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session-save

Productivity
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Save the current session state (decisions, modified files, current status, and next steps) to a handoff file for later resume.

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/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.

See also: