Atlas Session Lifecycle
Persistent project memory and session lifecycle management for Claude Code.
Featured in: I just delivered on a $30,000 contract thanks to Claude Code (r/ClaudeAI)
Install
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anombyte93/atlas-session-lifecycle/main/install.sh | bash
Then run /start in any Claude Code project.
What It Does
Claude Code has no persistent memory between sessions. Every new conversation starts from zero. This creates three compounding problems:
- No persistent memory -- Context, decisions, and progress are lost between sessions. You re-explain the same things every time.
- Project sprawl -- Files accumulate at the project root with no organization. Scripts, docs, configs, and logs pile up across sessions.
- No lifecycle management -- Projects have goals, but no mechanism to track progress, verify completion, or transition to new objectives.
/start solves all three with a structured five-file memory bank, automatic file organization, and a soul purpose lifecycle that tracks your project from inception through completion.
How It Works
/start auto-detects which mode to run based on directory state:
/start
|
+-- session-context/ exists? --> Reconcile Mode
| +-- Validate & repair session files
| +-- Refresh CLAUDE.md via /init
| +-- Self-assess soul purpose status
| +-- Offer: Continue / Close / Redefine
| +-- Harvest learnings on closure
|
+-- No session-context/ -------> Init Mode
+-- Capture soul purpose
+-- Bootstrap 5-file memory bank
+-- Organize root files
+-- Generate CLAUDE.md
+-- Onboard Ralph Loop
Init Mode (first run)
Triggered when session-context/ does not exist.
- Captures your project's soul purpose -- the single objective this project exists to achieve
- Detects environment (git status, existing files, tech stack)
- Bootstraps
session-context/ with 5 memory bank files from immutable templates
- Scans root-level files and proposes an organization map (scripts, docs, config, logs)
- Generates or updates
CLAUDE.md with project structure and governance sections
- Onboards Ralph Loop (automatic, manual, or skip)
Reconcile Mode (returning)
Triggered when session-context/ already exists.
- Validates and repairs session files from templates if corrupted
- Runs Claude's
/init to refresh CLAUDE.md from current codebase state
- Reads soul purpose and active context to understand where you left off
- Self-assesses soul purpose completion (clearly incomplete, probably complete, uncertain)
- Presents lifecycle decision: Continue, Close, or Redefine soul purpose
- Harvests durable knowledge on closure -- promotes decisions, patterns, and troubleshooting entries
Capability Inventory
When /start runs in Reconcile mode (or when you run /sync --full), it generates a comprehensive capability inventory:
- MCP Tools: All available tools with test coverage status
- Security Claims: Security-related features needing verification
- Feature Claims: What the project claims vs what's tested
- Test Gaps: Untested code identified by priority
The inventory lives in session-context/CLAUDE-capability-inventory.md and is used by /research-before-coding to identify what needs validation testing. Results are cached based on git HEAD, so regeneration only happens when your code changes.
Stepback (bundled skill)
Also included: /stepback -- a strategic reassessment protocol for when debugging goes sideways. If you've hit the same error after 2+ fix attempts, /stepback forces you to zoom out:
