checkpoint

name	checkpoint
version	1.0.0
description	[Utilities] Use when you need to save analysis context to checkpoint file for recovery.
disable-model-invocation	false

Quick Summary

Goal: Save current analysis context and progress to an external file for recovery after context loss.

Workflow:

1. Gather Context — Collect task state, findings, files analyzed, decisions made
2. Write Checkpoint — Save structured markdown to plans/reports/checkpoint-{timestamp}-{slug}.md
3. Update Todos — Reflect checkpoint creation in task tracking

Key Rules:

• Save checkpoints every 30-60 minutes during complex tasks
• Include file paths, line numbers, and recovery instructions
• Document decisions with rationale for future reference

Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).

Save Memory Checkpoint

Save current analysis, findings, and progress to an external memory file to prevent context loss during long-running tasks.

Usage

Use this command when:

• Working on complex multi-step tasks (investigation, planning, implementation)
• Before expected context compaction
• At key milestones during feature development
• After completing significant analysis phases

Checkpoint File Location

Files are saved to: plans/reports/checkpoint-{timestamp}-{slug}.md

Instructions

Create a checkpoint file with the following structure:

Step 1: Determine Checkpoint Location

# Get current date for filename
date +%y%m%d-%H%M

Step 2: Gather Context

Collect and document:

1. Current Task - What are you working on?
2. Key Findings - What have you discovered?
3. Files Analyzed - Which files have been read/modified?
4. Progress Summary - What's completed vs remaining?
5. Important Context - Critical information to preserve
6. Next Steps - What should be done next?
7. Open Questions - Unresolved issues

Step 3: Write Checkpoint File

Create a markdown file at plans/reports/checkpoint-YYMMDD-HHMM-{task-slug}.md with:

# Memory Checkpoint: [Task Description]

> Checkpoint created to preserve analysis context during [task type].

## Session Info

- **Created:** [timestamp]
- **Task:** [description]
- **Branch:** [git branch]
- **Phase:** [current phase]

## Current Task Summary

[Brief description of what you're working on]

## Key Findings

### Analysis Results

- [Finding 1]
- [Finding 2]
- [Finding N]

### Patterns Discovered

- [Pattern 1]
- [Pattern 2]

### Dependencies Identified

- [Dependency 1]
- [Dependency 2]

## Files Context

### Analyzed Files

| File            | Purpose   | Relevance       |
| --------------- | --------- | --------------- |
| path/to/file.cs | [purpose] | High/Medium/Low |

### Modified Files

- `path/to/modified.ts` - [change description]

### Pending Files

- `path/to/pending.cs` - [why pending]

## Progress Summary

### Completed

- [x] [Completed item 1]
- [x] [Completed item 2]

### In Progress

- [ ] [Current item]

### Remaining

- [ ] [Remaining item 1]
- [ ] [Remaining item 2]

## Important Context

### Critical Information

[Information that must not be lost]

### Assumptions Made

- [Assumption 1]
- [Assumption 2]

### Decisions Made

- [Decision 1] - [rationale]
- [Decision 2] - [rationale]

## Next Steps

1. [Immediate next action]
2. [Following action]
3. [Subsequent action]

## Open Questions

- [ ] [Question 1]
- [ ] [Question 2]

## Recovery Instructions

To resume this task after context reset:

1. Read this checkpoint file
2. Review [specific files] for context
3. Continue from [specific point]

---

_Checkpoint saved by Claude Code at [timestamp]_

Step 4: Update Todo List

Update your todo list to reflect checkpoint was created:

- [x] Create memory checkpoint at [timestamp]

Best Practices

1. Save checkpoints frequently - Every 30-60 minutes during complex tasks
2. Be specific - Include file paths, line numbers, exact findings
3. Document decisions - Record why choices were made
4. Link related files - Reference other analysis documents
5. Include recovery steps - Make resumption easy

Related Commands

• /context - Load project context
• /compact - Manually trigger context compaction
• /watzup - Generate progress summary

---

[IMPORTANT] Use TaskCreate to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting — including tasks for each file read. This prevents context loss from long files. For simple tasks, AI MUST ATTENTION ask user whether to skip.

AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid on every task:

Check downstream references before deleting. Deleting components causes documentation and code staleness cascades. Map all referencing files before removal. Verify AI-generated content against actual code. AI hallucinates APIs, class names, and method signatures. Always grep to confirm existence before documenting or referencing. Trace full dependency chain after edits. Changing a definition misses downstream variables and consumers derived from it. Always trace the full chain. Trace ALL code paths when verifying correctness. Confirming code exists is not confirming it executes. Always trace early exits, error branches, and conditional skips — not just happy path. When debugging, ask "whose responsibility?" before fixing. Trace whether bug is in caller (wrong data) or callee (wrong handling). Fix at responsible layer — never patch symptom site. Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing. Before changing any constant, limit, flag, or pattern: read comments, check git blame, examine surrounding code. Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. Changes touching multiple stacks require verifying EVERY output. One green check is not all green checks. Holistic-first debugging — resist nearest-attention trap. When investigating any failure, list EVERY precondition first (config, env vars, DB names, endpoints, DI registrations, data preconditions), then verify each against evidence before forming any code-layer hypothesis. Surgical changes — apply the diff test. Bug fix: every changed line must trace directly to the bug. Don't restyle or improve adjacent code. Enhancement task: implement improvements AND announce them explicitly. Surface ambiguity before coding — don't pick silently. If request has multiple interpretations, present each with effort estimate and ask. Never assume all-records, file-based, or more complex path.

Critical Thinking Mindset — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.

MUST ATTENTION apply critical thinking — every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact.

MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — holistic-first debugging, fix at responsible layer, surface ambiguity before coding, re-read files after compaction.

Closing Reminders

• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small todo tasks using TaskCreate BEFORE starting
• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION search codebase for 3+ similar patterns before creating new code
• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite file:line evidence for every claim (confidence >80% to act)
• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION add a final review todo task to verify work quality

[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using TaskCreate.