Help Us Test Session Management Features!

Help Us Test Session Management Features!

I've implemented session management patterns from Anthropic's article "Effective harnesses for long-running agents" in the feature/anthropic-patterns branch.

These features need testing before merging to main. Your feedback is critical!

What's New

1. Session Initialization Script

Run at the start of every session:

bash scripts/init-session.sh

What it does:

• ✅ Verifies planning files exist
• ✅ Shows current phase and git status
• ✅ Displays last commit
• ✅ Logs session start to progress.md
• ✅ Creates missing files if needed

2. Pass/Fail Status Tracking

Enhanced task_plan.md template with:

• Status icons: ⏸️ Pending | 🔄 In Progress | ✅ Pass | ❌ Fail | ⏭️ Skipped
• Test Results table for each phase
• Git Checkpoints table to log commits
• Phase Summary table for quick overview

3. Git Checkpoint Workflow

New documentation: docs/git-checkpoints.md

• "One phase, one commit" pattern
• Use git commits as rollback points
• Integrates with task_plan.md

4. Session-Start Verification

Automated checklist that verifies:

• Planning files present
• Git working tree clean
• Current branch status
• Last commit information

How to Test

1. Checkout the Branch

cd your-planning-with-files-repo
git fetch origin
git checkout feature/anthropic-patterns

2. Try It In a Test Project

cd ~/your-test-project
bash /path/to/planning-with-files/scripts/init-session.sh

3. Work Through a Multi-Phase Task

• Let the script create planning files
• Define some phases in task_plan.md
• Complete a phase and test it
• Mark it as ✅ Pass with test results
• Commit: git commit -m "feat(Phase 1): description"
• Log the commit hash in Git Checkpoints table
• Start a new session and run init-session.sh again

4. Read the Implementation Summary

See IMPLEMENTATION_SUMMARY.md in the branch for full details.

What We Need Feedback On

1. Does init-session.sh work on your system?

   • Unix/Mac: Does the bash script run smoothly?
   • Windows: Does the PowerShell version work?

2. Is the new task_plan.md template helpful?

   • Are the status icons clear?
   • Is the Test Results table useful?
   • Does the Git Checkpoints table make sense?

3. Does the workflow feel natural?

   • Plan → Implement → Verify → Commit
   • Does session recovery work when you restart?

4. Any bugs or issues?

   • Errors when running scripts?
   • Confusing documentation?
   • Missing features?

5. Suggestions for improvement?

   • What would make this better?
   • Any patterns from the Anthropic article we missed?

Related Issue

This work resolves Issue #19 requested by @wqh17101.

Documentation

• Git Checkpoint Workflow
• Implementation Summary
• Anthropic Article (inspiration)

Please test and share your experience! Once we have enough feedback and approval, I'll merge this to main.

Thank you!

Ahmad