Session Handoff Workflow

Standardized workflow for efficient session transitions that preserve context while minimizing token overhead.

Workflow Overview

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   SESSION HANDOFF WORKFLOW                       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                  │
│   ENDING SESSION                      NEW SESSION               │
│        │                                   │                    │
│        ▼                                   ▼                    │
│   ┌──────────┐                        ┌──────────┐             │
│   │ Generate │                        │  Load    │             │
│   │ Snapshot │ ───────────────────▶   │ Snapshot │             │
│   └──────────┘    (<500 tokens)       └──────────┘             │
│        │                                   │                    │
│        ▼                                   ▼                    │
│   ┌──────────┐                        ┌──────────┐             │
│   │  Save    │                        │  Orient  │             │
│   │ Context  │                        │ Session  │             │
│   └──────────┘                        └──────────┘             │
│        │                                   │                    │
│        ▼                                   ▼                    │
│   ┌──────────┐                        ┌──────────┐             │
│   │   Log    │                        │ Continue │             │
│   │ Session  │                        │   Work   │             │
│   └──────────┘                        └──────────┘             │
│                                                                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Token Budget

Target: <500 tokens for complete handoff

Component	Token Budget	Purpose
Track summary	~100	Progress percentages
Recent completions	~100	Last 3-5 tasks
Next priorities	~100	Top 3 priorities
Key patterns	~100	Reusable learnings
Blockers	~50	Active issues
Metadata	~50	Timestamps, session ID

Workflow Phases

Phase 1: Session Summary (Ending Session)

Trigger: Session ending or context limit approaching

Command:

python scripts/context_snapshot.py --token-budget 500

Phase 2: Snapshot Generation

Trigger: Summary complete

Snapshot Structure:

{
  "ts": "2026-01-02T01:00",
  "tracks": {
    "A": {"done": 8, "total": 10, "pct": 80},
    "E": {"done": 5, "total": 5, "pct": 100}
  },
  "recent": ["E.1.5: Activation limits test"],
  "next": ["E.2.1: Performance baseline"],
  "blockers": [],
  "_tokens": 287
}

Phase 3: Context Save

Trigger: Snapshot generated

Storage:

context-storage/snapshots/snapshot-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.json

Phase 4: Session Log

Trigger: Context saved

Session Log Entry:

### YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ - Session Handoff

- **Session Duration:** Xh Ym
- **Tasks Completed:** N
- **Tracks Updated:** A (X%), E (Y%)

  **Handoff Context:**
  - Snapshot: snapshot-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.json (~287 tokens)
  - Next Priority: Track E.2 Performance Testing

Phase 5: New Session Load

Trigger: New session starting

Command:

/orient

Phase 6: Session Orientation

Trigger: Snapshot loaded

Orientation Output:

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
CODITECT SESSION START - 2026-01-02
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Previous Session Summary (287 tokens loaded):
├── Tracks: A(80%), E(100%)
├── Last Completed: E.1.5 - Activation limits test
└── Next Priority: E.2.1 - Performance baseline testing

Ready to continue. Run /pilot --dashboard for full status.
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Phase 7: Continue Work

Trigger: Orientation complete

Actions:

1. Begin next priority task
2. Apply loaded patterns
3. Continue from last state

Efficiency Metrics

Metric	Target	Why
Snapshot tokens	<500	Minimize context overhead
Load time	<2s	Fast session start
Information loss	<5%	Preserve critical context

Automation Support

End of Session:

python hooks/session-handoff.py --event session.end --save

Start of Session:

/orient

Related Workflows

• Task Completion Workflow
• Quality Assurance Workflow

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Workflow Version: 1.0.0 Created: 2026-01-02 Author: CODITECT Process Refinement