SaveContext (CLI)

Save decisions, track progress, and maintain continuity across coding sessions using the sc command-line tool.

All commands use the sc binary. Add --json for structured JSON output.

Critical Rules

NEVER use sc session start when the user says "resume". The word "resume" (or "continue session", "pick up where I left off") ALWAYS means:

sc session list --search "<topic>" to find the session
sc session resume <session_id> to resume it

sc session start creates NEW sessions. Using it to "resume" almost always creates duplicates.

Quick Actions

User Says	Do This
"save this decision"	`sc save "key" "value" -c decision -p high`
"remember this"	`sc save "key" "value" -c note`
"checkpoint"	`sc checkpoint create "name"`
"wrap up"	See WrapUp workflow
"resume [topic]"	MUST `sc session list --search "topic"` then `sc session resume <id>`
"start session"	`sc session start "name" -d "description"` (new sessions only)
"what went wrong"	Check the error hint — includes suggestions, similar IDs

Error Handling

Errors include hints and suggestions. If an ID is not found, check the hint for similar IDs. When no session is active, the error lists recent resumable sessions.

Structured JSON errors are automatic when piped. See cli/AGENTS.md for error codes.

Command Cheatsheet

Sessions

sc session start "name" -d "description"      # Start new session
sc session list --search "query"               # Find sessions
sc session resume <id>                         # Resume paused session
sc session pause                               # Pause current session
sc session end                                 # End session
sc status                                      # Current session + stats

Context Items

sc save "key" "value" -c decision -p high      # Save context
sc get -s "search query"                       # Smart semantic search (auto-decomposes)
sc get -s "auth" --search-all-sessions         # Search all sessions
sc get -k "exact-key"                          # Get by key
sc get -c decision -P high                     # Filter by category/priority
sc update "key" --value "new value"            # Update item
sc delete "key"                                # Delete item

Search tips: Single keywords work best (sc get -s "auth" > sc get -s "authentication login session token handling"). Smart search auto-decomposes multi-word queries, adapts thresholds, and expands scope when no results found.

Issues

sc issue create "title" -t task -p 2           # Create issue
sc issue create "title" -t epic -p 3           # Create epic (container)
sc issue create "subtask" --parent SC-xxxx     # Create subtask under epic
sc issue batch --json-input '{"issues":[...]}'  # Batch with hierarchy
sc issue list -s open                          # List open issues
sc issue list --parent SC-xxxx                 # List subtasks of an epic
sc issue claim <id>                            # Claim for work
sc issue complete <id>                         # Mark complete
sc issue complete <id> --reason "Done"         # Complete with reason
sc issue update <id> -s in_progress            # Update status
sc issue count                                 # Count by status
sc issue count --group-by type                 # Count by type/priority/assignee
sc issue stale                                 # Stale issues (7+ days default)
sc issue stale --days 3                        # Stale 3+ days
sc issue blocked                               # Blocked issues + blockers
sc issue dep tree <id>                         # Dependency tree
sc issue dep tree                              # Trees for all epics

Checkpoints

sc checkpoint create "name" --include-git      # Create checkpoint
sc checkpoint list -s "query"                  # Find checkpoints
sc checkpoint show <id>                        # Get details
sc checkpoint restore <id>                     # Restore

Memory (persistent across sessions)

sc memory save "key" "value" -c command        # Save memory
sc memory get "key"                            # Get memory
sc memory list                                 # List all

Plans

sc plan create "title" --content "markdown"    # Create plan
sc plan list                                   # List plans
sc plan show <id>                              # Get plan details
sc plan capture                                # Import plan from AI agent's plan file
sc plan capture --agent claude --max-age 60    # Specific agent, 60min max age
sc plan capture --file /path/to/plan.md        # Explicit file path

Prime (full context)

sc prime                                       # Full context aggregation
sc prime --compact                             # Markdown for agent injection
sc prime --smart --compact                     # Relevance-ranked within token budget
sc prime --smart --compact --query "auth"      # Semantic boost for topic
sc prime --smart --compact --budget 2000       # Custom token budget
sc prime --transcript                          # Include session transcripts

Workflow Routing

Workflow	Trigger	File
QuickSave	"save", "remember", "note this"	`Workflows/QuickSave.md`
SessionStart	Starting work, "begin session"	`Workflows/SessionStart.md`
WrapUp	"wrap up", "end of day"	`Workflows/WrapUp.md`
Resume	"resume", "continue"	`Workflows/Resume.md`
Compaction	"prepare for compaction"	`Workflows/Compaction.md`
IssueTracking	"create issue", "track this bug"	`Workflows/IssueTracking.md`
Planning	"plan this feature"	`Workflows/Planning.md`
FeatureLifecycle	"implement", "build this", "plan and execute"	`Workflows/FeatureLifecycle.md`
Prime	"what's the full context", conversation start	`Workflows/Prime.md`
Advanced	Multi-day projects, multi-agent, branch switching, subagents	`Workflows/AdvancedWorkflows.md`

Examples

Example 1: Quick save during work

# User: "remember that we chose JWT over sessions for auth"
sc save "auth-decision" "Chose JWT over sessions for stateless scaling" -c decision -p high

Example 2: Starting a work session

# User: "let's work on the payment feature"
sc session start "payment-feature" -d "Implementing Stripe integration"

Example 3: Wrapping up

# User: "wrap up for today"
sc save "wrapup-2025-01-30" "Completed login flow. Next: rate limiting" -c progress
sc checkpoint create "wrapup-2025-01-30" --include-git
sc session pause

Do NOT Automatically

Start sessions for quick saves (just save the item)
Run multiple commands when one suffices
Load full reference docs unless user asks how something works

Reference

Full CLI reference: Workflows/Reference.md

SaveContext-CLI