Agent Restore Context Setup

Setup Restore Context

Set up a generic SessionStart hook that re-injects context after /clear or /compact. Any skill that writes a .agent-restore-context-<name> file in the project root will have its contents automatically injected into the fresh conversation.

How It Works

1. Skills write .agent-restore-context-<skill-name> files with resume prompts.
2. A SessionStart hook with matcher clear|compact runs agent-restore-context.sh.
3. The script globs for .agent-restore-context-* and outputs their contents.
4. The model receives that output and follows the resume instructions.
5. Skills manage their own file lifecycle (write/delete).

Process

1. Detect Layout

Determine which configuration layer the project uses:

Settings files always live under .claude/ regardless of layout.

2. Check if Already Configured

Read .claude/settings.json and .claude/settings.local.json (if it exists). Search both for restore-context. If found in either file, report that the hook is already configured and stop.

3. Locate the Hook Script

The script is at <skills-dir>/agent-restore-context-setup/resources/agent-restore-context.sh (using the skills directory from step 1).

Verify the script exists and is executable. If not executable, run chmod +x.

4. Register the Hook

Permission check

Run gh repo view --json viewerPermission --jq '.viewerPermission'. If the result is READ, warn the user that the repo is read-only — any changes made to .claude/settings.json or .gitignore will need to be committed and pushed manually. Continue with the rest of the steps as normal.

Choose settings file

Ask the user:

"Should I add the restore-context hook to .claude/settings.json (shared/committed) or .claude/settings.local.json (local only)?"

Compute the script path relative to the project root (from step 3), then merge the following into the chosen file's hooks object. Do not overwrite existing hooks — add to or create the SessionStart array:

{
  "SessionStart": [
    {
      "matcher": "clear|compact",
      "hooks": [
        {
          "type": "command",
          "command": "bash <skills-dir>/agent-restore-context-setup/resources/agent-restore-context.sh"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

5. Add Gitignore Entry

Check .gitignore for .agent-restore-context-*. If not present, append:

# Restore context files (used by skills to survive /clear and /compact)
.agent-restore-context-*

6. Confirm

Report to the user:

• Where the hook was registered (which settings file)
• The path to the script
• That any skill can now write .agent-restore-context-<name> files to use this pattern

Guidelines

• Always read target files before modifying them
• Do not create .agents/ or .agents/skills/ directories — only use them if they already exist
• This skill is idempotent — safe to run multiple times