recover
[IMPORTANT] Use
TaskCreateto break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting — including tasks for each file read. This prevents context loss from long files. For simple tasks, AI MUST ask user whether to skip.
Quick Summary
Goal: Restore workflow state and todo items from checkpoint files after context loss or session interruption.
Workflow:
- Find Checkpoint — Locate latest
memory-checkpoint-*.mdin reports directory - Read Metadata — Extract JSON block with session ID, active plan, current step, pending todos
- Restore Todos — Immediately call TaskCreate with pending items from checkpoint
- Resume Workflow — Continue from the interrupted step using restored context
Key Rules:
- Always restore TaskCreate items before resuming any work
- Check both
plans/reports/and plan-specific report directories - Use timestamp to find the checkpoint closest to the interruption
Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).
Recover Workflow Context
Restore workflow state and todo items from checkpoint files after context compaction or session loss.
Usage
Use this command when:
- Context was compacted and you've lost track of the workflow
- Session was interrupted and needs to resume
- Todo items need to be restored from a checkpoint
- The automatic recovery didn't trigger
Recovery Process
Step 1: Find Latest Checkpoint
Look for checkpoint files in the reports directory:
ls -la plans/reports/memory-checkpoint-*.md | tail -5
Or search for all recent checkpoints:
find plans -name "memory-checkpoint-*.md" -mmin -60 | head -5
Step 2: Read Checkpoint File
Read the most recent checkpoint to understand the saved state:
Read the checkpoint file at: plans/reports/memory-checkpoint-YYMMDD-HHMMSS.md
Step 3: Extract Recovery Metadata
The checkpoint file contains a JSON metadata block at the end:
{
"sessionId": "...",
"activePlan": "plans/YYMMDD-slug/",
"workflowType": "feature",
"currentStep": "cook",
"remainingSteps": ["test", "code-review"],
"pendingTodos": [...]
}
Step 4: Restore Todo Items
IMMEDIATELY call TaskCreate with the pending todos from the checkpoint:
[
{ "content": "[Workflow] /cook - Implement", "status": "in_progress", "activeForm": "Executing /cook" },
{ "content": "[Workflow] /test - Run tests", "status": "pending", "activeForm": "Executing /test" },
{ "content": "[Workflow] /code-review - Review code", "status": "pending", "activeForm": "Executing /code-review" }
]
Step 5: Read Active Plan (if exists)
If activePlan is set in the metadata, read the plan file:
Read: {activePlan}/plan.md
Step 6: Continue Workflow
Resume from the currentStep identified in the metadata. Execute the remaining workflow steps in order.
Recovery Checklist
- Located most recent checkpoint file
- Read checkpoint content
- Extracted recovery metadata JSON
- Restored todo items via TaskCreate
- Read active plan (if applicable)
- Identified current workflow step
- Ready to continue from interrupted step
Automatic vs Manual Recovery
| Scenario | Recovery Type | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Session resume after compact | Automatic | post-compact-recovery.cjs hook |
| New session in same directory | Manual | This /recover command |
| Explicit user request | Manual | This /recover command |
| No workflow state found | Manual | This /recover command |
Checkpoint Locations
Checkpoints are saved to different locations based on context:
- Active plan exists:
{plan-path}/reports/memory-checkpoint-*.md - No active plan:
plans/reports/memory-checkpoint-*.md
Tips
- Check multiple locations - Plans may have their own reports directories
- Use timestamp - Checkpoints are timestamped, find the one closest to when you were working
- Verify todo status - Compare checkpoint todos with current TaskCreate state
- Read incrementally - Don't try to restore everything at once
Related Commands
/checkpoint- Create a manual checkpoint (before expected loss)/compact- Manually trigger context compaction/context- Load project context/watzup- Generate progress summary
Example Recovery Flow
User: /recover
Claude: Let me find and restore your workflow context.
1. Finding latest checkpoint...
Found: plans/reports/memory-checkpoint-260110-143025.md
2. Reading checkpoint metadata...
- Workflow: feature
- Current step: /cook
- Remaining: /test, /code-review
- Active plan: plans/260110-1430-new-feature/
3. Restoring TaskCreate items...
[Calling TaskCreate with 3 pending items]
4. Reading active plan...
[Reading plans/260110-1430-new-feature/plan.md]
5. Ready to continue from /cook step.
Shall I proceed with the implementation?
IMPORTANT Task Planning Notes (MUST FOLLOW)
- Always plan and break work into many small todo tasks
- Always add a final review todo task to verify work quality and identify fixes/enhancements