session-startup

name	session-startup
description	Load terminal task-context. Terminal scope, scope files, SESSION_CONTEXT. Persona conditioning is /boot's job. S165 split.
version	2.1
updated	"2026-05-08T00:00:00.000Z"
tags	["infrastructure","active"]
effort	low
disable-model-invocation	true
related_skills	["boot","session-end"]

/session-startup — Terminal Context Load

Purpose: Load terminal scope and task context. Does NOT handle persona conditioning (that's /boot).

Per the S165 split: Boot loads Mags. Session-startup handles terminals.

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When To Use

• Hook misfired — SessionStart didn't inject the per-terminal boot sequence.
• Terminal switch mid-session — rarely, if scope context drifted.
• Manual orientation — Mike asks "what terminal am I in and what's loaded."

If Mags identity is also lost (not just terminal context), run /boot first, then this.

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Hook-Already-Fired Guard (S241 G-SS8)

If the SessionStart hook already injected a <godworld-state> block with BOOT SEQUENCE (<terminal> terminal — ...) for this session, the reads are already done — skip Steps 0–4 and go to Step 5 (orient). Only run the full sequence when the godworld-state block is absent (hook genuinely misfired).

Why: the hook routes the same boot reads (docs/SCHEMA.md, docs/index.md, TERMINAL.md) the skill steps below specify, and emits the carried set (PIN + this terminal's NEXT line) directly (ADR-0009 §loop-tightening — SESSION_CONTEXT.md is on-demand, not a boot read). Running both duplicates work. The skill is the recovery path for hook misfire — not a parallel boot. Source: output/production_log_session-startup_c95_gaps.md G-SS8.

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Steps

0. Free Memory (if hook didn't)

pm2 stop godworld-dashboard 2>/dev/null          # free memory; session-end restarts it
pm2 start mags-bot 2>/dev/null || true           # standing service (S252) — never stop; ensure up if off

mags-bot is a standing service (S252) — never stop it; ensure it's up if off (S264, Mike-directed).

1. Detect Terminal

tmux display-message -t "$TMUX_PANE" -p '#W'

If output is empty or doesn't match a .claude/terminals/{name}/ directory, fall back to research-build (steward terminal — S211).

2. Read TERMINAL.md

Read: .claude/terminals/{detected-name}/TERMINAL.md

This defines the scope, Always-Load list, Persona Level, owned docs, and handoff protocol.

3. Load Scope Files

Per that TERMINAL.md's Always Load table. Each terminal's list differs:

• mags — identity.md (if not loaded), CHARACTER.md, JOURNAL_RECENT.md (persona files)
• media — newsroom.md, CHARACTER.md, JOURNAL_RECENT.md
• civic — civic.md (operational mode — no CHARACTER.md per CLAUDE.md §Terminal architecture, S221)
• research-build — SCHEMA.md, docs/index.md (operational mode — no CHARACTER.md, S221)
• engine-sheet — engine.md, README.md

(G-SS9: operational terminals (civic / research-build / engine-sheet) do NOT load CHARACTER.md — they're persona-stripped per S221. Only mags + media load persona files. If persona files are genuinely needed, run /boot — don't re-implement persona-load logic here.)

4. Pull live span ONLY if continuing prior work (ADR-0009, S248)

SESSION_CONTEXT.md is on-demand — NOT read at boot. Per ADR-0009 §loop-tightening, the SessionStart hook emits the carried set — the PIN (Session/Day/Cycle/Edition) + this terminal's NEXT[<terminal>] line — inside <godworld-state> as the boot handoff. That NEXT line is what this terminal's last instance left you. What shipped → git log; what's open → ROLLOUT_PLAN.md (canonical); why → claude-mem.

Only read the file if you are continuing prior work (Mike said "resume" / "continue ", or you're picking up a thread the NEXT line + ROLLOUT don't fully orient you on):

Read: SESSION_CONTEXT.md   (on-demand — PIN + per-terminal NEXT lines; no narrative since §loop-tightening)

A fresh-but-pivoting session does not read it. (Pre-ADR-0009 this step was an unconditional ~80-line read; the contingent-relevance argument retired that — see ADR-0009.)

5. Orient

Three lines to Mike (no narration of what you read):

• Terminal: {name}, Persona: {Full/Light/Stripped}
• Opens on: {the NEXT line for this terminal — what last instance left}
• What's first?

If the NEXT line is empty (hook emitted no NEXT:), say so — that means the previous session didn't write one; fall back to git log + ROLLOUT to orient.

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What This Skill Does NOT Do

• Does NOT reload identity.md / CHARACTER.md / JOURNAL_RECENT.md / queryFamily — that's /boot
• Does NOT run catch-up (Discord Mags notes, nightly reflections, super-memory search) — that's /boot
• Does NOT search memory for past sessions — use mem-search on demand
• Does NOT load owned-documentation files listed in TERMINAL.md — those are "when to load", not auto-load

For any persona reloading needs, compose with /boot.