/session-save

Capture the current session into a structured handoff file so you (or another instance) can resume with full context. Creates a timestamped Markdown file in .claude/sessions/.

When to use

• Before ending a session that isn't complete
• Before switching to a different task
• Before context reaches 75%+ (to preserve the important parts)
• At natural milestones in a long task (after each phase)
• To hand off to a second Claude instance

Instructions

Produce a handoff document with the following structure:

---

Session handoff: [TIMESTAMP]

What was being done

[One paragraph: the goal, the approach, where things stand right now]

Files modified this session

[List every file that was created, edited, or deleted, with the nature of the change]

path/to/file.ts      - [what changed and why]
path/to/other.ts     - [what changed and why]

Key decisions made

[Architectural choices, tradeoffs accepted, approaches rejected and why]

• Decision: [What was decided]
  • Rationale: [Why]
  • Alternatives rejected: [What else was considered]

Current status

[Where things are right now: what's working, what's broken, what's in-progress]

• Working: [...]
• In-progress: [...]
• Known issues: [...]

Next steps (ordered)

[The exact next actions to take to continue, specific enough that a fresh context can pick up without re-reading everything]

1. [First action]: path/to/file.ts - [what to do]
3. [...]

Context to reload

[Files that must be read to resume with full understanding, keep this list short]

• path/to/key-file.ts: [why it matters]
• CLAUDE.md: project rules

Blockers / open questions

[Anything unresolved that needs a decision or external input before proceeding]

• [Question or blocker]: [who/what can resolve it]

---

Implementation

Save the handoff to .claude/sessions/handoff-[YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM].md. Then output the file path so the user knows where to find it.

Resume pattern

To resume from a handoff:

/session-resume .claude/sessions/handoff-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM.md

Or manually: read the handoff file, then read the files listed in "Context to Reload" before continuing.

Examples

Example 1: Mid-Feature save

/session-save

Claude captures:

• Auth middleware was being refactored (files: src/middleware/auth.ts, src/middleware/jwt.ts)
• Decision: switched from session tokens to JWTs (rationale: scales better across services)
• Status: JWT validation working, refresh logic in-progress
• Next: implement refreshToken() in src/services/auth.service.ts, then update tests

Example 2: Context-Pressure save

When context hits 70%, run /session-save before /compact to preserve decision context that compaction might lose.

Notes

• Keep "Context to Reload" to 5 files max. The goal is a fast resume, not a full re-read.
• "Next Steps" should be specific enough that a cold-start Claude can execute step 1 without asking questions
• Don't save tool output or code snippets in the handoff; reference file paths instead.

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See also:

• Session Teleportation: broader session management patterns
• Instinct-Based Learning: what to extract from sessions before closing