Session Restoration

Overview

Restore context from a previous session and seamlessly continue the workflow where you left off.

Core principle: Check state → Load adaptive context → Display restoration summary → Route to appropriate action.

When to Use

Use this skill when user says:

• "Resume" or "continue working"
• "Pick up where I left off"
• "What was I doing?"
• "Restore session"
• "Continue from last time"

Do NOT use for:

• Starting new projects (use /octo:embrace)
• Checking current status only (use /octo:status)
• Modifying state directly (use octo-state.sh)

The Process

Phase 0: Check Session Handoff File (v9.6.0)

Step 0: Check for .octo-continue.md

Before checking .octo/, look for a session handoff file. This is written automatically by PreCompact and SessionEnd hooks and contains a human-readable summary of the last session.

bash
if [[ -f ".octo-continue.md" ]]; then
    cat ".octo-continue.md"
fi

If .octo-continue.md exists, read it and display its contents to the user as context. Then continue to Phase 1 to load the full state. The handoff file provides a quick overview; .octo/STATE.md provides the authoritative state.

Phase 1: Check Project Initialization

Step 1: Verify .octo/ Directory Exists

bash
if [[ ! -d ".octo" ]]; then
    echo "No project state found"
    exit 1
fi

If .octo/ does not exist but .octo-continue.md exists, display the handoff file contents and offer to start a new session based on that context.

If neither exists, display:

markdown
## Session Restoration Failed

**No project state found.**

There is no `.octo/` directory in this project, which means no previous session state exists.

### Get Started

Run `/octo:embrace [your project description]` to start a new project.

**Example:**

/octo:embrace build a REST API with user authentication

This will:
1. Initialize .octo/ directory with STATE.md, PROJECT.md, ROADMAP.md
2. Begin the Double Diamond workflow
3. Create session state you can resume later

Stop here - do not proceed to Phase 2.

Phase 2: Read Current State

Step 1: Execute octo-state.sh read_state

bash
./scripts/octo-state.sh read_state

Expected output format:

schema=2.0
last_updated=2026-02-02T10:30:00Z
current_phase=2
current_position=define-requirements
status=in_progress

Step 2: Parse State Variables

Extract these key values:

• current_phase - Phase number (1-4)
• current_position - Description of current position within phase
• status - Workflow status (in_progress, blocked, complete, paused, etc.)
• last_updated - Timestamp of last state modification

Phase 3: Load Adaptive Context

Step 1: Get Context Tier (Auto Mode)

bash
./scripts/octo-state.sh get_context_tier auto

This automatically selects the appropriate context tier based on current status:

| Status | Tier Selected | Context Loaded | |--------|---------------|----------------| | ready, planned, planning, complete, shipped | planning | STATE.md + PROJECT.md + ROADMAP.md | | building, in_progress | execution | + phase plans + recent summaries | | blocked, paused | execution | + phase plans + recent summaries |

Step 2: Store Context for Reference

The context returned includes:

• Current state details
• Project vision and requirements
• Phase-specific plans and summaries
• Codebase analysis (if brownfield project)

Phase 4: Extract History and Blockers

Step 1: Read Last 3 History Entries from STATE.md

bash
# Extract history section from STATE.md
grep -A 4 "^## History" .octo/STATE.md | tail -n 3

Expected format:

- [2026-02-02T10:30:00Z] Phase 2: Completed requirements review (complete)
- [2026-02-02T09:15:00Z] Phase 2: Started define phase (in_progress)
- [2026-02-01T16:45:00Z] Phase 1: Completed discovery (complete)

Step 2: Extract Blockers from STATE.md

bash
# Extract blockers section
sed -n '/^## Blockers/,/^## /p' .octo/STATE.md | head -n -1 | tail -n +2

Expected format:

• If blockers exist: List of blocker items
• If no blockers: (none)

Step 3: Read Project Title from PROJECT.md

bash
# Get project title (first H1)
head -n 5 .octo/PROJECT.md | grep "^# " | head -1 | sed 's/^# //'

Phase 5: Display Restoration Summary

Step 1: Build and Display Summary

markdown
## Session Restored

**Project:** {project_title from PROJECT.md}
**Last Active:** {last_updated from STATE.md}
**Phase:** {current_phase} - {phase_name}
**Position:** {current_position}
**Status:** {status}

### Where You Left Off

{Last 3 entries from STATE.md history}

### Current Blockers

{Blockers from STATE.md or "None"}

### Ready to Continue

{Intelligent suggestion based on status - see routing table below}

Step 2: Map Phase Number to Name

| Phase | Name | |-------|------| | 1 | Discover | | 2 | Define | | 3 | Develop | | 4 | Deliver |

Phase 6: Intelligent Routing

Step 1: Route Based on Status

| Status | Action | Message | |--------|--------|---------| | in_progress | Continue current phase | "Continue with current phase. Context loaded." | | blocked | Review blockers | "Review blockers first: /octo:issues" | | complete | Ready for next phase | "Phase complete. Ready for /octo:ship" | | paused | Resume project | "Project paused. Resume with /octo:embrace" | | ready | Begin workflow | "Ready to begin. Run /octo:embrace to start." | | planning | Continue planning | "Continue planning. Use /octo:define to refine." | | building | Continue building | "Continue implementation. Use /octo:develop." | | shipped | Project delivered | "Project delivered! Review lessons in LESSONS.md." | | complete_with_gaps | Review gaps | "Phase complete with gaps. Review ISSUES.md before proceeding." |

Step 2: Phase-Specific Guidance (for in_progress status)

Phase 1 (Discover):

Continue research and exploration.
- Use `/octo:research [topic]` for multi-AI research
- Use `/octo:debate [question]` for decision support
- Check `.octo/phases/phase1/` for research notes

Phase 2 (Define):

Continue requirements clarification.
- Use `/octo:prd` to write product requirements
- Use `/octo:define` to refine scope
- Check `.octo/phases/phase2/` for requirements docs

Phase 3 (Develop):

Continue implementation.
- Use `/octo:develop` to build features
- Use `/octo:tdd` for test-driven development
- Check `.octo/phases/phase3/` for implementation plan

Phase 4 (Deliver):

Continue validation and delivery.
- Use `/octo:deliver` for final review
- Use `/octo:security` for security audit
- Use `/octo:ship` to finalize delivery

Example Outputs

Example 1: No Project State Found

markdown
## Session Restoration Failed

**No project state found.**

There is no `.octo/` directory in this project, which means no previous session state exists.

### Get Started

Run `/octo:embrace [your project description]` to start a new project.

Example 2: Successful Restoration (In Progress)

markdown
## Session Restored

**Project:** User Authentication System
**Last Active:** 2026-02-02T10:30:00Z
**Phase:** 2 - Define
**Position:** define-requirements
**Status:** in_progress

### Where You Left Off

- [2026-02-02T10:30:00Z] Phase 2: Started requirements review (in_progress)
- [2026-02-01T16:45:00Z] Phase 1: Completed discovery (complete)
- [2026-02-01T14:20:00Z] Phase 1: Research synthesis complete (in_progress)

### Current Blockers

None

### Ready to Continue

Continue with current phase. Context loaded.

Continue requirements clarification.
- Use `/octo:prd` to write product requirements
- Use `/octo:define` to refine scope
- Check `.octo/phases/phase2/` for requirements docs

Example 3: Blocked Project Restoration

markdown
## Session Restored

**Project:** E-commerce Platform
**Last Active:** 2026-02-01T18:00:00Z
**Phase:** 3 - Develop
**Position:** implement-payment-gateway
**Status:** blocked

### Where You Left Off

- [2026-02-01T18:00:00Z] Phase 3: Payment integration blocked (blocked)
- [2026-02-01T15:30:00Z] Phase 3: Started payment gateway integration (in_progress)
- [2026-02-01T12:00:00Z] Phase 3: Completed user auth implementation (complete)

### Current Blockers

- Missing Stripe API credentials
- Payment webhook endpoint not configured
- SSL certificate pending for payment domain

### Ready to Continue

Review blockers first: `/octo:issues`

**To unblock:**
1. Configure Stripe API credentials in environment
2. Set up webhook endpoint at /api/webhooks/stripe
3. Complete SSL certificate setup for payments subdomain

Example 4: Paused Project Restoration

markdown
## Session Restored

**Project:** Data Analytics Dashboard
**Last Active:** 2026-01-28T09:00:00Z
**Phase:** 2 - Define
**Position:** requirements-gathering
**Status:** paused

### Where You Left Off

- [2026-01-28T09:00:00Z] Phase 2: Project paused by user (paused)
- [2026-01-27T16:00:00Z] Phase 2: Stakeholder feedback pending (in_progress)
- [2026-01-27T10:00:00Z] Phase 1: Discovery complete (complete)

### Current Blockers

- Waiting for stakeholder availability

### Ready to Continue

Project paused. Resume with `/octo:embrace`

When ready to continue:
1. Review `.octo/PROJECT.md` for project context
2. Check `.octo/STATE.md` for pause reason
3. Run `/octo:embrace` to resume workflow

Best Practices

1. Always Use octo-state.sh for State Reading

Good:

bash
./scripts/octo-state.sh read_state
./scripts/octo-state.sh get_context_tier auto

Poor:

bash
# Parse STATE.md manually
grep "Current Phase" .octo/STATE.md

2. Provide Full Context Restoration

Good:

• Load adaptive context tier
• Show last 3 history entries
• Display any blockers
• Give phase-specific guidance

Poor:

• Only show current phase
• Ignore history
• No next steps

3. Route Intelligently Based on Status

Good:

Status: blocked → "Review blockers first: /octo:issues"

Poor:

Status: blocked → "Continue working"

Red Flags - Don't Do This

| Action | Why It's Wrong | |--------|----------------| | Skip .octo/ existence check | Will fail with confusing errors | | Ignore blockers on resume | User won't know why they stopped | | Restart from beginning | Loses all previous context and progress | | Skip history display | User loses continuity of what was done | | Use hardcoded context tier | Should adapt based on current status |

Integration with Other Skills

With /octo:status

/octo:resume → Full restoration with context
/octo:status → Quick dashboard without restoration

With /octo:embrace

No .octo/ exists → /octo:resume suggests /octo:embrace
.octo/ exists but paused → /octo:resume suggests resuming with /octo:embrace

With flow- skills

User runs /octo:resume
→ Context restored
→ User continues with /octo:develop (or appropriate phase skill)

Quick Reference

| User Input | Action Required | |------------|-----------------| | "resume" | Check .octo/ → Read state → Load context → Display summary → Route | | "continue" | Same as resume | | "pick up where I left off" | Same as resume | | "what was I doing" | Same as resume, emphasize history | | "restore session" | Same as resume |

The Bottom Line

Check .octo/ → Read state → Load adaptive context → Show history + blockers → Route intelligently
Otherwise → User loses previous context and wastes time re-discovering where they were

Never restart from beginning if state exists. Restore context, show history, route intelligently.

Context Recovery After Compaction

When context is cleared (compaction, plan mode exit, new session), detect and reload automatically:

bash
# Auto-detect context loss
if [[ -f .claude-octopus/state.json ]] && [[ -z "${WORKFLOW_CONTEXT_LOADED}" ]]; then
    echo "⚠️  Context was cleared — reloading from persistent state..."
    NEEDS_RESUME=true
fi

What survives context clearing:

• .claude-octopus/state.json (decisions, context, metrics)
• .claude-octopus/context/*.md (phase outputs)
• Native tasks (TaskList still works)
• Git commits and WIP checkpoints
• Multi-AI synthesis files in ~/.claude-octopus/results/

After resume completes, set export WORKFLOW_CONTEXT_LOADED=true to prevent duplicate reloads.

State persists in files. Context clearing is not a problem. Files outlive memory.