Session Log

Overview

Session activity logger that builds a summary of what happened in the current session. Useful for handoff between developers, standup preparation, and session documentation.

When to Use

• Handing the work to another developer at the end of a session.
• Preparing standup notes from what the session actually changed.
• Recording what a long session did before the context is cleared.

For resumable working state, use /checkpoint save; for corrections that change how the assistant works, use /retro.

Invocation

Steps

1. Gather git activity. Collect commits made during this session:

   • Run git log --oneline --since="<session start or today>" to find recent commits.
   • If no commits exist since today, check the last 24 hours.
   • For each commit: hash, message, files changed.

2. Gather file changes. Identify all files modified in the session:

   • Run git diff --name-status for uncommitted changes.
   • Run git diff --cached --name-status for staged changes.
   • Categorize: added, modified, deleted, renamed.

3. Gather test activity. Check if tests were run during the session:

   • Look for test output in the conversation history.
   • Summarize: test suite name, pass/fail counts, coverage if reported.

4. Gather decisions. Scan the conversation for decisions made during the session:

   • Architecture choices.
   • Trade-offs discussed and resolved.
   • Scope changes agreed upon.
   • Rejected approaches with reasons.

5. Identify next steps. Based on the session context:

   • What remains unfinished?
   • What follow-up tasks were identified?
   • What blockers exist?

6. Format the output. Compile into a structured summary.

Output

## Session Log

**Date:** <timestamp GMT>
**Duration:** <approximate>
**Branch:** <current branch>

### Commits
| Hash | Message |
|------|---------|
| <short hash> | <commit message> |

### Files Changed
| Status | File |
|--------|------|
| M | <path> |
| A | <path> |
| D | <path> |

### Tests
| Suite | Passed | Failed | Coverage |
|-------|--------|--------|----------|
| <name> | <count> | <count> | <percentage or N/A> |

### Decisions
1. <Decision made and rationale>
2. <Decision made and rationale>

### Next Steps
- [ ] <Remaining task>
- [ ] <Follow-up identified>
- [ ] <Blocker to resolve>

Export mode

When /session-log export is invoked:

• Inside a git repository, write the output to session-log-<YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM>.md in the project workspace, per rules/project-workspace.md. Resolve the workspace root with hooks/_lib/project_workspace.py the same way /checkpoint does, never by guessing:

  python3 -c 'import sys,pathlib; sys.path.insert(0, str(pathlib.Path.home()/".claude/hooks")); from _lib import project_workspace as pw; top = pw.toplevel(pathlib.Path.cwd()); print(top / pw.resolve_root(top))'
  

• Outside a git repository, write it to the scratchpad directory.

• The workspace is excluded through .git/info/exclude, so the export stays out of commits and the project's own files stay untouched.

• Confirm the file path after writing.

Durable Facts

This skill runs only when the user invokes it. While building the log, route each finding by what it is:

Never write MEMORY.md or any memory file. The memory directory is compiled from the vault, per the Knowledge Single Source of Truth section of CLAUDE.md. When SECOND_BRAIN_VAULT does not resolve to a directory, list the durable facts under a Worth keeping heading in the log and tell the user that no vault is configured to hold them.

Rules

• All timestamps in GMT.
• Do not fabricate session activity. Only include what actually happened based on git history and conversation context.
• Decisions must reflect what was actually discussed, not inferred preferences.
• Keep each section concise. The reader needs a quick overview, not a transcript.
• If no activity exists in a section, state "None this session" instead of omitting the section.

Common Rationalizations

• "The tests probably ran, so list them as passing": a test row needs output from this conversation. With no output, the Tests section says "None this session".
• "The project root is the obvious place for the export": the root belongs to the project. The export goes to the resolved workspace, which git ignores locally.
• "This fact is worth remembering, so write it to memory": memory is compiled from the vault. Route the fact through brain capture, or list it under Worth keeping when no vault exists.
• "The decision was implied, so record it": the Decisions section holds only what the conversation settled out loud.

Red Flags

• Stop and drop the row when a commit, test result, or decision has no source in git log or the conversation.
• Stop and resolve the workspace with the helper when the export path you are about to write is the repository root or a tracked directory.
• Stop and ask for approval of the fact list before the first brain capture call.
• Stop and convert to GMT when a timestamp carries a local offset.

Verification

• Every commit hash in the log appears in git log output from this session.
• Every section is present, with "None this session" where it is empty.
• An export lands under the resolved workspace root or the scratchpad directory, and git status --short does not list it.
• No file in the memory directory was written.

Related skills

• /retro -- Deeper retrospective that persists learnings as config.
• /checkpoint -- Save working state for cross-session resumption.
• /morning -- Start-of-day sweep of pending work across every git account.
• /ship commit -- Commit changes identified in the session log.