resume-session

Resume Session — Restore and Orient from a Saved Session

Load the last saved session state and orient fully before doing any work. This skill is the counterpart to the save-session skill.

When to Use

• Starting a new session to continue work from a previous day
• After starting a fresh session due to context limits
• When handing off a session file from another source (just provide the file path)
• Any time you have a session file and want Claude to fully absorb it before proceeding

Usage

/resume-session                                                      # loads most recent file in ~/.claude/sessions/
/resume-session 2026-03-18                                           # loads most recent session for that date
/resume-session ~/.claude/sessions/2026-03-18-apex-trig-session.md   # loads a specific file

Process

Step 1: Find the session file

If no argument provided:

1. Check ~/.claude/sessions/

2. Pick the most recently modified *-session.md file

3. If the folder does not exist or has no matching files, tell the user:

   No session files found in ~/.claude/sessions/
   Run /save-session at the end of a session to create one.
   

   Then stop.

If an argument is provided:

• If it looks like a date (YYYY-MM-DD), search ~/.claude/sessions/ for matching files and load the most recently modified variant for that date
• If it looks like a file path, read that file directly
• If not found, report clearly and stop

Step 2: Read the entire session file

Read the complete file. Do not summarize yet.

Step 3: Confirm understanding

Respond with a structured briefing in this exact format:

SESSION LOADED: [actual resolved path to the file]

PROJECT: [project name / topic from file]

WHAT WE'RE BUILDING:
[2-3 sentence summary in your own words]

CURRENT STATE:
Working: [count] items confirmed
In Progress: [list files that are in progress]
Not Started: [list planned but untouched]

WHAT NOT TO RETRY:
[list every failed approach with its reason — this is critical]

OPEN QUESTIONS / BLOCKERS:
[list any blockers or unanswered questions]

NEXT STEP:
[exact next step if defined in the file]

Ready to continue. What would you like to do?

Step 4: Wait for the user

Do NOT start working automatically. Do NOT touch any files. Wait for the user to say what to do next.

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Edge Cases

Multiple sessions for the same date: Load the most recently modified matching file for that date.

Session file references files that no longer exist: Note this during the briefing — "WARNING: path/to/file.cls referenced in session but not found on disk."

Session file is from more than 7 days ago: Note the gap — "WARNING: This session is from N days ago. Things may have changed." — then proceed normally.

Session file is empty or malformed: Report: "Session file found but appears empty or unreadable. You may need to create a new one with /save-session."

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Notes

• Never modify the session file when loading it — it's a read-only historical record
• The briefing format is fixed — do not skip sections even if they are empty
• "What Not To Retry" must always be shown, even if it just says "None"
• After resuming, the user may want to run /save-session again at the end of the new session