How do I install the Resume Work skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add makieali/resume-work in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Resume Work safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Resume Work?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Resume Work free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Resume Work?

makieali (@makieali) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Resume Work by makieali — Agent Skill

Name: Resume Work
Author: makieali

Resume Work

Restores working context after a /clear or /compact by reading the most recent session handoff plus current git state, then reports where things stand and what the next step is. Use at the start of a session, after clearing or compacting, when picking up work from a previous day, or when taking over someone else's branch. Trigger: "resume", "pick up where we left off", "what was I doing", "restore context", "continue from the handoff", "catch me up".

makieali Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Resume Work — Reload State From Disk

The other half of /handoff. Reads the written record rather than a summary of a summary.

Step 1: Find the handoff

~/.claude/skills/resume-work/scripts/find-handoff.sh            # newest for the current branch
~/.claude/skills/resume-work/scripts/find-handoff.sh --all      # every branch, newest first

Then read the file it prints. Read it whole — the Ruled out section is usually near the bottom and it is the most valuable part.

No handoff found? Say so plainly and fall back to git: git log --oneline -15, git status, git diff --stat. A reconstruction from history is worth less than a handoff, so say which one you are working from.

Step 2: Check the record against reality

The handoff describes the world when it was written. Verify before trusting it:

git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD          # same branch?
git status --short                       # same files dirty?
git log --oneline -5                     # commits since?

Reconcile out loud when they disagree — someone else may have pushed, or you may have committed after writing it. The repo is the truth; the handoff is the intent. Where they conflict, say so rather than silently trusting either.

Step 3: Report, then stop

RESUMED — <title>
  Handoff:  <path>  (<age>)
  Branch:   <branch>   <n> commits since the handoff
  Dirty:    <n> files

  Stood at:  <one line>
  Ruled out: <one line — so it is in context before any suggestion>
  Blockers:  <or "none">

  → Next: <the next step, verbatim from the handoff>

Then stop and wait. Do not start the next step. Resuming is loading state, not resuming execution — the user may have changed their mind since writing it, and that is exactly the moment to find out.

Rules

Surface Ruled out before proposing anything. Its whole purpose is stopping a fresh session from re-walking dead ends. Reading it after you have already suggested an approach is too late.
Report the handoff's age. One from three weeks ago on a branch with twenty new commits is archaeology, not state. Say so.
Never mark a handoff done or delete it. They are append-only. /handoff writes the next one.
Don't re-read every file it mentions. It names paths so you can go to them when the work needs it, not so you can reload the whole session's reads into a clean window. That would undo the reset you just paid for.

/handoff — writes the file this reads
/driver — if the work is a /architect plan, read plans/{slug}/state/ too; the handoff covers session narrative, not plan state

Script paths above assume a user-level install (~/.claude/skills/). Installed as a plugin or per-project, the scripts still sit beside this file — swap the prefix for ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/resume-work or .claude/skills/resume-work respectively.

---name: resume-workdescription: Restores working context after a /clear or /compact by reading the most recent session handoff plus current git state, then reports where things stand and what the next step is. Use at the start of a session, after clearing or compacting, when picking up work from a previous day, or when taking over someone else's branch. Trigger: "resume", "pick up where we left off", "what was I doing", "restore context", "continue from the handoff", "catch me up".---# Resume Work — Reload State From DiskThe other half of `/handoff`. Reads the written record rather than a summary of a summary.## Step 1: Find the handoff```bash~/.claude/skills/resume-work/scripts/find-handoff.sh # newest for the current branch~/.claude/skills/resume-work/scripts/find-handoff.sh --all # every branch, newest first```Then read the file it prints. Read it **whole** — the `Ruled out` section is usually nearthe bottom and it is the most valuable part.No handoff found? Say so plainly and fall back to git: `git log --oneline -15`,`git status`, `git diff --stat`. A reconstruction from history is worth less than ahandoff, so say which one you are working from.## Step 2: Check the record against realityThe handoff describes the world when it was written. Verify before trusting it:```bashgit rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD # same branch?git status --short # same files dirty?git log --oneline -5 # commits since?```Reconcile out loud when they disagree — someone else may have pushed, or you may havecommitted after writing it. **The repo is the truth; the handoff is the intent.** Where theyconflict, say so rather than silently trusting either.## Step 3: Report, then stop```RESUMED — <title> Handoff: <path> (<age>) Branch: <branch> <n> commits since the handoff Dirty: <n> files Stood at: <one line> Ruled out: <one line — so it is in context before any suggestion> Blockers: <or "none"> → Next: <the next step, verbatim from the handoff>```Then **stop and wait.** Do not start the next step. Resuming is loading state, notresuming execution — the user may have changed their mind since writing it, and that isexactly the moment to find out.## Rules- **Surface `Ruled out` before proposing anything.** Its whole purpose is stopping a fresh session from re-walking dead ends. Reading it after you have already suggested an approach is too late.- **Report the handoff's age.** One from three weeks ago on a branch with twenty new commits is archaeology, not state. Say so.- **Never mark a handoff done or delete it.** They are append-only. `/handoff` writes the next one.- **Don't re-read every file it mentions.** It names paths so you can go to them when the work needs it, not so you can reload the whole session's reads into a clean window. That would undo the reset you just paid for.## Related- `/handoff` — writes the file this reads- `/driver` — if the work is a `/architect` plan, read `plans/{slug}/state/` too; the handoff covers session narrative, not plan state---<sub>Script paths above assume a user-level install (`~/.claude/skills/`). Installed as aplugin or per-project, the scripts still sit beside this file — swap the prefix for`${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/resume-work` or `.claude/skills/resume-work` respectively.</sub>

Frequently asked questions