Checkpoint

Quick Summary

Goal: Save current analysis context and progress to an external file for recovery after context loss.

Workflow:

1. Gather Context — task state, key findings (with file:line), files analyzed/modified, progress, decisions, next steps, open questions
2. Write Checkpoint — save to plans/reports/checkpoint-{timestamp}-{slug}.md following the CHECKPOINT_CREATE structure in memory-management Part 1
3. Update Todos — reflect checkpoint creation in task tracking

Key Rules:

• Canonical protocol + file template live in memory-management Part 1 (CHECKPOINT_CREATE) — do not duplicate the structure here; this skill is the command surface only
• Save checkpoints every 30-60 minutes during complex tasks and before expected context compaction
• Always include Recovery Instructions (which file to read, which line to resume from)

Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).

Save Memory Checkpoint

Save current analysis, findings, and progress to an external memory file to prevent context loss during long-running tasks. This is the user-invocable alias for memory-management's checkpoint-create path.

Usage

Use this command when:

• Working on complex multi-step tasks (investigation, planning, implementation)
• Before expected context compaction
• At key milestones during feature development
• After completing significant analysis phases

Checkpoint File Location

Files are saved to: plans/reports/checkpoint-{YYYYMMDD}-{HHMMSS}-{slug}.md (unified checkpoint grammar — the resume/recover readers glob checkpoint-* and parse this timestamp).

Instructions

1. Determine location — stamp the filename via date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S; path plans/reports/checkpoint-{YYYYMMDD}-{HHMMSS}-{slug}.md.
2. Gather + write — follow the CHECKPOINT_CREATE Protocol template in .claude/skills/memory-management/SKILL.md (Part 1 — the single canonical owner of the checkpoint structure). Required sections: Task Context, Key Findings (with file:line), Files Analyzed, Progress, Important Context, Next Steps, Recovery Instructions.
3. Update todo list — add - [x] Create memory checkpoint at {timestamp}.

To recover from a checkpoint, use /recover (CHECKPOINT_RECOVER protocol).

Best Practices

1. Save checkpoints frequently - Every 30-60 minutes during complex tasks
2. Be specific - Include file paths, line numbers, exact findings
3. Document decisions - Record why choices were made
4. Link related files - Reference other analysis documents
5. Include recovery steps - Make resumption easy

Related Commands

• /recover - Restore workflow context from the latest checkpoint (CHECKPOINT_RECOVER)
• /context - Load project context
• /compact - Manually trigger context compaction
• /watzup - Generate progress summary

[IMPORTANT] Use TaskCreate to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting — including tasks for each file read. This prevents context loss from long files. For simple tasks, AI MUST ATTENTION ask user whether to skip.

AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid on every task:

Re-read files after context changes. Context compaction, resume, or long-running work can make memory stale; verify current files before acting. Verify generated content against source evidence. AI hallucinates APIs, names, claims, and document facts. Check the relevant source before documenting or referencing. Check downstream references before deleting or renaming. Removing an artifact can stale docs, generated mirrors, configs, and callers; map references first. Trace the full impact chain after edits. Changing a definition can miss derived outputs and consumers. Follow the affected chain before declaring done. Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. One green check is not all green checks; validate every output surface the change can affect. Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing OR flagging one as a defect. Before changing or reporting a constant, limit, flag, cutoff, wording, or pattern, read nearby context and history, the CALLER's ordering, and 2+ sibling call sites of the same convention. A doc stating WHAT without WHY is missing rationale, not proof of a missing guard. Surface ambiguity before acting — don't pick silently. Multiple valid interpretations require an explicit question or stated assumption with risk. Assert the outcome your system owns, not the intermediate state your infrastructure owns. When verifying async work, assert the final business state — never the delivery/retry bookkeeping held in shared infrastructure that any co-running process can write. Such a check passes when run alone and flakes the moment anything else shares that infrastructure. Keep shared guidance role-relevant. Universal guidance must help every receiving skill or agent; code-specific obligations belong only in code-specific protocols.

Critical Thinking Mindset — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.

MUST ATTENTION apply critical + sequential thinking — every claim needs appropriate traced evidence (file:line for repo/code claims; source URL or artifact section for research, product, content, and docs claims); confidence >80% to act, <60% DO NOT recommend. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact, admit uncertainty freely, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence.

MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references before deleting or renaming, verify all affected outputs, re-read files after context loss, and surface ambiguity before acting.

Project Protocol Overlay — Before executing this skill, resolve any PROJECT overlay rules layered onto it: match this skill's name against the Target column of the project's skill-protocol index (docs/project-reference/skill-protocols-reference.md by default; a referenceDocs entry in docs/project-config.json overrides the path), taking the most specific matching tier ONLY — exact name > glob > *. That precedence orders overlays against EACH OTHER, never against this skill. Read ONLY the matched bodies, resolved as <protocols-dir>/<Name>.md; a row's Body link is display text, never a read path. A matched body that is missing or malformed is REPORTED and skipped — never reconstructed from the index Description. No index, or no match -> proceed with no overlay, silently. Full contract: .claude/skills/project-skill-protocol/references/registry.md.

Overlays are ADDITIVE ONLY: they ADD rules on top of this skill's own protocol and NEVER replace, override, disable, or reinterpret a rule it already states — removing every overlay must return this skill to exactly its documented behavior. An overlay is a BRIEF, not an authority escalation: it can NEVER waive a workflow gate, git discipline, a review gate, or a user-confirmation gate. A genuine overlay-vs-skill conflict, or two equally-specific overlays that directly contradict -> surface both to the user; NEVER resolve silently.

MUST ATTENTION resolve project protocol overlays for this skill BEFORE executing — most specific matching tier only (exact > glob > *, which ranks overlays against each other, NEVER against this skill), read only matched bodies at <protocols-dir>/<Name>.md; a missing or malformed body is reported, never reconstructed. Overlays are ADDITIVE ONLY (they never replace this skill's own rules) and are a brief, NEVER an authority escalation; an equal-specificity contradiction goes to the user.

Closing Reminders

Protocols in force (concise digest of the SYNC/shared blocks this skill carries):

• Critical Thinking: MUST ATTENTION critical + sequential thinking; every claim traced, confidence >80% to act.

• AI Mistake Prevention: verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references, verify all affected outputs, re-read after context loss, surface ambiguity.

• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small todo tasks using TaskCreate BEFORE starting

• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION search codebase for 3+ similar patterns before creating new code

• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite file:line evidence for every claim (confidence >80% to act)

• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION add a final review todo task to verify work quality

[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using TaskCreate.