How do I install the Catchup skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add baraki123/catchup in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Catchup safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Catchup?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Catchup free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Catchup?

baraki123 (@baraki123) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Catchup by baraki123 — Agent Skill

Name: Catchup
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: baraki123

Catchup

Get a fresh session up to speed from context.md — read the last handoff, verify it against git reality, and deliver a short briefing ending in one proposed next action. Use at the start of a session, after /clear, or when the user says "catchup", "catch up", "get up to speed", "where were we", or "what's the status". Counterpart of the handoff skill.

baraki123 Updated Sep 22, 2026

File contents

catchup — resume from context.md, verify against reality

The handoff skill writes the session-end snapshot; this skill is the other half: a fresh agent reads it, checks it against the actual state of the repo, and briefs the user. The handoff was written in the past — treat it as testimony, not truth.

1. Read the record

CLAUDE.md — the house rules and registry (usually auto-loaded; skim if not).
context.md — read §0 top 3 entries fully; skim the rest of §0 and the stable sections (§1+) for anything the top entries reference.
SPEC.md (if present) — only the acceptance criteria and open decisions, to know what "done" means and what's undecided.

If context.md is missing or has no §0 entry: say so plainly, and offer to reconstruct a status from git log + the working tree (then recommend running handoff at session end so this doesn't happen again).

2. Verify against reality (read, don't trust)

git status --short            # uncommitted / untracked work
git log --oneline -8          # what actually landed
git branch --show-current     # off main?
git stash list                # parked work
git log origin/$(git branch --show-current)..HEAD --oneline 2>/dev/null  # unpushed?

Compare with the newest §0 entry and flag drift explicitly:

Uncommitted or untracked files the entry doesn't mention.
Commits newer than the entry's date (someone/something worked after the handoff).
Entry says "pushed" but the branch is ahead of origin (or origin unreachable).
Stashes the entry doesn't mention.
Anything in Next: that appears to have already been done.

No drift is a finding too: "context.md matches the repo."

3. Brief the user (≤ ~15 lines, then stop)

**Where we are:** <1–2 sentences from the newest entry, in plain language>
**State:** <committed/pushed status; what was verified vs only assumed>
**Drift:** <mismatches found, or "context.md matches reality">
**Next (from handoff):** <the Next: list, updated for anything already done>
**Blocked on you:** <open questions / ⚠️ items awaiting the user, if any>

Suggested next action: <the single most sensible step>. Want me to start?

Rules

Never start building from a catchup. The briefing ends with one proposed next action and a question — the user decides. (Exception: the user's message already contained a work instruction alongside "catchup"; then brief first, work second.)
Don't re-verify claims marked verified in the entry by re-running the app — trust the record for those; spend your skepticism on git-visible drift.
Keep the briefing honest about the assumed items — they're the likely landmines of this session.
Read-only: catchup changes nothing, commits nothing, writes nothing.

---name: catchupdescription: Get a fresh session up to speed from context.md — read the last handoff, verify it against git reality, and deliver a short briefing ending in one proposed next action. Use at the start of a session, after /clear, or when the user says "catchup", "catch up", "get up to speed", "where were we", or "what's the status". Counterpart of the handoff skill.---# catchup — resume from context.md, verify against realityThe `handoff` skill writes the session-end snapshot; this skill is the otherhalf: a fresh agent reads it, **checks it against the actual state of therepo**, and briefs the user. The handoff was written in the past — treat it astestimony, not truth.## 1. Read the record- `CLAUDE.md` — the house rules and registry (usually auto-loaded; skim if not).- `context.md` — read **§0 top 3 entries fully**; skim the rest of §0 and the stable sections (§1+) for anything the top entries reference.- `SPEC.md` (if present) — only the acceptance criteria and open decisions, to know what "done" means and what's undecided.If `context.md` is missing or has no §0 entry: say so plainly, and offer toreconstruct a status from `git log` + the working tree (then recommend runninghandoff at session end so this doesn't happen again).## 2. Verify against reality (read, don't trust)```bashgit status --short # uncommitted / untracked workgit log --oneline -8 # what actually landedgit branch --show-current # off main?git stash list # parked workgit log origin/$(git branch --show-current)..HEAD --oneline 2>/dev/null # unpushed?```Compare with the newest §0 entry and flag **drift** explicitly:- Uncommitted or untracked files the entry doesn't mention.- Commits newer than the entry's date (someone/something worked after the handoff).- Entry says "pushed" but the branch is ahead of origin (or origin unreachable).- Stashes the entry doesn't mention.- Anything in `Next:` that appears to have already been done.No drift is a finding too: "context.md matches the repo."## 3. Brief the user (≤ ~15 lines, then stop)```**Where we are:** <1–2 sentences from the newest entry, in plain language>**State:** <committed/pushed status; what was verified vs only assumed>**Drift:** <mismatches found, or "context.md matches reality">**Next (from handoff):** <the Next: list, updated for anything already done>**Blocked on you:** <open questions / ⚠️ items awaiting the user, if any>Suggested next action: <the single most sensible step>. Want me to start?```## Rules- **Never start building from a catchup.** The briefing ends with one proposed next action and a question — the user decides. (Exception: the user's message already contained a work instruction alongside "catchup"; then brief first, work second.)- Don't re-verify claims marked *verified* in the entry by re-running the app — trust the record for those; spend your skepticism on git-visible drift.- Keep the briefing honest about the *assumed* items — they're the likely landmines of this session.- Read-only: catchup changes nothing, commits nothing, writes nothing.

Frequently asked questions