session-review
SkillDev toolsGenerate a structured session summary for cross-session continuity. Captures key decisions, hypotheses, partial work, and knowledge references. Output is written to .Codex/session-handoff.json for the next session to load automatically.
Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.
No other account needed.
Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.
Then ask your AI: use the session-review skill
What this skill tells your AI
The instructions your AI receives, as published by kastalien-research/thoughtbox in .agents/skills/session-review/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.
Generate a structured session summary for cross-session continuity.
Context
$ARGUMENTS
Loop Building Blocks
| Loop | Purpose | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Consistency Check | Validate session summary against evidence | @loops/refinement/consistency-check.md |
| Documentation | Generate structured session review | @loops/authoring/documentation.md |
See @loops/README.md for the full loop library.
Workflow
Phase 1: Gather Session State (Observe)
- Run
git log --oneline -20to see recent commits this session - Run
git statusto see uncommitted work - Run
git diff --statto see scope of changes - Check
.Codex/state/memory-calibration.jsonfor pattern detection state - Read MEMORY.md for any updates made this session
Phase 2: Synthesize Session Context (Orient)
From the gathered data, identify:
- Key Decisions: What architectural or design choices were made and why
- Open Hypotheses: What questions remain unanswered, what investigations are pending
- Partial Work: What was started but not finished, with enough context to resume
- Knowledge Discovered: New patterns, gotchas, or insights worth preserving
- Blocked Items: What's blocked and on what
- Next Steps: What the next session should prioritize
Phase 3: Write Session Handoff (Act)
Write the session summary to .Codex/session-handoff.json (single file, overwritten each time) using this schema:
{
"version": "1.0.0",
"session_id": "<from git>",
"timestamp": "<ISO 8601>",
"branch": "<current git branch>",
"duration_estimate": "<approximate session duration>",
"summary": "<1-2 sentence summary of what happened>",
"key_decisions": [
{
"decision": "<what was decided>",
"reasoning": "<why>",
"alternatives_considered": ["<alt1>", "<alt2>"],
"files_affected": ["<file1>", "<file2>"]
}
],
"hypotheses": [
{
"hypothesis": "<what's being investigated>",
"evidence_for": ["<supporting evidence>"],
"evidence_against": ["<counter evidence>"],
"next_test": "<what to try next>"
}
],
"partial_work": [
{
"description": "<what was started>",
"status": "<how far along>",
"resume_from": "<specific file:line or commit to resume from>"
}
],
"knowledge_references": [
{
"store": "<MEMORY.md | Thoughtbox | git>",
"reference": "<specific entity/issue/commit>",
"relevance": "<why the next session needs this>"
}
],
"blocked_items": [
{
"item": "<what's blocked>",
"blocker": "<what's blocking it>",
"workaround": "<if any>"
}
],
"failed_approaches": [
{
"what": "<what was tried>",
"why": "<why it failed>",
"lesson": "<what to do instead>"
}
],
"next_priorities": ["<priority 1>", "<priority 2>", "<priority 3>"],
"warnings": ["<things the next session should watch out for>"]
}
Phase 4: Verify and Report (Decide)
- Verify the handoff file was written successfully
- Print a human-readable summary to the console
- If there are uncommitted changes, warn about them
Output
Present a concise summary:
## Session Handoff Written
File: .Codex/session-handoff.json
Branch: {branch}
Commits this session: {N}
Open hypotheses: {N}
Partial work items: {N}
### Top 3 Priorities for Next Session
1. {priority}
2. {priority}
3. {priority}
### Warnings
- {warning}
Signals
- GitHub stars
- 64
- Forks
- 20
- Last commit
- Jul 2026
Advanced
- Catalog kind
- skill
- Gateway key
session-review- Source
- github.com/kastalien-research/thoughtbox