Session Cleanup Protocol

Contents

1. Cleanup Steps

• Step 0: Check Permissions
• Step 0.5: Check Uncommitted Changes
• Step 1: Detect Session Complexity
• Step 1.5: Check Stale Planning Docs
• Step 2: Structured Ultrathink
• Step 3: Validation Pass
• Step 4: Project-Specific Checks
• Step 5: Handoff to Session-Closure

1. Additional Documentation

Cleanup Steps

Step 0: Check Permissions (ONE-TIME SETUP)

Purpose: Verify session-cleanup permissions are configured to prevent repeated permission prompts.

Run the permission check script:

"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-cleanup}/scripts/check_permissions.sh" "${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}"

Script behavior:

• All permissions present: Exits silently (code 0) → proceed to Step 0.5
• Permissions missing: Exits with details (code 1) → offer configuration
• No settings file: Exits with MISSING_FILE marker → offer to create

When configuration needed:

Present configuration offer to user:

🔧 Session-cleanup skill needs one-time permission setup

Missing required permissions:
- Skill(session-cleanup)
- [Other patterns from script output]

I can configure these automatically. May I update .claude/settings.local.json?

After user approval, execute inline configuration script:

#!/bin/bash
# Inline permission configuration for session-cleanup skill

PROJECT_DIR="${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}"
SETTINGS_FILE="$PROJECT_DIR/.claude/settings.local.json"

mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DIR/.claude"

# Session-cleanup required permission patterns
REQUIRED_PATTERNS='[
  "Skill(session-cleanup)",
  "Bash(\"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-cleanup}/scripts/check_permissions.sh\" \"${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}\")",
  "Bash(\"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-cleanup}/scripts/check_uncommitted_changes.sh\" \"${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}\")",
  "Bash(\"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-cleanup}/scripts/detect_complexity.sh\" \"${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}\")",
  "Bash(\"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-cleanup}/scripts/find_local_cleanup.sh\" \"${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}\")",
  "Bash(\"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-cleanup}/scripts/check_stale_planning.sh\" \"${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}\")",
  "Read(~/.claude/skills/session-cleanup/**)"
]'

if [ ! -f "$SETTINGS_FILE" ]; then
  cat > "$SETTINGS_FILE" <<EOF
{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": $REQUIRED_PATTERNS,
    "deny": [],
    "ask": []
  }
}
EOF
  echo "✅ Created $SETTINGS_FILE with session-cleanup permissions"
else
  if command -v jq >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    REQUIRED_JSON=$(echo "$REQUIRED_PATTERNS" | jq -c '.')
    jq --argjson new "$REQUIRED_JSON" \
       '.permissions.allow = ([.permissions.allow[], $new[]] | unique)' \
       "$SETTINGS_FILE" > "$SETTINGS_FILE.tmp" && mv "$SETTINGS_FILE.tmp" "$SETTINGS_FILE"
    echo "✅ Updated $SETTINGS_FILE with session-cleanup permissions"
  else
    echo "⚠️  jq not found - add these patterns manually to permissions.allow:"
    echo "$REQUIRED_PATTERNS"
  fi
fi

After configuration: Proceed to Step 0.5. Future sessions will skip this step.

Step 0.5: Check Uncommitted Changes

Ensure clean git state before audit:

"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-cleanup}/scripts/check_uncommitted_changes.sh" "${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}"

Script behavior:

• Not a git repo: Exits silently (code 0) → proceed to Step 1
• No uncommitted changes: Exits silently (code 0) → proceed to Step 1
• Uncommitted changes detected: BLOCKS with details (exit code 1)

When blocked: Commit changes first, then re-run "session cleanup".

Step 1: Detect Session Complexity

Determine appropriate depth for session review:

"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-cleanup}/scripts/detect_complexity.sh" "${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}"

Output determines depth:

• light: 0-1 commits, <5 files → abbreviated review
• standard: 2-5 commits, 5-15 files → full review
• thorough: 6+ commits, 15+ files → deep review with extra validation

Use the detected depth to calibrate Step 2 analysis.

Step 1.5: Check Stale Planning Docs

Detect planning documents that may be abandoned or need completion:

"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-cleanup}/scripts/check_stale_planning.sh" "${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}"

Script behavior:

• No planning directory: Exits silently (code 0) → proceed to Step 2
• No stale docs: Reports active docs (informational) → proceed to Step 2
• Stale docs found (>30 days): Warns with options (code 1) → add to [ASK user] list

When stale docs found:

The script identifies documents that haven't been updated in >30 days and suggests:

1. COMPLETE: Integrate findings into permanent docs, then delete
2. UPDATE: If work is ongoing, touch file to reset timer
3. ABANDON: If obsolete, delete with commit noting abandonment

Add stale docs to the [ASK user] category in Step 2 - user decides disposition.

Why this matters: Planning docs are ephemeral by design. Stale docs indicate either:

• Abandoned work (should be deleted)
• Forgotten integration (should be completed)
• Ongoing work that needs attention (should be updated)

See: CORE_PROCESSES.md § Transient Artifacts Overview for staleness thresholds.

Step 2: Structured Ultrathink

Core of session-cleanup: Guided but flexible analysis.

Execute this ultrathink prompt, adjusting depth based on Step 1:

Ultrathink session review [DEPTH from Step 1]:

Consider these categories:
(a) Session continuity - did work match the plan/resume?
(b) Document staleness - any planning docs ready for deletion?
(c) File proliferation - any new files that should be integrated?
(d) Cross-references - any stale paths or broken links?
(e) Technical debt - any workarounds, TODOs, or deferred issues?
(f) Test coverage (BLOCKING) - if skills/hooks modified, were tests written?
    - No deployment without tests (skill-deployment.md § Step 0)
    - v1.7.3 shipped without tests - this is the anti-pattern to prevent
(g) Issue resolution - any GitHub issues resolved? Close with details.
(h) Marketplace changes (BLOCKING) - if marketplace.json modified:
    - Schema validated against Claude Code docs?
    - All keys recognized (no `tools`, etc.)?
    - hooks/mcpServers use .json config format?
    - Installation tested end-to-end?
    - v1.7.2-1.7.4 had invalid schema - this is the anti-pattern to prevent

Categorize findings as:
- [EXECUTE now] - do before session closes
- [DEFER to next session] - capture in resume
- [ASK user] - need decision/clarification

Depth adjustments:

• light: Brief check of each category, focus on obvious issues
• standard: Full analysis of each category
• thorough: Deep analysis, check file contents, verify cross-refs

Output format:

## Session Review Findings

### [EXECUTE now]
- Item 1
- Item 2

### [DEFER to next session]
- Item 1

### [ASK user]
- Question 1

### Summary
[1-2 sentence summary of session state]

Step 3: Validation Pass

Quick coverage check (not re-analysis):

After completing Step 2, verify you addressed:

• [ ] Git state - All work committed?
• [ ] Context docs - LOCAL_CONTEXT.md current?
• [ ] Planning docs - Any complete/stale?
• [ ] New files - Appropriate locations?

If any item missed, add to [EXECUTE now] or [DEFER] list.

Step 4: Project-Specific Checks

Check for project-specific cleanup checklist:

"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-cleanup}/scripts/find_local_cleanup.sh" "${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}"

If local file found (checked in order):

• .claude/processes/local-session-cleanup.md (preferred)
• claude/processes/local-session-cleanup.md (legacy)

1. Read the file
2. Execute project-specific checks
3. Add findings to appropriate category ([EXECUTE/DEFER/ASK])

If no local file: Skip this step (generic cleanup complete).

Step 5: Handoff to Session-Closure

Present findings and transition:

## Session Cleanup Complete

**Depth**: [light/standard/thorough]
**Findings**: [count] EXECUTE, [count] DEFER, [count] ASK

### Action Items
[List any [EXECUTE now] items to complete]

### For Resume
[List [DEFER] items to capture]

### Questions
[List [ASK] items needing user input]

---

When ready to close session, say "close context" or invoke session-closure.

Important: Session-cleanup does NOT auto-invoke session-closure (safety).

Additional Documentation

• references/README.md - Installation and usage guide
• references/LOCAL_TEMPLATE.md - Template for project-specific cleanup checklist
• references/CONTRIBUTING.md - Development and contribution guide

Session-cleanup skill v0.5.2 - Added category (h) marketplace validation (January 2026)