Receiving Context

Received At: !date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S' Context Directory: ![[ -d /tmp/claude-ctx ]] && echo "Exists" || echo "Does not exist - will create"

---

Note: If /tmp/claude-ctx/ does not exist, create it with:

mkdir -p /tmp/claude-ctx
cat > /tmp/claude-ctx/README.md << 'EOF'
# Claude Context Handoff Directory

This is an **ephemeral directory** for Claude Code session context handoff. Created by claude slash commands. '/context:send' and '/context:receive'.
EOF

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Quick Example

/context:receive child api-implementation
# ✓ Context received from child session
#   File: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-child-to-parent-api-implementation.md

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receive - Receive context from parent, child, or sibling session

Read and integrate context from session handoff file.

Usage

/context:receive parent [subject] [path]
/context:receive child [subject] [path]
/context:receive sibling [subject] [path]

IMPORTANT: Direction is REQUIRED. Must be one of: parent, child, or sibling.

Subject and path are optional:

• subject: Claude will infer from context if not provided
• path: Defaults to /tmp/claude-ctx/ if not provided

What it does

1. Validates direction - Errors if direction is not parent|child|sibling
2. Check "Context Directory" status above (from dynamic injection)
3. Create directory only if status shows "Does not exist - will create"
4. If creating directory, generates minimal README.md:

   # Claude Context Handoff Directory
   
   This is an **ephemeral directory** for Claude Code session context handoff. Created by claude slash commands. '/context:send' and '/context:receive'.
   

5. Determines direction flow based on argument
6. Records received timestamp (auto-captured)
7. If subject provided, looks for {path}/ctx-{direction}-{subject}.md
8. If no subject, uses wildcard: {path}/ctx-{direction}-*.md sorted by newest first
9. Path defaults to /tmp/claude-ctx/ but can be customized
10. Reads and displays context file with original timestamp from sender
11. Integrates context into current session understanding

Important: When using wildcard (no subject), files are sorted by modification time with newest first, ensuring you get the most recent context.

File patterns:

• /context:receive parent → looks for /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-parent-to-child-*.md
• /context:receive child → looks for /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-child-to-parent-*.md
• /context:receive sibling → looks for /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-sibling-to-sibling-*.md

Example: Receiving from Parent (Wildcard)

/context:receive parent

✓ Searching for context files: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-parent-to-child-*.md (newest first)
✓ Found: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-parent-to-child-database-migration.md (modified 2 minutes ago)

[Context displayed with parent session details]

Ready to begin focused work based on parent's context!

Example: Receiving from Child with Subject

/context:receive child api-implementation

✓ Context received from child session
  File: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-child-to-parent-api-implementation.md

[Context displayed with completed work summary]

Child session completed. Integrating results back.

Example: Receiving from Sibling

/context:receive sibling parallel-task

✓ Context received from sibling session
  File: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-sibling-to-sibling-parallel-task.md

[Context displayed with parallel work details]

Sibling session completed. Integrating parallel work.

Example: Custom Path

/context:receive parent database-work ~/Documents/context/

✓ Context received from parent session
  File: ~/Documents/context/ctx-parent-to-child-database-work.md

[Context displayed]

Example: Missing Direction (Error)

/context:receive database-work

✗ Error: Must specify direction: parent, child, or sibling
  Usage: /context:receive <parent|child|sibling> [subject] [path]

What gets loaded

• Context file content: Decisions, work done, blockers, next actions
• Handoff metadata: Why the handoff occurred, what was planned
• Related context: Key information needed to continue

When to use

• Immediately after starting a new child session from parent
• After resuming parent session when child is complete
• When starting a sibling session and receiving context from another sibling
• When receiving context from any parent/child/sibling session
• To understand what happened in related session

Related commands

• /context:send - Send context to parent/child before switching