session-resume

name	session-resume
description	Bootstrap a new session from a previous session's checkpoint. Reads the handoff file, confirms the project board state, and prepares to continue work.

Skill: Session Resume

When to use

• At the start of a new session when the user provides a checkpoint file path or asks you to "pick up where we left off"
• When the user pastes a handoff summary and asks you to continue
• When the user says "resume", "continue", "read checkpoint", or similar

Steps

1. Read the checkpoint

The user will provide one of:

• A file path to a checkpoint: read it with the view tool
• Pasted text from a previous handoff: parse it directly

Extract:

• What was accomplished last session (PRs, commits, decisions)
• What's next (the stack-ranked table)
• Key reminders

2. Verify the codebase state

Confirm the checkpoint matches reality:

# Verify we're on main and up to date
git checkout main
git pull origin main

# Check recent commits match what the checkpoint claims
git log --oneline -5

# Check for any open PRs from previous session that might need attention
gh pr list --state open --limit 5

If there are discrepancies (e.g., a PR the checkpoint says is merged but isn't, or unexpected new commits), flag them to the user before continuing.

3. Confirm the stack rank is current

The Task List view (views/1) is physically ordered by stack rank. Use gh project item-list (which returns items in view order) to check the current state:

gh project item-list 1 --owner lqdev --format json --limit 100

Use the next-issue skill (steps 1-4) to filter and check dependencies. Compare the top actionable item against the checkpoint's "What's next" table.

If the top item changed (someone else closed it, priorities shifted, board was reordered), tell the user:

"Checkpoint said #97 was next, but it's now closed. Current top of stack is #98."

If it matches, confirm briefly:

"Stack rank confirmed — #97 is still next."

Important: The Stack Rank field is the source of truth — not physical board position or a re-sort by Priority/Phase/Effort. If the Stack Rank ordering looks wrong (e.g., a newly triaged item has no rank or is ranked too low), flag it to the user.

4. Surface key reminders

Print the "Key reminders" from the checkpoint so they're visible in the new session context. This ensures conventions and decisions carry forward.

5. Check for in-flight work

If the checkpoint mentions open PRs or draft branches:

# Check if the PR is still open
gh pr view {N} --json state,mergeStateStatus,reviews

# Check for new review comments since the checkpoint
gh pr view {N} --json reviews --jq '.reviews[] | {author: .author.login, state: .state, submittedAt: .submittedAt}'

If there are new review comments, alert the user:

"PR #N has new review comments since the checkpoint. Use the code-review-validation skill to action them before starting new work."

6. Prepare for next work

Based on the confirmed next issue, tell the user what's ready:

Ready to go: Issue #N — Title (Priority, Phase, Effort)

When you're ready, say "work on it" and I'll use the work-on-issue skill to pick it up.

Rules

• Always re-verify — never trust the checkpoint blindly. Git state and the project board are the source of truth; the checkpoint is a hint.
• Flag discrepancies — if the checkpoint doesn't match reality, stop and tell the user. Don't silently proceed with stale context.
• Check for open PRs first — unfinished work from last session takes priority over new issues (review comments, failed CI, etc.).
• Print reminders visibly — key reminders exist to prevent the new session from repeating mistakes. Make them prominent.
• Use skills for sub-tasks — next-issue for stack rank, code-review-validation for review comments, work-on-issue to start.

What if there's no checkpoint?

If the user says "resume" but there's no checkpoint file:

1. Ask: "I don't have a checkpoint file. Can you paste the handoff context from the previous session, or point me to the checkpoint path?"
2. If they can't provide one, fall back to:
   • git log --oneline -10 to see recent activity
   • gh pr list --state all --limit 10 to find recent PRs
   • next-issue skill to find the top of the stack
   • Present what you find and ask the user to confirm before proceeding

Anti-patterns

• ❌ Starting work without verifying the checkpoint against Git/GitHub
• ❌ Ignoring open PRs with pending review comments
• ❌ Skipping the stack rank confirmation ("it probably hasn't changed")
• ❌ Not printing key reminders in the new session context
• ❌ Proceeding without user confirmation when discrepancies are found