session-start_skill

Overview

This skill bootstraps a development session with an automated startup ritual that orients you, checks repository health, and prepares a focused todo list. It launches lightweight scout and planner agents in parallel, verifies git and service status, and restores prior context so you can start work productively. The result is a concise session summary and prioritized tasks to begin immediately.

How this skill works

On invocation the skill simultaneously starts a scout agent for a quick project health scan and a planner agent to prioritize work. It runs a git health check, reads any existing project recommendations, verifies running services, and restores previous session todos. Finally it synthesizes findings into a short session report and an initial prioritized task list.

When to use it

• At the start of any development day or focused work session
• Before beginning new feature work to ensure git and services are clean
• When returning to a project after a break to restore context
• Prior to triage or planning meetings to gather current state
• When you want quick wins and high-impact tasks surfaced immediately

Best practices

• Always launch scout and planner in parallel to save time
• Read existing recommendations before creating new analysis
• Resolve or stash large numbers of uncommitted changes before proceeding
• Use TodoWrite or equivalent for session visibility and handoff
• Run quick service checks (sm status) to confirm required services are up

Example use cases

• Morning session kickoff: get a clean git state, service health, and prioritized tasks
• Context recovery: restore todos and unfinished work after an interruption
• Pre-PR work: ensure no hidden untracked files and surface quick fixes
• Audit prep: gather prior recommendations and identify audit opportunities
• Sprint start: quickly produce an ordered list of high-impact items to attack first