summary
Step 1: Build and Display Summary
## Session Restored**Project:** {project_title from PROJECT.md}
**Last Active:** {last_updated from STATE.md}
**Phase:** {current_phase} - {phase_name}
**Position:** {current_position}
**Status:** {status}
### Where You Left Off
{Last 3 entries from STATE.md history}
### Current Blockers
{Blockers from STATE.md or "None"}
### Ready to Continue
{Intelligent suggestion based on status - see routing table below}
Step 2: Map Phase Number to Name
Phase
Name
1
Discover
2
Define
3
Develop
4
Deliver
Phase 6: Intelligent Routing
Step 1: Route Based on Status
Status
Action
Message
in_progress
Continue current phase
"Continue with current phase. Context loaded."
blocked
Review blockers
"Review blockers first: /octo:issues"
complete
Ready for next phase
"Phase complete. Ready for /octo:ship"
paused
Resume project
"Project paused. Resume with /octo:embrace"
ready
Begin workflow
"Ready to begin. Run /octo:embrace to start."
planning
Continue planning
"Continue planning. Use /octo:define to refine."
building
Continue building
"Continue implementation. Use /octo:develop."
shipped
Project delivered
"Project delivered! Review lessons in LESSONS.md."
complete_with_gaps
Review gaps
"Phase complete with gaps. Review ISSUES.md before proceeding."
Continue research and exploration.
- Use `/octo:research [topic]` for multi-AI research
- Use `/octo:debate [question]` for decision support
- Check `.octo/phases/phase1/` for research notes
Phase 2 (Define):
Continue requirements clarification.
- Use `/octo:prd` to write product requirements
- Use `/octo:define` to refine scope
- Check `.octo/phases/phase2/` for requirements docs
Phase 3 (Develop):
Continue implementation.
- Use `/octo:develop` to build features
- Use `/octo:tdd` for test-driven development
- Check `.octo/phases/phase3/` for implementation plan
Phase 4 (Deliver):
Continue validation and delivery.
- Use `/octo:deliver` for final review
- Use `/octo:security` for security audit
- Use `/octo:ship` to finalize delivery
Example Outputs
Example 1: No Project State Found
## Session Restoration Failed**No project state found.**
There is no `.octo/` directory in this project, which means no previous session state exists.
### Get Started
Run `/octo:embrace [your project description]` to start a new project.
Example 2: Successful Restoration (In Progress)
## Session Restored**Project:** User Authentication System
**Last Active:** 2026-02-02T10:30:00Z
**Phase:** 2 - Define
**Position:** define-requirements
**Status:** in_progress
### Where You Left Off
- [2026-02-02T10:30:00Z] Phase 2: Started requirements review (in_progress)
- [2026-02-01T16:45:00Z] Phase 1: Completed discovery (complete)
- [2026-02-01T14:20:00Z] Phase 1: Research synthesis complete (in_progress)
### Current Blockers
None
### Ready to Continue
Continue with current phase. Context loaded.
Continue requirements clarification.
- Use `/octo:prd` to write product requirements
- Use `/octo:define` to refine scope
- Check `.octo/phases/phase2/` for requirements docs
Example 3: Blocked Project Restoration
## Session Restored**Project:** E-commerce Platform
**Last Active:** 2026-02-01T18:00:00Z
**Phase:** 3 - Develop
**Position:** implement-payment-gateway
**Status:** blocked
### Where You Left Off- [2026-02-01T18:00:00Z] Phase 3: Payment integration blocked (blocked)
- [2026-02-01T15:30:00Z] Phase 3: Started payment gateway integration (in_progress)
- [2026-02-01T12:00:00Z] Phase 3: Completed user auth implementation (complete)
### Current Blockers
- Missing Stripe API credentials
- Payment webhook endpoint not configured
- SSL certificate pending for payment domain
### Ready to Continue
Review blockers first: `/octo:issues`
**To unblock:**
1. Configure Stripe API credentials in environment
2. Set up webhook endpoint at /api/webhooks/stripe
3. Complete SSL certificate setup for payments subdomain
Example 4: Paused Project Restoration
## Session Restored**Project:** Data Analytics Dashboard
**Last Active:** 2026-01-28T09:00:00Z
**Phase:** 2 - Define
**Position:** requirements-gathering
**Status:** paused
### Where You Left Off- [2026-01-28T09:00:00Z] Phase 2: Project paused by user (paused)
- [2026-01-27T16:00:00Z] Phase 2: Stakeholder feedback pending (in_progress)
- [2026-01-27T10:00:00Z] Phase 1: Discovery complete (complete)
### Current Blockers
- Waiting for stakeholder availability
### Ready to Continue
Project paused. Resume with `/octo:embrace`
When ready to continue:
1. Review `.octo/PROJECT.md` for project context
2. Check `.octo/STATE.md` for pause reason
3. Run `/octo:embrace` to resume workflow
Best Practices
1. Always Use octo-state.sh for State Reading
Good:
./scripts/octo-state.sh read_state
./scripts/octo-state.sh get_context_tier auto
/octo:resume → Full restoration with context
/octo:status → Quick dashboard without restoration
With /octo:embrace
No .octo/ exists → /octo:resume suggests /octo:embrace
.octo/ exists but paused → /octo:resume suggests resuming with /octo:embrace
With flow-* skills
User runs /octo:resume
→ Context restored
→ User continues with /octo:develop (or appropriate phase skill)
Quick Reference
User Input
Action Required
"resume"
Resolve state with octopus state-path → Load context → Display summary → Route
"continue"
Same as resume
"pick up where I left off"
Same as resume
"what was I doing"
Same as resume, emphasize history
"restore session"
Same as resume
The Bottom Line
Run `octopus state-path` → Read state → Load adaptive context → Show history + blockers → Route intelligently
Otherwise → User loses previous context and wastes time re-discovering where they were
Never restart from beginning if state exists. Restore context, show history, route intelligently.
Context Recovery After Compaction
When context is cleared (compaction, plan mode exit, new session), detect and reload automatically:
# Auto-detect context loss without writing into the project checkout.# The plugin executable resolves its own installation root on every host.if ! WORKFLOW_STATE_FILE="$(octopus state-path)" || [[ -z "$WORKFLOW_STATE_FILE" ]]; thenecho"Unable to resolve persistent workflow state; refusing an incomplete resume." >&2
exit 1
fiif [[ -f "$WORKFLOW_STATE_FILE" ]] && [[ -z "${WORKFLOW_CONTEXT_LOADED}" ]]; thenecho"⚠️ Context was cleared — reloading from persistent state..."
NEEDS_RESUME=truefi
What survives context clearing:
Host-workspace project state (decisions, context, metrics; resolve with octopus state-path)
context/*.md beside the path returned by octopus state-path (phase outputs)
Native tasks (TaskList still works)
Git commits and WIP checkpoints
Multi-AI synthesis files in ~/.claude-octopus/results/
After resume completes, set export WORKFLOW_CONTEXT_LOADED=true to prevent duplicate reloads.
State persists in files. Context clearing is not a problem. Files outlive memory.