home / skills / pchalasani / claude-code-tools / recover-context

recover-context skill

safe

This skill extracts the most recent task context from the parent session lineage using sub-agents to avoid context bloating.

npx playbooks add skill pchalasani/claude-code-tools --skill recover-context

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

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SKILL.md

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---
name: recover-context
description: Extract full context of the last task from the most recent parent session
  shown in the session lineage. Strategically uses sub-agents to avoid bloating your
  own context.
---

# recover-context

Use this skill to extract context from a parent session when a session lineage is
present (shown in the first user message of this conversation).

## Instructions

1. **Identify the most recent parent session** from the lineage chain (the last
   file in the chronological list).

2. **Use sub-agents to explore** (to avoid bloating your own context):
   - If you have the Task tool with subagent support, use the `session-searcher`
     subagent (subagent_type: `session-searcher`) to analyze the most recent session
   - If sub-agents are NOT available, use the `aichat:session-search` skill instead

3. **Extract the following from the most recent session:**
   - What was the last task being worked on?
   - What was the current state of that task (completed, in-progress, blocked)?
   - Any pending items or next steps mentioned?
   - Key decisions made or approaches chosen

4. **Also check for associated documents:**
   - Issue specs or task descriptions referenced in the session
   - Any markdown files created during that session (check WORKLOG/, issues/, etc.)
   - Code files that were being modified

5. **Report back concisely:**
   - State your understanding of the task context
   - List any files you found that are relevant
   - Ask the user how they'd like to proceed

## Example Sub-agent Prompt

If using the Task tool with `session-searcher` subagent:

```
Analyze the session file at [path from lineage] and extract:
1. The last task being worked on (look at the final 20-30 messages)
2. Current state of that task
3. Any referenced markdown files (issue specs, work logs, etc.)
4. Pending next steps or blockers

Return a concise summary.
```

## Constraints

- Do NOT read large session files directly into your own context
- ALWAYS delegate to sub-agents or the session-search skill
- Keep your summary concise - the user knows what they were working on
- Focus on the LAST task, not the entire session history

Overview

This skill extracts the full context of the last task from the most recent parent session shown in a session lineage. It delegates heavy inspection to sub-agents or a session-search skill to avoid inflating the active agent's context. The output is a concise summary of the last task, its state, relevant files, and suggested next steps.

How this skill works

The skill finds the most recent parent session in the provided lineage and delegates analysis to a session-searcher sub-agent (or the aichat:session-search skill if sub-agents are unavailable). The sub-agent scans the final messages and referenced artifacts, then returns a compact extraction: the last task, its status, any blockers or next steps, and a list of associated files. The skill formats that extraction and asks the user how they want to proceed.

When to use it

You have a session lineage and need the latest task context quickly.
You rejoined a project and want to pick up where the parent session left off.
You need to avoid reading large session files into the current agent context.
You want a short, actionable summary before running follow-up tasks.
You need to identify artifacts (issues, worklogs, code) tied to the last task.

Best practices

Always point the skill at the session lineage shown in the conversation’s first user message.
Prefer the session-searcher sub-agent when available to keep your agent context small.
Focus only on the most recent parent session and its final 20–30 messages.
Verify files listed by opening them separately with appropriate tools rather than importing full file contents here.
Respond to the final question (how to proceed) with a clear next action: continue, fix blocker, review files, or close task.

Example use cases

Resume an interrupted coding task by extracting the last task and its current state.
Quickly locate referenced issue specs or markdown notes from the parent session before making changes.
Confirm whether a task is blocked and collect the stated blockers so you can address them.
Identify the exact files modified in the last session so you can run tests or create a patch.
Decide whether to continue an in-progress task or start a new branch based on the recovered context.

FAQ

What if sub-agents are not available?

The skill falls back to the aichat:session-search skill to analyze the most recent session and extract the same set of details.

Will the skill load entire session files into the current context?

No. It delegates inspection to sub-agents or the session-search skill to avoid bloating the active agent’s context.

What should I do after receiving the summary?

Choose a clear next action: continue the task, address blockers, inspect listed files, or close the task. The skill will proceed based on your instruction.