/forward - Handoff to Next Session
Create context for next session, then enter plan mode to define next steps.
Usage
/forward # Create handoff, show plan, wait for approval
/forward --bg # Hand the whole handoff to a background Haiku — returns instantly
/forward asap # Create handoff + commit immediately (no approval needed)
/forward --only # Create handoff only, skip plan mode
/forward --bg
Fire-and-forget. A background Haiku subagent mines the session JSONL and writes the
handoff file. Returns immediately — no plan mode, no blocking. Use it to snapshot progress
mid-session, or at the end when you'd rather keep moving. For the full interactive flow
with plan approval, use plain /forward.
Haiku is the right tier here: this is bullet extraction from structured JSONL, not writing.
(Its sibling /rrr --bg uses Sonnet — a retro's diary and lessons are writing.)
Resolve first, then spawn
ORACLE_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)
ENCODED_PWD=$(echo "$ORACLE_ROOT" | sed 's|^/|-|; s|[/.]|-|g')
PROJECT_DIR="$HOME/.claude/projects/${ENCODED_PWD}"
LATEST_JSONL=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DIR"/*.jsonl 2>/dev/null | head -1)
SESSION_ID=$(basename "$LATEST_JSONL" .jsonl | cut -c1-8)
PSI=$(readlink -f "$ORACLE_ROOT/ψ" 2>/dev/null || echo "$ORACLE_ROOT/ψ")
REPO_NAME=$(basename "$ORACLE_ROOT")
DATE_SLUG=$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M)
Substitute every <PLACEHOLDER> with the real value before spawning — the subagent
cannot see your shell. Check whether the handoff directory exists; if not, tell the
subagent to mkdir -p it.
Spawn ONE background Agent (model: "haiku", run_in_background: true)
You are a session archivist. Write a handoff file for the current session.
JSONL path: <LATEST_JSONL>
Vault path (PSI): <PSI>
Session ID: <SESSION_ID>
Repo: <REPO_NAME>
Date: <YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM>
Steps:
1. Run: python3 "$(ls ~/.claude/skills/forward/scripts/dig-session.py \
~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/*/skills/forward/scripts/dig-session.py \
~/.claude/plugins/cache/*/*/*/skills/forward/scripts/dig-session.py \
~/.claude/skills/forward/dig-session.py 2>/dev/null | head -1)" "<LATEST_JSONL>"
2. From the JSON output, write 4-8 bullets summarizing what happened. Be specific:
skills invoked, teammates used, files changed, key outputs.
3. Run: git -C <ORACLE_ROOT> status --short
4. Write the handoff to: <PSI>/inbox/handoff/<DATE_SLUG>_bg-forward.md
Format:
# Handoff: [session focus from the JSONL]
**Date**: <YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM>
**Source**: /forward --bg (JSONL-mined, not memory)
📡 Session: <SESSION_ID> | <REPO_NAME>
## What We Did
<bullets from the JSONL analysis>
## Uncommitted Files
<from git status --short, or "none">
## Pending
<infer from the session: what was in progress? what was mentioned but not done?>
## Next Session
<1-3 specific actions based on where the session ended>
After writing, print: "📤 Handoff written: <absolute_path>"
Do NOT enter plan mode. Do NOT commit anything.
After spawning
Tell the user where it will land, then keep working — don't wait:
📤 /forward --bg launched — handoff writing in background.
Session: <SESSION_ID>
Will write to: <PSI>/inbox/handoff/<DATE_SLUG>_bg-forward.md
Sibling: /rrr --bg (retrospective). Run both at session end — /rrr --bg looks back,
/forward --bg looks forward.
Steps
- Git status: Check uncommitted work
- Detect session: Current session ID for traceability
- Session summary: What we did (from memory)
- Pending items: What's left
- Next steps: Specific actions
Session Detection
ORACLE_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)
ENCODED_PWD=$(echo "$ORACLE_ROOT" | sed 's|^/|-|; s|[/.]|-|g')
PROJECT_DIR="$HOME/.claude/projects/${ENCODED_PWD}"
LATEST_JSONL=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DIR"/*.jsonl 2>/dev/null | head -1)
if [ -n "$LATEST_JSONL" ]; then
SESSION_ID=$(basename "$LATEST_JSONL" .jsonl)
echo "SESSION: ${SESSION_ID:0:8}"
fi
Include in handoff header if detected:
📡 Session: 74c32f34 | repo-name | Xh XXm
Skip silently if detection fails.
Output
Resolve vault path first:
ORACLE_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)
if [ -n "$ORACLE_ROOT" ] && [ -f "$ORACLE_ROOT/CLAUDE.md" ] && { [ -d "$ORACLE_ROOT/ψ" ] || [ -L "$ORACLE_ROOT/ψ" ]; }; then
PSI=$(readlink -f "$ORACLE_ROOT/ψ" 2>/dev/null || echo "$ORACLE_ROOT/ψ")
else
PSI=$(readlink -f ψ 2>/dev/null || echo "ψ")
fi
Write to: $PSI/inbox/handoff/YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM_slug.md
IMPORTANT: Always use the resolved $PSI path, never the ψ/ symlink directly.
This ensures handoffs go to the project's vault (wherever ψ points).
Do NOT git add vault files — they are shared state, not committed to repos.
# Handoff: [Session Focus]
**Date**: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
**Context**: [%]
## What We Did
- [Accomplishment 1]
- [Accomplishment 2]
## Pending
- [ ] Item 1
- [ ] Item 2
## Next Session
- [ ] Specific action 1
- [ ] Specific action 2
## Key Files
- [Important file 1]
- [Important file 2]
Confirm handoff write (announce-mode — absolute paths required)
announce-mode → absolute path (no ψ/, no ~/, no $VAR, no ...).
Use: echo "marker: $RESOLVED_PATH" — bash substitutes. See CONVENTIONS.md.
HANDOFF_FILE="$PSI/inbox/handoff/$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M)_${SLUG}.md"
echo "📤 Handoff: $HANDOFF_FILE"
Then: Create Issues from Pending Items
After writing the handoff file, extract actionable items and offer to create GitHub issues.
Step 1: Extract Items
From the handoff you just wrote, collect all - [ ] items from Pending and Next Session sections.
Step 2: Filter Actionable Items
Skip items that are NOT actionable:
- Items containing "monitor", "watch", "track", "deferred", "maybe", "consider"
- Items that are vague (less than 4 words after the checkbox)
Step 3: Check for Duplicates
# For each item, check if an issue already exists with a similar title
gh issue list --state open --search "ITEM_TITLE" --json title --jq '.[].title' 2>/dev/null
Skip items that already have a matching open issue (case-insensitive title match).
Step 4: Show and Confirm
Display the list of new issues to create:
📋 Create GitHub issues from pending items?
1. Fix awaken git push auth
2. /rrr --deep time-based
Create these 2 issues? [y/N]
NEVER auto-create issues without user approval.
If user declines, skip issue creation and continue to plan mode.
Step 5: Create Issues
If user approves:
# Detect repo for issue creation
REMOTE=$(git remote get-url origin 2>/dev/null)
# Extract owner/repo from remote URL
REPO=$(echo "$REMOTE" | sed -E 's|.*[:/]([^/]+/[^/]+?)(\.git)?$|\1|')
# For each actionable item:
gh issue create --repo "$REPO" --title "ITEM_TITLE" --body "From /forward handoff on YYYY-MM-DD"
Show results:
Created #115: Fix awaken git push auth
Created #116: /rrr --deep time-based
Step 6: Write to Outbox
Regardless of whether issues were created, write items to the outbox:
ORACLE_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)
if [ -n "$ORACLE_ROOT" ] && [ -f "$ORACLE_ROOT/CLAUDE.md" ] && { [ -d "$ORACLE_ROOT/ψ" ] || [ -L "$ORACLE_ROOT/ψ" ]; }; then
PSI=$(readlink -f "$ORACLE_ROOT/ψ" 2>/dev/null || echo "$ORACLE_ROOT/ψ")
else
PSI=$(readlink -f ψ 2>/dev/null || echo "ψ")
fi
OUTBOX_DIR="$PSI/outbox"
mkdir -p "$OUTBOX_DIR"
Write to: $PSI/outbox/YYYY-MM-DD_pending.md
# Pending Items — YYYY-MM-DD
## From: [repo-name] /forward
- [ ] Item 1 (issue #115)
- [ ] Item 2 (issue #116)
- [ ] Item 3 (no issue — skipped: vague)
Confirm outbox write (announce-mode — absolute paths required)
announce-mode → absolute path (no ψ/, no ~/, no $VAR, no ...).
Use: echo "marker: $RESOLVED_PATH" — bash substitutes. See CONVENTIONS.md.
OUTBOX_FILE="$OUTBOX_DIR/$(date +%Y-%m-%d)_pending.md"
echo "📋 Outbox: $OUTBOX_FILE"
Silent Failures
- If
ghis not available: write to outbox only, skip issue creation silently - If repo has no GitHub remote: skip issue creation silently, write to outbox only
- If
gh auth statusfails: skip issue creation silently, write to outbox only
Then: MUST Show Plan Approval Box
CRITICAL — DO NOT SKIP: The whole point of /forward is the plan approval UI. You MUST do ALL 3 steps in order. If you skip any step, the user cannot approve and clear the session.
EnterPlanMode— enters plan mode- Write plan file — session summary + next steps
ExitPlanMode— THIS shows the approval box where user can approve/reject/clear
If you only do EnterPlanMode without ExitPlanMode, the user sees nothing. If you skip EnterPlanMode entirely, the user sees nothing. ALL 3 STEPS ARE REQUIRED.
Do NOT commit the handoff file — it lives in the vault, not the repo. After writing the handoff, gather cleanup context:
# Check for things next session might need to clean up
git status --short
git branch --list | grep -v '^\* main$' | grep -v '^ main$'
gh pr list --state open --json number,title,headRefName --jq '.[] | "#\(.number) \(.title) (\(.headRefName))"' 2>/dev/null
gh issue list --state open --limit 5 --json number,title --jq '.[] | "#\(.number) \(.title)"' 2>/dev/null
Then:
- Call
EnterPlanModetool - In plan mode, write a plan file with:
- What we accomplished this session
- Pending items carried forward
- Cleanup needed (stale branches, open PRs, uncommitted files)
- Next session goals and scope
- Reference to handoff file path
- Always end plan with a choice table:
## Next Session: Pick Your Path
| Option | Command | What It Does |
|--------|---------|--------------|
| **Continue** | `/recap` | Pick up where we left off |
| **Clean up first** | See cleanup list below, then `/recap` | Merge PRs, delete branches, close issues, then continue |
| **Fresh start** | `/recap --quick` | Minimal context, start something new |
### Cleanup Checklist (if any)
- [ ] [Open PR to merge]
- [ ] [Stale branch to delete]
- [ ] [Issue to close]
- [ ] [Uncommitted work to commit or stash]
- Call
ExitPlanMode— user sees the built-in plan approval UI
The user gets the standard plan approval screen with options to approve, modify, or reject. This is the proper way to show plans.
If user calls /forward again — just show the existing plan, do not re-create the handoff file.
Wizard v2 Context in Handoff
If CLAUDE.md contains demographics from /awaken wizard v2, include in handoff:
## Context
**Oracle**: [name] ([pronouns]) | **Human**: [name] ([pronouns])
**Mode**: [Fast/Full Soul Sync] | **Memory**: [auto/manual]
**Team**: [solo/team context]
This helps the next session orient faster. If demographics not present, skip.
ASAP Mode
If user says /forward asap or /forward now:
- Write handoff file
- Immediately commit and push — no approval needed
- Skip plan mode
- User wants to close fast
Skip Plan Mode
If user says /forward --only:
- Skip plan mode after commit
- Just tell user: "💡 Run /plan to plan next session"
ARGUMENTS: $ARGUMENTS