work-recover

/work-recover

Compare checkpoint state vs actual state and determine true position.

Usage

/work-recover

Behavior

1. Read current checkpoint from ~/.varie/sessions/{id}.yaml
2. Inspect actual state:
   • git status — what files are modified
   • git diff — what changes exist
   • File contents — what's actually implemented
   • Test results — does the code work
3. Compare expected vs actual:
   • Checkpoint says step X in progress with notes Y
   • Reality shows different progress
4. Determine true position:
   • Step actually complete? Mark it and move on
   • Step partially complete? Identify exact resume point
   • Step broken? Identify what needs fixing
5. Update checkpoint with corrected state
6. Output recovery assessment and recommended action

When to Use

• After app crash
• When checkpoint feels stale
• When resuming after long break
• Automatically called by /work-resume if checkpoint is old

Example: Normal Recovery

> /work-recover

Reading checkpoint: abc123
Task: Character API Migration
Checkpoint step: frontend_api_client (in_progress)
Checkpoint notes: "Working on response type definitions"
Checkpoint time: 2 hours ago

Inspecting actual state...

Git status:
  modified: src/api/client.ts
  new file: src/types/companion.ts

Analyzing src/api/client.ts...
  - CompanionResponse type: ✓ defined
  - CompanionListResponse type: ✓ defined
  - fetchCompanions(): ✓ updated
  - useCompanions(): ✗ not updated

Conclusion:
  Checkpoint was stale. More progress than recorded.

  Step frontend_api_client:
    Checkpoint said: "Working on response types"
    Reality shows: Types complete, fetch updated, hook pending

  Resuming from: useCompanions() hook in client.ts:145

Checkpoint updated with current state.

Example: Step Actually Complete

> /work-recover

Reading checkpoint: def456
Checkpoint step: union_mask_implementation (in_progress)
Checkpoint notes: "Implementing mask union logic"

Inspecting actual state...

Git log shows commit: "feat: implement union mask for hair decorations"
Tests passing: test_hair_decoration.py (3/3)
Files complete and committed.

Conclusion:
  Step union_mask_implementation is COMPLETE.
  Moving to next step: stage_3b_integration

Checkpoint updated. Ready to continue.

Example: Broken State

> /work-recover

Reading checkpoint: ghi789
Checkpoint step: backend_implementation (in_progress)

Inspecting actual state...

Git status: clean (no changes?)
Last commit: "feat: add API contract" (step 1)
Step 2 files: not modified

Conclusion:
  Checkpoint says step 2 in progress, but no evidence of work.
  Possible causes:
    - Work was done but not saved
    - Work was on a different branch
    - Checkpoint was incorrect

  Current branch: feature/user-prefs
  Expected files: subscription.py (unmodified)

  Recommendation: Start step backend_implementation fresh.

Continue? [y/n]

Recovery Heuristics

Signal	Interpretation
Files modified, match expected	Work in progress
Files committed since checkpoint	Step likely complete
Tests passing for step	Step complete
No changes, clean git	Checkpoint stale or wrong
Merge conflicts	Manual intervention needed