context-continuity

name	context-continuity
description	Maintain compact-ready checkpoints, task state summaries, source maps, and handoff notes during long dissertation work so future turns preserve decisions, files changed, open questions, and evidence boundaries.

Context Continuity

Use this skill for long, multi-step, or easily interrupted research tasks, especially when work may span many turns, involve multiple files, cross project stages, or risk losing source-grounded decisions.

Purpose

Keep the project recoverable after context compaction or interruption.

This skill also carries the adapted ECC context-budget, save-session, and strategic-compact ideas for this dissertation project: preserve only the decisions, evidence boundaries, changed files, and next actions that future work needs.

Workflow

1. At the start of a long task, identify:
   • goal
   • source files
   • output files
   • confirmed facts
   • TO CONFIRM fields
2. If research-wiki/STAGE_CONTINUITY_PROTOCOL.md triggers, read research-wiki/STAGE_GRAPH.md before substantive work and record a Stage Continuity Capsule.
3. Use the runtime recall_decision or scripts/stage_recall_policy.py as the context-budget controller. Recompute when the task changes from discussion to formal output, from layout to content, from reading to design/method/analysis, or before formal delivery.
4. During the task, update a compact checkpoint when major decisions or files change.
5. Before final response, summarize:
   • what was done
   • what files changed
   • what evidence was used
   • what remains unresolved
   • what should happen next

Context Budget Rule

Use compact notes instead of copying long content.

Keep:

• decisions
• source paths and URLs
• created/updated file paths
• confirmed facts
• TO CONFIRM items
• evidence boundaries
• next action

Avoid storing:

• long copied passages
• raw participant data
• repeated reasoning already captured in a document
• obsolete options that no longer affect the next decision

Strategic Checkpoint Triggers

Update research-wiki/TASK_STATE.md when:

• a new Word or proposal-facing document is created
• ethics, LMS, or supervisor requirements are captured
• a new source cluster or contextual source is added
• a project rule or skill changes
• a decision affects methodology, research questions, concept cards, data collection, or participant-facing materials
• a Stage Continuity Capsule or Deep Reasoning Pass changes what later work must inherit
• a long task is likely to be resumed later

For substantial Production Window tasks, also update research-wiki/PRODUCTION_RUN_REGISTER.md with a run receipt. This lets the Maintenance Window compare the claimed skill routing, created files, gates performed, render artifacts, temporary files, and remaining risks.

Production run receipts must include:

• mode and selected skills
• reason for selected skills
• skills considered but skipped, if relevant
• subagent decision
• gates required and completed
• main outputs, helper scripts, render folders, and temporary files

Checkpoint Template

Use this structure:

## YYYY-MM-DD Short Task Name

Goal:
- ...

Files created:
- ...

Files updated:
- ...

Evidence used:
- ...

Confirmed:
- ...

Inference / boundary:
- ...

Open confirmations:
- ...

Next action:
- ...

For substantial Production tasks, also add a receipt to research-wiki/PRODUCTION_RUN_REGISTER.md using the current receipt fields. Do not rely on TASK_STATE.md alone for cross-window monitoring.

Stage Continuity Capsule

Use research-wiki/STAGE_CONTINUITY_PROTOCOL.md when triggered. The capsule can live in a thinking checkpoint, design note, decision memo, or research-wiki/TASK_STATE.md.

Minimum fields:

Stage Continuity Capsule:
- Current task/stage:
- Trigger:
- Stage graph nodes used:
- Source-of-record files checked:
- Inherited decisions:
- Open confirmations / hard stops:
- What may change:
- What must not change without confirmation:
- Next action boundary:

Content rules:

• Use concrete local file paths.
• Cite a stage node or source path for inherited decisions.
• For high-risk deliverables, keep What must not change without confirmation non-empty.
• Run scripts/stage_continuity_capsule_check.py when available.

Where To Write

Use:

• research-wiki/TASK_STATE.md for current task state
• research-wiki/PRODUCTION_RUN_REGISTER.md for Production Window run receipts and Maintenance audit status
• task-specific revision notes where relevant
• source maps beside formal document drafts

Guardrails

• Do not store raw participant data in task state.
• Use source paths, not vague references.
• Mark assumptions and unresolved fields clearly.
• Keep checkpoints concise enough to survive compaction.