Session Resume Protocol

Contents

1. Resume Loading Steps

• Step 0: Check Permissions
• Step 0.1: Project Pre-Check Hook
• Step 0.5: Check for Uncommitted Changes
• Step 1: Check for Resume File
• Step 2: Load and Analyze Resume
• Step 3: Present Resume Summary
• Step 4: Optional Actions

1. Git Commit Protocol
2. Additional Documentation

Resume Loading Steps

Step 0: Check Permissions (ONE-TIME SETUP)

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

Why this matters:

• Claude Code's interactive permission approval doesn't persist across sessions
• Without pre-approved permissions, users get repeated prompts for every skill script
• One-time setup enables smooth session-resume and session-closure operation

Implementation:

Run the permission check script:

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

Script behavior:

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• Permissions missing/outdated: Exits with details (code 1) → offer configuration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

When configuration needed:

The script outputs structured information:

1. MISSING_REQUIRED: Critical permissions needed for skills to function
2. MISSING_RECOMMENDED: Optional permissions for better UX (git, rsync, etc.)
3. FOUND_OLD: Deprecated patterns that should be removed (e.g., session-* wildcards)

Present configuration offer to user:

🔧 Session skills need one-time permission setup

[If missing file:]
No .claude/settings.local.json found. I'll create one with required permissions.

[If missing patterns:]
Missing required permissions ([count] patterns):
- Skill(session-closure)
- Skill(session-resume)
- [List other missing REQUIRED patterns]

[If old patterns found:]
Found deprecated patterns ([count] to remove):
- Bash(~/.claude/skills/session-closure/scripts/*)
- [List other FOUND_OLD patterns]

I can configure these automatically using this inline script:
[Show inline bash script that will be executed]

May I update .claude/settings.local.json to add these permissions?

After user approval, execute inline configuration script:

#!/bin/bash
# Inline permission configuration script
# Adds/updates .claude/settings.local.json with session-skills permissions

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

# Create .claude directory if needed
mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DIR/.claude"

# Required permission patterns
REQUIRED_PATTERNS='[
  "Skill(session-closure)",
  "Skill(session-resume)",
  "Bash(\"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-closure}/scripts/check_permissions.sh\" \"${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}\")",
  "Bash(\"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-resume}/scripts/check_permissions.sh\" \"${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}\")",
  "Bash(\"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-closure}/scripts/check_uncommitted_changes.sh\" \"${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}\")",
  "Bash(\"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-closure}/scripts/archive_resume.sh\" \"${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}\")",
  "Bash(\"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-closure}/scripts/validate_resume.sh\" \"${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}\")",
  "Bash(\"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-closure}/scripts/commit_resume.sh\" \"${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}\")",
  "Bash(\"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-resume}/scripts/check_uncommitted_changes.sh\" \"${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}\")",
  "Bash(\"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-resume}/scripts/list_archives.sh\" \"${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}\")",
  "Bash(\"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-resume}/scripts/check_staleness.sh\" \"${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}\")",
  "Read(~/.claude/skills/session-closure/**)",
  "Read(~/.claude/skills/session-resume/**)"
]'

# Old patterns to remove
OLD_PATTERNS=(
  'Bash(~/.claude/skills/session-closure/scripts/*)'
  'Bash(~/.claude/skills/session-resume/scripts/*)'
)

if [ ! -f "$SETTINGS_FILE" ]; then
  # Create new settings file
  cat > "$SETTINGS_FILE" <<EOF
{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": $REQUIRED_PATTERNS,
    "deny": [],
    "ask": []
  }
}
EOF
  echo "✅ Created $SETTINGS_FILE with session-skills permissions"
else
  # Merge with existing file using jq
  if command -v jq >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    # Parse required patterns as JSON array
    REQUIRED_JSON=$(echo "$REQUIRED_PATTERNS" | jq -c '.')

    # Read existing permissions, add new ones, remove old ones, deduplicate
    jq --argjson new "$REQUIRED_JSON" \
       '.permissions.allow = ([.permissions.allow[], $new[]] | unique) |
        .permissions.allow -= ["Bash(~/.claude/skills/session-closure/scripts/*)", "Bash(~/.claude/skills/session-resume/scripts/*)"]' \
       "$SETTINGS_FILE" > "$SETTINGS_FILE.tmp" && mv "$SETTINGS_FILE.tmp" "$SETTINGS_FILE"

    echo "✅ Updated $SETTINGS_FILE with session-skills permissions"
  else
    echo "⚠️  jq not found - manual merge required"
    echo "Add these patterns to permissions.allow array:"
    echo "$REQUIRED_PATTERNS"
  fi
fi

After configuration:

• Proceed to Step 0.5 (uncommitted changes check)
• Future sessions will skip this step (permissions already configured)

Error handling:

• Script not found: Display error, proceed with warning (user will get permission prompts)
• Script fails: Display error, proceed with warning
• User declines: Proceed anyway (user will approve permissions interactively)

Step 0.1: Project Pre-Check Hook (OPTIONAL)

Purpose: Allow projects to run custom preparation before the uncommitted changes check.

Why this matters:

• Projects may have files that should be stashed, not committed (e.g., Apple Pages autosave)
• Project-specific protocols exist in LOCAL_CONTEXT.md but skills don't read them
• This hook enables mechanical enforcement of project-specific behavior
• Backward compatible: skipped if no hook exists

Implementation:

Check for and run project hook if it exists:

HOOK_PATH="${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}/.claude/hooks/session-pre-check.sh"
if [ -x "$HOOK_PATH" ]; then
  "$HOOK_PATH" "${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}"
fi

Hook location: .claude/hooks/session-pre-check.sh (project-level)

Hook contract:

• Receives project root as first argument
• Exit code 0 = proceed to Step 0.5
• Exit code non-zero = abort resume with hook's stderr/stdout as message
• Hook is responsible for its own user communication

Common use cases:

• Stash files that shouldn't be committed (.pages, .numbers, temp files)
• Run project-specific preparation scripts
• Check project-specific preconditions

Example hook (stash Apple Pages files):

#!/bin/bash
# .claude/hooks/session-pre-check.sh
# Stash Apple Pages files before session skills run

PROJECT_ROOT="${1:-$PWD}"
cd "$PROJECT_ROOT" || exit 1

# Find modified .pages files
PAGES_FILES=$(git status --porcelain | grep '\.pages$' | awk '{print $2}')

if [ -n "$PAGES_FILES" ]; then
  echo "📦 Stashing Apple Pages files (autosave noise)..."
  git stash push -m "session-pre-check: .pages files" -- $PAGES_FILES
  echo "✓ Stashed. Will auto-pop after session skill completes."
fi

exit 0

If hook doesn't exist: Skip silently, proceed to Step 0.5

Error handling:

• Hook not executable: Display warning, proceed to Step 0.5
• Hook fails (non-zero): Display hook output, abort resume
• Hook timeout: Not enforced (project's responsibility)

Step 0.5: Check for Uncommitted Changes (BLOCKING)

Purpose: Ensure clean git state before loading resume context.

Why this matters:

• Uncommitted changes must be committed BEFORE other work
• Prevents mixing previous changes with new session work
• Maintains clean git checkpoints for recovery
• Follows Git Commit Protocol (explicit approval required)

Implementation:

Run the uncommitted changes detection script:

"${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-resume}/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 detailed output (exit code 1)

When changes detected (BLOCKING):

The script displays:

1. Contextual header: What changed (resume only, project files only, or both)
2. File list: git status --short output
3. Full diffs: All modifications shown with git diff HEAD
4. Untracked file contents: Transparency about new files
5. Secret file warning: If .env, credentials, keys detected
6. Clear instructions: Steps to commit manually with CORE_PROCESSES.md reference

Required action when blocked:

When uncommitted changes are detected, you MUST commit them before proceeding. Follow the Git Commit Protocol (see below).

Process:

1. Review the changes displayed by the script
2. Stage files: git add <files>
3. Commit using required protocol (see Git Commit Protocol section below)
4. User says "resume" again → Step 0.5 passes (clean state)

Why blocking is necessary:

• Prevents mixing previous work with new session changes
• Maintains clean git checkpoints for recovery
• Ensures explicit approval for all commits (protocol requirement)

Error handling:

• Script not found: Display error, proceed with warning
• Script fails: Display error, suggest manual git status
• Git command fails: Script handles gracefully

Step 1: Check for Resume File

1. Look for CLAUDE_RESUME.md (check both locations):

• .claude/CLAUDE_RESUME.md (preferred, aligns with Claude Code patterns)
• CLAUDE_RESUME.md (legacy, project root)
• If found in either location: Continue to Step 2
• If not found: Check archives and report

1. If CLAUDE_RESUME.md not found, check archives:

   "${SKILL_BASE:-$HOME/.claude/skills/session-resume}/scripts/list_archives.sh" "${PROJECT_ROOT:-$PWD}" --format detailed

Script output:

• "No archives found" (no previous sessions)
• "Found N archived session(s):" + list (archives available)

Present to user:

   📋 No current session resume found.

   [Script output - archive list or "No previous sessions"]

   Would you like to:
   1. Start fresh (no resume needed)
   2. Load a specific archive (if any exist)

Step 2: Load and Analyze Resume

1. Read CLAUDE_RESUME.md completely

1. Extract key sections:

• Last Activity Completed
• Pending Tasks (with count)
• Project Status (if present - v1.2.0+)
• Sync Status (if present - v1.2.0+)
• Pending Outbound Handoffs (if present - v1.3.0+)
• Next Session Focus
• Key Decisions (if present)
• Insights & Learnings (if present)

1. Check Sync Status (if present):

• If sync dates are >7 days old: Warn user
• If "current": Note that sources are up-to-date
• If missing: No sync concerns

1. Check Pending Outbound Handoffs (if present):

• Note any handoffs awaiting response
• Flag handoffs sent >7 days ago as possibly stale

Step 3: Present Resume Summary

Present the resume to the user:

📋 Resuming from [Date] session:

[If Project Status present:]
**Project**: [Project name from resume title]
**Status**: [State emoji + description from Project Status]

**Last activity**: [One-line summary from resume]

[If Sync Status present and has stale dates:]
⚠️  Authoritative sources may need syncing:
- [Source]: Last synced [date] ([N] days ago)

[If Pending Outbound Handoffs present:]
📤 **Pending outbound handoffs**:
- [Destination]: [Summary] (sent [date], [N] days ago)
[If any >7 days: ⚠️ May need follow-up]

**Next focus**: [From "Next Session Focus" section]

**Pending tasks**: [Count] tasks remaining
[List top 3-5 tasks]

[If Key Decisions present: Highlight 1-2 key decisions]

Full context loaded. Ready to continue.

Step 4: Optional Actions

After presenting resume, offer:

1. Archive option (if desired):

   Would you like to archive this resume to keep project clean?
   (Moves to archives/CLAUDE_RESUME/ with timestamp)

1. Ready to work:

   Ready to continue where you left off!

Git Commit Protocol

See CORE_PROCESSES.md § Git Commit Protocol for complete requirements.

Quick reference:

• Required: git commit -S -s -m "message"
• Never: Claude attribution (hook enforced)
• Always: Request user approval before committing

Hook enforcement (~/.claude/hooks/):

Workflow when Step 0.5 blocks:

1. git status - See what's changed
2. git diff - Understand changes
3. git add <files> - Stage specific changes
4. git diff --staged - Review staged changes
5. git commit -S -s -m "..." - Commit with descriptive message

Additional Documentation

• references/README.md - Installation, usage examples, and workflow integration
• references/RESUME_FORMAT_v1.3.md - Resume format specification (required reading)
• references/CONTRIBUTING.md - Development, testing, and contribution guide

Session-resume skill v0.5.1 - Added pre-check hook, .claude/ location support, version sync (January 2026)