| name | session-opening |
| description | Start a session with context from previous work. Triggers on /open, 'what were we working on', 'where did we leave off', or session start. Pairs with /ground and /close. (user) |
/open
Orient to previous work, then act on what's next.
Structure
Gather → script + optional beads gate
Orient → "here's where we left off"
Decide → user picks direction
Act → draw-down to TodoWrite
1. Gather
Run the context gathering script (from the session-management skill directory):
~/.claude/skills/session-management/scripts/open-context.sh
Script outputs: HANDOFF, GIT, BEADS (if present), UPDATE_NEWS context.
Gate check: If GATE_REQUIRED=true and beads skill is available:
Skill(beads)
Do not proceed until loaded. This ensures draw-down patterns are available.
2. Orient
Synthesize what matters from script output:
- Lead with handoff — Done, Next, any Gotchas
- Surface commands — if Commands section exists, offer to run them
- Note scope mismatches — if handoff "Next" doesn't match
bd ready, flag it - Beads ready — what's unblocked
Keep it brief. Orientation, not full briefing.
3. Decide
User picks direction:
- A specific bead from ready list
- Continue from handoff's "Next"
- Something else entirely
4. Act
Draw-down is mandatory. When user picks a bead:
bd show <bead-id> --json— read design and acceptance criteria- Create TodoWrite items from acceptance criteria
- Show user: "Breaking this down into: [list]. Sound right?"
- Mark bead in_progress:
bd update <id> --status in_progress
No TodoWrite items = No work. This creates checkpoints where drift gets caught.
Graceful Degradation
Not all features require all dependencies:
| Component | If missing... |
|---|---|
| Handoff archive | Skip handoff section |
| Beads/bd | Skip beads section, no gate required |
| Update news | Skip news section |
The core pattern (Gather → Orient → Decide → Act) works with just git status.
Mirrors
| Phase | /open | /ground | /close |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gather | Handoff, beads, script | Todos, beads, drift | Todos, beads, git, drift |
| Orient | "Where we left off" | "What's drifted" | Reflect (AskUserQuestion) |
| Decide | User picks direction | Continue or adjust | Crystallize actions (STOP) |
| Act | Draw-down → TodoWrite | Update beads, reset | Execute, handoff, commit |