Context Resume

context-resume Skill

Purpose: Universal entry point for resuming plugin work from .continue-here.md handoff files. Handles workflow, ideation, mockup, and improvement resume scenarios.

Capabilities:

• Locates handoff files (2 possible locations)
• Parses YAML frontmatter and markdown context
• Presents state summary with time-ago calculation
• Routes to appropriate continuation skill (via Skill tool)
• Graceful error recovery for missing/corrupt handoffs

Orchestration Protocol

CRITICAL: This skill MUST NOT implement workflow stages directly.

When resuming workflow (Stages 0-3), this skill:

1. Locates handoff file
2. Parses context
3. Presents summary to user
4. Checks for orchestration_mode: true in handoff YAML
5. If orchestration_mode enabled → Invokes plugin-workflow skill via Skill tool (resume context passed via handoff file, not invocation params)
6. If orchestration_mode disabled → Uses legacy direct routing

NEVER bypass orchestration_mode. This enforces the dispatcher pattern:

• plugin-workflow orchestrates
• Subagents implement
• context-resume just loads and routes

See references/continuation-routing.md Step 4a-1 for complete protocol.

What is orchestration_mode?

When enabled in handoff YAML, this flag activates the dispatcher pattern: plugin-workflow orchestrates implementation by invoking subagents in fresh contexts. When disabled (legacy mode), context-resume directly routes to implementation skills. Modern workflows always use orchestration_mode for consistent subagent dispatch and clean context isolation.

Handoff File Locations

The system uses 2 handoff locations, checked in priority order:

Priority 1: Main Workflow Handoff plugins/[PluginName]/.continue-here.md

Plugin in active development (Stages 0-3, ideation, improvement planning). Contains stage, phase, orchestration_mode, next_action, completed work, next steps.

Priority 2: Mockup Handoff plugins/[PluginName]/.ideas/mockups/.continue-here.md

UI mockup iteration in progress. Contains mockup_version, iteration notes, finalization status.

Search order: Priority 1 → 2. If multiple found, present disambiguation menu to user (see references/handoff-location.md Step 1c).

Resume Workflow

Progress Tracking:

Copy this checklist to track your progress:

Context Resume Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Locate handoff file (check 2 locations, disambiguate if needed)
- [ ] Step 2: Parse context (YAML + markdown body)
- [ ] Step 3: Present summary (wait for user confirmation)
- [ ] Step 4: Route to continuation skill (load context files first)

Step 1: Locate Handoff File

Search for handoff files across 2 locations (see Handoff File Locations above). Handle interactive plugin selection if no name provided, and present disambiguation menu when multiple handoffs exist for same plugin.

Details: references/handoff-location.md

Validation: MUST complete before Step 2. If no handoff found, proceed to error recovery.

Step 2: Parse Context

Parse YAML frontmatter (plugin, stage, status, last_updated, etc.) and markdown body (current state, completed work, next steps, key decisions).

Details: references/context-parsing.md

Validation: MUST complete before Step 3.

Step 3: Present Summary

Calculate "time ago" and build user-facing summary:

• Where we are in workflow
• What's completed
• What's next
• Build/test status
• Time since last session

Details: references/context-parsing.md (presentation logic)

DECISION GATE: MUST wait for user confirmation. DO NOT auto-proceed. Present numbered decision menu following checkpoint protocol.

VALIDATION GATE: Before proceeding to Step 4, verify:

1. Handoff parsed successfully (YAML + markdown body extracted)
2. User confirmed continuation (received explicit confirmation, not assumed)
3. Plugin name is known and valid
4. Stage type is identified (workflow/ideation/mockup/improvement)

If any verification fails:

• Return to failed step (Step 1 or Step 2)
• Present error recovery options (see references/error-recovery.md)

Only proceed to Step 4 when all verifications pass.

Step 4: Route to Continuation Skill

Determine routing based on stage type (workflow, ideation, mockup, improvement). Load relevant context files (contracts, source code, git history) BEFORE invoking continuation skill.

Routes to plugin-workflow (Stages 0-6), plugin-ideation (ideation/improvements), ui-mockup (mockup iteration), or plugin-improve (improvement implementation) based on stage type and orchestration_mode. See references/continuation-routing.md for complete routing logic.

Validation: Requires user confirmation from Step 3.

Error Recovery

Common error scenarios with recovery strategies:

• No Handoff Found: Check PLUGINS.md and git log to infer state, offer reconstruction options
• Corrupted Handoff File: Parse git log to infer stage, offer manual recreation
• Stale Handoff (>2 weeks old): Warn about staleness, offer to verify code changes
• Multiple Handoffs for Same Plugin: Present disambiguation menu with recommendations

See references/error-recovery.md for all error scenarios and advanced features.

Integration Points

Inbound (Command triggers):

1. /continue command (no args) → Triggers interactive plugin selection
2. /continue [PluginName] command → Triggers specific plugin resume
3. Natural language: "resume [PluginName]", "continue working on [PluginName]"

Backward Compatibility:

Handles legacy handoffs with old stage references:

• Old validation stage → Maps to "Stage 3 complete, plugin validated, ready to install"
• Old preset/finalization stage → Maps to "Stage 3 complete, plugin validated, ready to install"
• Detects old stage numbers during parsing (Step 2)
• Automatically migrates to new workflow state
• Presents clear explanation to user

Outbound (Skill delegation):

1. plugin-workflow - For workflow resume at specific stage (Stages 0-3)
2. plugin-ideation - For ideation resume (improvements or refinement)
3. ui-mockup - For mockup iteration resume
4. plugin-improve - For improvement implementation resume
5. workflow-reconciliation - For corrupt handoff recovery scenarios (state mismatch detection)
6. system-setup - If error recovery detects missing dependencies

MUST use Skill tool for invocation, NEVER implement directly.

This skill is READ-ONLY for state files.

MUST read:

• .continue-here.md files (all 2 locations)
• PLUGINS.md (status verification)
• Git log (commit history for inference)
• Contract files (creative-brief.md, parameter-spec.md, architecture.md, plan.md)
• Source files (if mentioned in handoff)
• CHANGELOG.md (for improvements)

MUST NOT write:

• Any .continue-here.md files
• PLUGINS.md
• Any source code or contract files

Why: This skill is an orchestrator - state updates are handled by the continuation skills it delegates to (plugin-workflow, plugin-ideation, ui-mockup, plugin-improve, etc.). Orchestrators read state and route; implementation skills update state and execute checkpoints. See Checkpoint Protocol in CLAUDE.md for state update requirements in implementation skills.

Success Criteria

Resume is successful when:

1. Handoff located: Found correct handoff file(s) from 2 possible locations
2. Context parsed: YAML and markdown extracted without errors
3. State understood: User sees clear summary of where they left off
4. Continuity felt: User doesn't need to remember details, handoff provides everything
5. Appropriate routing: Correct continuation skill invoked with right parameters
6. Context loaded: Contract files and relevant code loaded before proceeding
7. Error handled: Missing/corrupt handoff handled gracefully with fallbacks
8. User control: User explicitly chooses to continue, not auto-proceeded

Execution Requirements

MUST do when executing this skill:

1. ALWAYS search all 2 handoff locations before declaring "not found"
2. MUST parse YAML carefully - handle missing optional fields gracefully
3. MUST present time-ago in human-readable format (not raw timestamps)
4. MUST show enough context that user remembers where they were
5. NEVER auto-proceed - wait for explicit user choice
6. MUST load contract files BEFORE invoking continuation skill (provides context)
7. MUST use git log as backup IF handoff is missing, stale (>2 weeks old), or corrupt
8. MUST preserve user's mental model - summary should match how they think about plugin

NEVER do these common mistakes:

• Checking only Priority 1 location and stopping early (MUST check both locations)
• Auto-proceeding after summary without waiting for user confirmation
• Invoking continuation skill before loading contract files
• Presenting raw YAML/markdown instead of formatted human-readable summary
• Auto-selecting when multiple handoffs exist (MUST present disambiguation menu)