# Brief

> Brief

- Skill: `t0ddharris/brief` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add t0ddharris/brief`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/t0ddharris/brief/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: t0ddharris (https://skillmd.com/u/t0ddharris)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/t0ddharris/brief

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# Session Brief

Run this at the end of a session to capture context and checkpoint all work to GitHub.

## Steps

### 1. Review Existing Brief

Read `/brief/session-brief.md` to understand what was there from last session.

### 2. Write the New Brief

Overwrite `/brief/session-brief.md` with a comprehensive brief covering:

- **Date, time (EST), and session number** at the top
- Important progress made in the current session
- Key decisions and architectural changes
- Unfinished tasks and next steps
- Technical details that need to be preserved
- Any context that would be lost between sessions

This is NOT about brevity — be as thorough as needed to retain all important context.

### 2.5. Reflect on Skills

After writing the brief, run the `reflect` skill to scan the conversation for learnings. This is a delegation, not a repeat of the reflect instructions. Load and follow the reflect skill.

- If learnings are found: present them to the user alongside the brief, before asking about git
- If no learnings: report "no new skill learnings detected" in one line and continue to Step 3
- Any approved skill updates will be committed together with the brief in Step 4

### 3. Ask About Git

After writing the brief, **always ask the user** which option they want:

1. **Commit + push** — full checkpoint to GitHub
2. **Commit only** — local save point, push later
3. **Brief only** — just the file update, no git operations

Present these as a quick choice. Do NOT assume commit+push.

### 4. If Committing (options 1 or 2)

1. Run `git status` to see all changes (staged + unstaged + untracked)
2. Run `git log --oneline -3` to match commit message style
3. Stage all relevant files (`git add` — use specific paths, not `-A`)
4. Commit with message format: `Session [N]: [1-2 sentence summary of session work]`
5. If option 1, push to origin: `git push`

**Commit rules:**
- Do NOT stage files that look like secrets (`.env`, credentials, tokens)
- If there are uncommitted changes unrelated to this session, ask the user before including them
- If push fails (e.g., remote is ahead), stop and ask the user — do not force push

## When to Use

- At the end of significant sessions
- When important decisions have been made
- Before ending a session where critical details might be lost
- When the user explicitly requests `/brief`

## Read-Only Mode

When asked to "read the brief" (typically at session start via `/start`), just read the file without modifying it. Do not commit or push in read-only mode.