# Continue Task

> Take over an interrupted tracked task from a previous Codex or Claude session by resolving the existing task home from a tracker ref, task slug, status file, or zellij session, then syncing the status file to the current session and reading the status plus transcript tail before continuing.

- Skill: `ma08/continue-task` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ma08/continue-task`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ma08/continue-task/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Productivity
- Author: ma08 (https://skillmd.com/u/ma08)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ma08/continue-task

---


# Continue Task

Use this when the current session needs to resume work that already has a
tracked task folder, especially after a provider failure, a dead session, or a
clean human handoff.

Prefer this over `start-new-task` when a matching tracked task already exists.
Prefer this over `save-task-status` when the current session first needs to
adopt a task that was last owned by another session.

## Invocation

```text
$continue-task <task slug|tracker ref|session name>
/continue-task <task slug|tracker ref|session name>
```

Lower-level overrides:

```text
$continue-task --task-dir <task-dir>
$continue-task --status-file <status-file>
$continue-task --zellij-session <session-name>
```

## Commands

Resolve and inspect the task home first:

```bash
get-cross-session-context --project-root "<project-root>" <target> --include-transcript-tail 6
```

Explicit overrides when needed:

```bash
get-cross-session-context --project-root "<project-root>" --task-dir "<task-dir>" --include-transcript-tail 6
get-cross-session-context --project-root "<project-root>" --status-file "<status-file>" --include-transcript-tail 6
get-cross-session-context --project-root "<project-root>" --zellij-session "<session-name>" --include-transcript-tail 6
```

Adopt the resolved task into the current session:

```bash
python ~/pro/botfiles/codex/skills/_shared/task_status/scripts/sync_task_metadata.py \
  --status-file "<resolved-status-file>" \
  --tracker-url "<resolved-tracker-url-if-any>" \
  --github-issue-url "<resolved-github-issue-if-any>"
```

If the workflow expects the remote live-session block to move to this session,
repeat with `--sync-github-issue`.

## Process

1. Resolve the existing task home first. Target by tracker ref or task slug before using low-level overrides.
2. If resolution is ambiguous, stop and surface the candidates. Do not guess.
3. Read the resolved `status.md` first. Treat task metadata and the local status recap as the source of truth.
4. Use only a short transcript tail as fallback for the final pre-interruption context or when the status file is stale. Do not read the full transcript by default.
5. Adopt the task into the current session by running `sync_task_metadata.py` against the resolved status file. This should make later `get-task-details` and `save-task-status` calls point at the resumed task.
6. When running inside Codex Desktop and `codex_app.set_thread_title` is available, rename the calling thread after adoption; omit `threadId`. Use `<Tracker Human ID>: <Tracker Title>`, or `[no ticker]: <clear natural-language title>` when no tracker exists. Do not edit Codex SQLite/JSONL state or ask for a UI refresh. Outside Codex Desktop, or when the native tool is unavailable, skip the rename instead of emulating it.
7. If the resolved task home lives in another repo, treat that workspace path as canonical before making code changes. Do not create a duplicate task folder unless the user explicitly wants a forked task history.
8. After adoption, update the status file with a brief takeover note, refreshed current state, and the next planned step.
9. If no tracked task home exists, fall back to `start-new-task` instead of fabricating resume context.

## Output Expectations

- Confirm the adopted task folder, status file, tracker URL, transcript path, and canonical workspace.
- Summarize the current state, the last meaningful progress, and the next unblock or decision.
- If the user only asked to get up to speed, stop after the brief. Otherwise continue the task normally from the adopted status file.

## Notes

- `cross-session-context` remains the read-only inspection tool. `continue-task` is for actual takeover.
- `save-task-status` remains the checkpoint tool once the current session owns the task.
- If the resolved task still points at a live foreign zellij session, treat that as diagnostic context unless the user explicitly asks for cross-session messaging.