session

name	session
version	1.0.0
standalone	true
description	Session lifecycle — checkpoint, restore, handoff, sleep/wake
uses	["core/memory","core/bus"]
requires	{"tools":[],"env":[]}
security	{"risk_level":"write","capabilities":["session:read","session:write","session:checkpoint","session:restore"],"requires_approval":false}

Session

Manage the agent session lifecycle — starting, checkpointing, restoring, handing off work, and shutting down cleanly. Sessions are the boundary of an agent's active work period.

Execution Model

This is a builtin skill (handler: type: builtin). When session_status is invoked, the executor returns current session state from the session directory (.os/sessions/{agent}/{session-id}/). The tool schema in tool.yaml defines the external contract; the executor handles session state management directly.

When to Use

• Starting a new work session (boot sequence)
• Checking current session state and duration
• Creating checkpoints to preserve progress
• Restoring from a checkpoint after crash or context loss
• Handing off work to another agent
• Gracefully ending a session

Methodology

1. Session Boot

On session start, execute in order:

1. Load identity from identity.yaml
2. Load core skills (bus, memory, session)
3. Check for existing checkpoint — restore if found
4. Register with coordinator (if configured)
5. Publish session_start to the system channel

2. Checkpointing

Checkpoints save session state for recovery. They happen:

• Automatically: After each bus message processed, every 5 minutes, before context compaction, on graceful shutdown
• Manually: When you want to ensure a critical state is preserved

Checkpoint content:

• Current task context (what you're working on)
• Bus position (last processed message ID)
• Working state (completed and pending items)
• Memory pointers (what to read on restore)

3. Restoring

On restore, load the checkpoint and resume:

1. Read last checkpoint from .os/sessions/{agent}/{session-id}/checkpoint.json
2. Restore task context
3. Restore bus position (don't reprocess old messages)
4. Restore working state
5. Continue from where you left off

4. Handoff

When passing work to another agent:

1. Create a checkpoint with full context
2. Publish a handoff message to the work channel with:
   • Who it's from and who it's for
   • Why the handoff is happening
   • Checkpoint path for context
   • Key information the receiver needs

5. Shutdown

On graceful shutdown:

1. Save final checkpoint
2. Update memory with session summary
3. Publish session_end to the system channel
4. Deregister from coordinator

Output Format

## Session Status

- Session ID: [ID]
- Agent: [agent name]
- Status: [active/sleeping/shutting-down]
- Duration: [time since start]
- Messages processed: [count]
- Last checkpoint: [timestamp]
- Current task: [description or none]

Quality Criteria

• Boot sequence completes in order (identity, skills, checkpoint, register, announce)
• Checkpoints are saved regularly (not just at session end)
• Checkpoint content is sufficient for full restore
• Handoff messages include enough context for the receiver
• Shutdown is graceful (checkpoint, memory, bus, deregister)
• Crash recovery restores to last checkpoint without data loss

Recovery (Auto-Restart)

Sessions automatically restart when context is exhausted (up to max_restarts times). The recovery system:

• Detects context exhaustion from CLI stream events (stop_reason=max_tokens) or process exit without a result event
• Restarts the CLI with --resume <session-id> to restore full conversation history
• Sends a continuation prompt from .os/skills/core/session/prompts/restart.md telling the agent to read its memory and continue
• Preserves heartbeat and bus loops — only I/O tasks are restarted

Agents can influence recovery:

• Commit early and often — small commits prevent lost work across restarts
• Save memory — write to .os/agents/{name}/memory/ so context survives
• Signal completion — model choosing end_turn prevents unnecessary restart

Configuration: wrapper.max_restarts (default 3), wrapper.restart_cooldown (default 5s), wrapper.restart_backoff (default 2x for error exits).

Common Mistakes

• Skipping checkpoint before risky operations: If something might crash the session, checkpoint first. Recovery without a checkpoint means starting from scratch.
• Not restoring bus position: After restore, if you don't set the bus position to the last processed message, you'll reprocess old messages.
• Incomplete handoff context: Sending a handoff with just "please continue" gives the receiver no context. Include the task, progress, key files, and what's next.
• Forgetting session_end on shutdown: If you don't publish session_end, other agents and the coordinator think you're still active.
• Not updating memory before shutdown: Session knowledge that isn't saved to memory is lost permanently.
• Ignoring checkpoint on boot: If a checkpoint exists and you skip it, you lose all progress from the previous session.

Completion

Session management is complete when:

• Boot: All steps completed (identity, skills, checkpoint, register, announce)
• Checkpoint: State is saved and can be restored
• Handoff: Receiver has enough context to continue
• Shutdown: Checkpoint saved, memory updated, session_end published, deregistered