Swain Session

Session

Manages session identity, preferences, and context continuity across agent sessions. This skill is agent-agnostic — it relies on AGENTS.md for auto-invocation.

Auto-run behavior

This skill is invoked automatically at session start (see AGENTS.md). When auto-invoked:

1. Restore tab name — run the tab-naming script
2. Load preferences — read session.json and apply any stored preferences
3. Show context bookmark — if a previous session left a context note, display it

When invoked manually, the user can change preferences or bookmark context.

Step 1 — Set terminal tab/session name (tmux only)

Check if $TMUX is set. If yes, run the tab-naming script:

bash skills/swain-session/scripts/swain-tab-name.sh --auto

Use the project root to locate the script. The script reads swain.settings.json for the tab name format (default: {project} @ {branch}).

The script renames both the tmux window (tab) and the tmux session. It also installs a pane-focus-in hook so names update automatically when the operator switches between tmux panes in different git repos/branches.

If this fails (e.g., not in a git repo), set a fallback title of "swain".

Worktree / branch changes (agent-agnostic)

When an agent enters a worktree or switches branches, the tmux pane's tracked CWD does not update (agent commands run in subshells). Any agent that changes its working context MUST re-run the tab-naming script with --path:

bash skills/swain-session/scripts/swain-tab-name.sh --path "$NEW_WORKDIR" --auto

This is agent-agnostic — it works in Claude Code, opencode, gemini cli, codex, copilot, or any other agent that reads AGENTS.md and can run bash commands. The --path flag takes priority over the pane's CWD.

If $TMUX is NOT set, skip tab naming and show this tip:

Tip: Tab naming and workspace layouts require tmux. Run tmux before starting Claude Code to enable /swain-session tab naming and /swain-stage layouts.

Step 2 — Load session preferences

Read the session state file. The file location is:

<project-root>/.agents/session.json

This keeps session state per-project, version-controlled, and visible to collaborators.

Migration: If .agents/session.json does not exist but the old global location (~/.claude/projects/<project-path-slug>/memory/session.json) does, copy it to .agents/session.json on first access.

The session.json schema:

{
  "lastBranch": "main",
  "lastContext": "Working on swain-session skill",
  "preferences": {
    "verbosity": "concise"
  },
  "bookmark": {
    "note": "Left off implementing the MOTD animation",
    "files": ["skills/swain-stage/scripts/swain-motd.sh"],
    "timestamp": "2026-03-10T14:32:00Z"
  }
}

If the file exists:

• Read and apply preferences (currently informational — future skills can check these)
• If bookmark exists and has a note, display it to the user:

  Resuming session — Last time: {note} Files: {files list, if any}

• Update lastBranch to the current branch

If the file does not exist, create it with defaults.

Step 3 — Suggest swain-stage (tmux only)

If $TMUX is set and swain-stage is available, inform the user:

Run /swain-stage to set up your workspace layout.

Do not auto-invoke swain-stage — let the user decide.

Manual invocation commands

When invoked explicitly by the user, support these operations:

Set tab name

User says something like "set tab name to X" or "rename tab":

bash skills/swain-session/scripts/swain-tab-name.sh "Custom Name"

Bookmark context

User says "remember where I am" or "bookmark this":

• Ask what they're working on (or infer from conversation context)
• Write to session.json bookmark field with note, relevant files, and timestamp

Clear bookmark

User says "clear bookmark" or "fresh start":

• Remove the bookmark field from session.json

Show session info

User says "session info" or "what's my session":

• Display current tab name, branch, preferences, bookmark status
• If the bookmark note contains an artifact ID (e.g., SPEC-052, EPIC-018), show the Vision ancestry breadcrumb for strategic context. Run bash skills/swain-design/scripts/chart.sh scope <ID> 2>/dev/null | head -5 to get the parent chain. Display as: Context: Swain > Operator Situational Awareness > Vision-Rooted Chart Hierarchy

Set preference

User says "set preference X to Y":

• Update preferences in session.json

Post-operation bookmark (auto-update protocol)

Other swain skills update the session bookmark after completing operations. This gives the developer a "where I left off" marker without requiring manual bookmarking.

When to update

A skill should update the bookmark when it completes a state-changing operation — artifact transitions, task updates, commits, releases, or status checks.

How to update

Use skills/swain-session/scripts/swain-bookmark.sh:

# Find the script
BOOKMARK_SCRIPT="$(find . .claude .agents -path '*/swain-session/scripts/swain-bookmark.sh' -print -quit 2>/dev/null)"

# Basic note
bash "$BOOKMARK_SCRIPT" "Transitioned SPEC-001 to Approved"

# Note with files
bash "$BOOKMARK_SCRIPT" "Implemented auth middleware" --files src/auth.ts src/auth.test.ts

# Clear bookmark
bash "$BOOKMARK_SCRIPT" --clear

The script handles session.json discovery, atomic writes, and graceful degradation (no jq = silent no-op).

Focus Lane

The operator can set a focus lane to tell swain-status to recommend within a single vision or initiative. This is a steering mechanism — it doesn't hide other work, but frames recommendations around the operator's current focus.

Setting focus: When the operator says "focus on security" or "I'm working on VISION-001", resolve the name to an artifact ID and invoke the focus script.

Name-to-ID resolution: If the operator uses a name instead of an ID (e.g., "security" instead of "VISION-001"), search Vision and Initiative artifact titles for the best match using swain chart:

bash skills/swain-design/scripts/chart.sh --ids --flat 2>/dev/null | grep -i "<name>"

If exactly one match, use it. If multiple matches, ask the operator to clarify. If no match, tell the operator no Vision or Initiative matches that name and offer to create one.

bash "$(find . .claude .agents -path '*/swain-session/scripts/swain-focus.sh' -print -quit 2>/dev/null)" set <RESOLVED-ID>

Clearing focus:

bash "$(find . .claude .agents -path '*/swain-session/scripts/swain-focus.sh' -print -quit 2>/dev/null)" clear

Checking focus:

bash "$(find . .claude .agents -path '*/swain-session/scripts/swain-focus.sh' -print -quit 2>/dev/null)"

Focus lane is stored in .agents/session.json under the focus_lane key. It persists across status checks within a session. swain-status reads it to filter recommendations and show peripheral awareness for non-focus visions.

Settings

This skill reads from swain.settings.json (project root) and ~/.config/swain/settings.json (user override). User settings take precedence.

Relevant settings:

• terminal.tabNameFormat — format string for tab names. Supports {project} and {branch} placeholders. Default: {project} @ {branch}

Error handling

• If jq is not available, warn the user and skip JSON operations. Tab naming still works without jq.
• If git is not available, use the directory name as the project name and skip branch detection.
• Never fail hard — session management is a convenience, not a gate.