context-session

CDS Prevention Framework

Prevent Context Degradation Syndrome (CDS) — when an AI assistant loses track of project state between sessions, forgets architecture decisions, repeats mistakes, or ignores established conventions.

This skill reads and updates your project's persistent context files so the AI assistant maintains complete awareness across sessions.

Session Start: Load Context

At the START of each session, this skill loads:

1. Bootloader file — Check for CLAUDE.md and/or .github/copilot-instructions.md in the project root. Read whichever exist (both may be present). These contain the Current Focus and context-loading instructions.
2. .context/CURRENT_STATUS.md — What was accomplished last session, what's in progress, what's next
3. .context/MASTER_PLAN.md — Full roadmap; confirm which phase is active and which tasks are already checked off
4. .context/CONVENTIONS.md — Tooling and environment setup (formatter, linter, test runner, build commands)
5. PROJECT_GUIDELINES.md (project root, if it exists) — Code quality rules: naming, architecture, error handling, testing standards, security, performance, git workflow
6. .context/ARCHITECTURE.md — System design and how components connect

Then reads as needed based on your task:

• .context/DECISIONS.md — Architecture Decision Records to avoid re-debating settled questions

During Work: Follow Context

While working:

• Follow CONVENTIONS.md for tooling and environment setup
• Follow PROJECT_GUIDELINES.md (if it exists) for all code quality rules — naming, architecture, error handling, testing, security, performance
• Update PROJECT_GUIDELINES.md when new patterns are adopted or architecture changes are made during the session — keeping it current prevents review drift
• Check DECISIONS.md before proposing architectural changes — the decision may already be made
• Record new decisions in DECISIONS.md when significant technical choices are made
• Tick off completed tasks in MASTER_PLAN.md as soon as they are done — change - [ ] to - [x]

Session End: Update Context

At the END of each session:

1. Update .context/CURRENT_STATUS.md with:

   • What was completed this session
   • What's in progress
   • What should happen next
   • Any new blockers or open questions

2. Update .context/MASTER_PLAN.md — ensure all tasks completed this session are checked off (- [x]); if the active phase is now complete, mark its milestones done and note the next phase as active

3. Update the Current Focus section in whichever bootloader files exist (CLAUDE.md and/or .github/copilot-instructions.md) if priorities changed

4. Check if PROJECT_GUIDELINES.md needs updating — if the session introduced any of the following, update PROJECT_GUIDELINES.md directly or note it for next session:

   • New architectural patterns or module boundaries
   • New error handling strategies
   • New testing patterns or conventions
   • New dependencies that change the tech stack
   • Decisions that establish new coding conventions

5. Suggest a commit — provide a title and description based on what was worked on this session

File Reference

File	Purpose	Updated
CLAUDE.md	Bootloader for Claude Code (read automatically)	Every few sessions
.github/copilot-instructions.md	Bootloader for GitHub Copilot (read automatically)	Every few sessions
.context/CURRENT_STATUS.md	Where the project stands right now	Every session
.context/MASTER_PLAN.md	Implementation roadmap	Every session (tick off completed tasks)
.context/ARCHITECTURE.md	System design and components	When architecture evolves
.context/DECISIONS.md	Architecture Decision Records	When decisions are made
.context/CONVENTIONS.md	Tooling, environment, and build commands	Rarely
PROJECT_GUIDELINES.md	Code quality rules (naming, architecture, testing, security)	When patterns evolve
.context/SETUP.md	Dev environment setup	Rarely

Need to Initialize?

If you see [PLACEHOLDER] markers (like [CURRENT_TASK], [PHASE_NAME], etc.) in CLAUDE.md, .github/copilot-instructions.md, or .context/ files, run /context-init to initialize the framework with your project details.