/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
bashORACLE_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
bashORACLE_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: ${SESSION_ID:0:8}" fi
Include in handoff header if detected:
markdown📡 Session: 74c32f34 | repo-name | Xh XXm
Skip silently if detection fails.
Output
Resolve vault path first:
bashORACLE_ROOT=$(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.
markdown# 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: $RESOLVED_PATH" — bash substitutes. See CONVENTIONS.md.
bashHANDOFF_FILE="$PSI/inbox/handoff/$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M)_${SLUG}.md" echo "📤 Handoff: $HANDOFF_FILE"
Then: Create Issues from Pending Items
After writing the handoff file, extract actionable items and offer to create GitHub issues.
Step 1: Extract Items
From the handoff you just wrote, collect all - [ ] items from Pending and Next Session sections.
Step 2: Filter Actionable Items
Skip items that are NOT actionable:
- Items containing "monitor", "watch", "track", "deferred", "maybe", "consider"
- Items that are vague (less than 4 words after the checkbox)
Step 3: Check for Duplicates
bash# For each item, check if an issue already exists with a similar title gh issue list --state open --search "ITEM_TITLE" --json title --jq '.[].title' 2>/dev/null
Skip items that already have a matching open issue (case-insensitive title match).
Step 4: Show and Confirm
Display the list of new issues to create:
📋 Create GitHub issues from pending items? 1. Fix awaken git push auth 2. /rrr --deep time-based Create these 2 issues? [y/N]
NEVER auto-create issues without user approval.
If user declines, skip issue creation and continue to plan mode.
Step 5: Create Issues
If user approves:
bash# Detect repo for issue creation REMOTE=$(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:
bashORACLE_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
markdown# 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: $RESOLVED_PATH" — bash substitutes. See CONVENTIONS.md.
bashOUTBOX_FILE="$OUTBOX_DIR/$(date +%Y-%m-%d)_pending.md" echo "📋 Outbox: $OUTBOX_FILE"
Silent Failures
- If
ghis not available: write to outbox only, skip issue creation silently - If repo has no GitHub remote: skip issue creation silently, write to outbox only
- If
gh auth statusfails: skip issue creation silently, write to outbox only
Then: MUST Show Plan Approval Box
CRITICAL — DO NOT SKIP: The whole point of /forward is the plan approval UI. You MUST do ALL 3 steps in order. If you skip any step, the user cannot approve and clear the session.
EnterPlanMode— enters plan mode- Write plan file — session summary + next steps
ExitPlanMode— THIS shows the approval box where user can approve/reject/clear
If you only do EnterPlanMode without ExitPlanMode, the user sees nothing. If you skip EnterPlanMode entirely, the user sees nothing. ALL 3 STEPS ARE REQUIRED.
Do NOT commit the handoff file — it lives in the vault, not the repo. After writing the handoff, gather cleanup context:
bash# Check for things next session might need to clean up git status --short git branch --list | grep -v '^\* main$' | 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:
markdown## 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:
markdown## 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


