cadrianmae Receiving Context
Received At: !date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'
Handover Dir: !context-manage path
Quick Example
context-manage receive child api-implementation
# prints the handover content directly (or a path + [WARN] if oversized)
receive - Receive context from parent, child, or sibling session
Read and integrate context from session handoff file.
Usage
/context:receive parent [subject]
/context:receive child [subject]
/context:receive sibling [subject]
IMPORTANT: Direction is REQUIRED. Must be one of: parent, child, or sibling.
Subject is optional -- infer it from context if the user omits it; without a subject the script falls back to the newest handover for that direction. The handover location is managed by context-manage (see context-manage path).
Steps
Validate the direction - error if it is not parent|child|sibling
Map the direction from the argument
Record the received timestamp (auto-captured)
Call the script; its output is the handover content itself:
context-manage receive <direction> [subject]Print the content directly, or - for an oversized handover - a path with a
[WARN], in which case read that pathIf the user provided a subject, the script looks up that exact handover; if omitted, it uses the newest handover for that direction
Integrate the context into your understanding of the current session.
Important: Without a subject, the script picks the newest handover for that direction, ensuring you get the most recent context.
Example: Receiving from Parent (No Subject)
/context:receive parent
$ context-manage receive parent
[INFO] ctx-parent-to-child-database-migration.md
[Context displayed with parent session details]
Ready to begin focused work based on parent's context!
Example: Receiving from Child with Subject
/context:receive child api-implementation
$ context-manage receive child api-implementation
[INFO] ctx-child-to-parent-api-implementation.md
[Context displayed with completed work summary]
Child session completed. Integrating results back.
Example: Receiving from Sibling
/context:receive sibling parallel-task
$ context-manage receive sibling parallel-task
[INFO] ctx-sibling-to-sibling-parallel-task.md
[Context displayed with parallel work details]
Sibling session completed. Integrating parallel work.
Example: Oversized Handover
/context:receive parent
$ context-manage receive parent
[INFO] ctx-parent-to-child-large-refactor.md
[WARN] handover too large to inline (41230 bytes); read it directly:
/home/user/.local/state/claude-context/ctx-parent-to-child-large-refactor.md
[Read the file at the printed path instead of relying on stdout]
Example: Missing Direction (Error)
/context:receive database-work
✗ Error: Must specify direction: parent, child, or sibling
Usage: /context:receive <parent|child|sibling> [subject]
What gets loaded
- Context file content: Decisions, work done, blockers, next actions
- Handoff metadata: Why the handoff occurred, what was planned
- Related context: Key information needed to continue
When to use
- Immediately after starting a new child session from parent
- After resuming parent session when child is complete
- When starting a sibling session and receiving context from another sibling
- When receiving context from any parent/child/sibling session
- To understand what happened in related session
Related commands
/context:send- Send context to parent/child before switching