Session Summary Skill

CRITICAL: This skill creates comprehensive session documentation to preserve context across compaction events. Use proactively before compaction or when context is large.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Before Phase 6 (final deliverable) - MANDATORY
• Approaching token limits (75%+ usage)
• After major workflow phase completion (Phase 4 or Phase 5)
• End of session or workflow completion

CRITICAL: This skill is MANDATORY before Phase 6 in all workflows. It cannot be skipped.

CRITICAL REQUIREMENT

YOU MUST output a clean, well-formatted session summary document both in your response AND save to file using the exact structure provided below.

Your Task

COMPLETE WORKFLOW - Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Archive Management

1. Check existing session: Use Read tool on .claude/memory/CURRENT_SESSION.md

   • If file doesn't exist, proceed to Step 2
   • If file exists, continue to archive it

2. Archive existing session: If CURRENT_SESSION.md exists:

   • Create timestamp: YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM-SS format
   • Ensure directory exists: .claude/memory/session_summaries/
   • Use Write tool to save to .claude/memory/session_summaries/session-{timestamp}.md
   • Copy exact content from CURRENT_SESSION.md

3. Prune old archives: Use ListDir or Bash tool to check .claude/memory/session_summaries/

   • Count existing session files (session-*.md pattern)
   • If more than 10 files exist, delete oldest files to keep only 10 most recent
   • Use file modification times to determine age

Step 2: Create New Session Summary

Analyze the conversation transcript and create a polished session summary document that captures:

• What actually happened (not what was planned)
• Real file changes and tool usage
• Concrete accomplishments and decisions
• Technical details and learning moments
• Current workflow state and progress
• Next steps explicitly

Step 3: Save Session Record

Write the formatted session summary to .claude/memory/CURRENT_SESSION.md

Analysis Process

1. Parse Tool Calls: Extract all Edit, Write, Bash, Grep, Read, CodebaseSearch tool calls with parameters
2. Track File Changes: List every file that was actually modified (check git status if available)
3. Extract Commands: Document important bash commands executed
4. Identify Patterns: Find architectural decisions and problem-solving approaches
5. Capture Learning: Note insights, discoveries, and knowledge gained
6. Extract Workflow State: Check for active workflow checkpoints and include current phase/progress
7. Document Decisions: Extract key decisions from conversation and WORKING_PLAN.md

MANDATORY OUTPUT FORMAT

You MUST output exactly this structure with proper formatting:

# 📋 Session Summary - [Month Day, Year]

## 🎯 Session Overview

[2-3 sentences describing the main focus, what was worked on, and key outcomes]

## 📁 Files Modified

### Code Changes

- **`src/path/file.ts`** - [Detailed description of what changed and why]
- **`templates/path/file.md`** - [Specific changes made with technical context]

### Documentation Updates

- **`README.md`** - [What documentation was added/updated]
- **`CLAUDE.md`** - [Any project instructions updated]

## ⚒️ Tool Calls & Operations

### File Operations

- **Edit**: `file.ts:45-67` - [What was edited]
- **Write**: `newfile.md` - [What was created]
- **Read**: `config.json` - [What was examined]

### System Commands

- **Bash**: `npm run lint:fix` - [Why command was run and result]
- **Bash**: `git commit -m "message"` - [Commit details]

## ✅ Key Accomplishments

- **[Feature/Fix Name]**: [Specific implementation details and impact]
- **[Bug Resolution]**: [Problem identified, solution implemented, verification]
- **[Architecture Change]**: [Design decision made and technical rationale]

## 🔧 Problems Solved

- **Issue**: [Problem description]
  - **Solution**: [How it was resolved with technical details]
  - **Files**: [Which files were modified]
  - **Verification**: [How solution was tested/validated]

## 💡 Technical Decisions

- **Decision**: [What was decided]
  - **Rationale**: [Why this approach was chosen]
  - **Impact**: [How this affects the project]
  - **Alternatives**: [Other options considered]

## 🔄 Next Steps

- **Immediate**: [Tasks that need to be done next session]
- **Short-term**: [Planned work for upcoming sessions]
- **Follow-up**: [Items to investigate or validate later]

## 🧠 Learning & Insights

- **Technical Patterns**: [Code patterns or architectural insights discovered]
- **Development Process**: [Process improvements or workflow learnings]
- **Project Context**: [Important project knowledge gained]

## 📊 Session Metrics

- **Duration**: [Estimated session length based on message count]
- **Tool Calls**: [Total number of tool calls made]
- **Files Changed**: [Number of files modified]
- **Commands Run**: [Number of bash commands executed]

## 🌳 Git Repository State

### Changes Made

- **Branch**: [Current branch]
- **Commits**: [Any commits made during session]
- **Modified Files**: [List from git status]
- **Status**: [Clean/dirty working tree]

### Repository Health

- **Build Status**: [If build was run, the result]
- **Tests**: [If tests were run, the result]
- **Linting**: [If linting was run, the result]

## 🔄 Active Workflow State

- **Workflow**: [Current workflow type if active]
- **Phase**: [Current phase and progress]
- **Checkpoint**: [Most recent checkpoint path if available]
- **Next Steps**: [Next phase or actions from checkpoint]

Quality Requirements

• Be Specific: Use exact file paths, line numbers, function names
• Show Impact: Explain why changes matter and how they help
• Include Details: Technical specifics that aid future development
• Format Consistently: Use proper markdown, emojis, and structure
• Focus on Facts: Document what actually happened, not intentions
• Add Context: Explain the "why" behind decisions and changes
• Include Workflow State: Reference active workflows, phases, and checkpoints

Integration with Workflows

This skill is integrated into all cc10x workflows:

• Plan Workflow: Create summary after Phase 4 (Synthesis) if context is large
• Build Workflow: Create summary after Phase 4 (Component Execution) if many components built
• Review Workflow: Create summary after Phase 4 (Synthesis) if many files reviewed
• Debug Workflow: Create summary after Phase 3 (Consolidation) if many bugs fixed

Workflows MUST call this skill in Phase 5.5 (Context Preservation) before final deliverables. Phase 5.5 is MANDATORY and cannot be skipped.

CRITICAL REMINDERS

• DUAL OUTPUT: Create session document both in your response AND save to file
• COMPLETE WORKFLOW: Always follow the 3-step process (archive → analyze → save)
• ARCHIVE MANAGEMENT: Handle existing sessions automatically before creating new ones
• EXACT FORMATTING: Use the structure shown above with emojis and proper markdown
• TECHNICAL DETAILS: Include specific file paths, line numbers, and tool call parameters
• PROFESSIONAL QUALITY: Make it beautiful and comprehensive - this is permanent documentation
• FILE PERSISTENCE: Save formatted document to CURRENT_SESSION.md for future archiving
• WORKFLOW INTEGRATION: Reference active workflows, checkpoints, and next phases

Quick Start

1. Load this skill using Skill tool
2. Execute the 3-step workflow (archive → analyze → save)
3. Output summary in conversation AND save to .claude/memory/CURRENT_SESSION.md
4. Document in Actions Taken: "Session summary created"

Example Usage

User: "We're approaching token limits, create a session summary"

Claude: [Loads session-summary skill]
        [Executes archive management]
        [Analyzes conversation]
        [Creates comprehensive summary]
        [Saves to CURRENT_SESSION.md]
        [Outputs summary in conversation]