charly-vibes/resume-handoff

Resume from Handoff

Resume work from a handoff document through analysis and verification.

Step 1: Read Handoff Completely

If given a handoff path:

# Read the handoff file
cat handoffs/2026-01-12_14-30-00_oauth-integration.md

If given an issue ID:

# Find handoffs for this issue
ls handoffs/*issue-123* | sort -r | head -1

# Or search in handoff content
grep -l "issue: issue-123" handoffs/*.md | sort -r | head -1

If no parameter provided:

# List recent handoffs
ls -lt handoffs/ | head -10

# Ask user which to resume

Step 2: Extract Key Information

From the handoff, identify:

Task Status:

• What was completed?
• What's in progress?
• What's planned?

Critical Files:

• Which files are most important?
• What are the line ranges mentioned?

Key Learnings:

• What discoveries affect our work?
• What mistakes should we avoid?

Open Questions:

• What needs decisions?
• What was uncertain?

Next Steps:

• What's the prioritized todo list?

Step 3: Verify Current State

# Check if anything changed since handoff
git log --oneline [handoff_commit]..HEAD

# Check current branch
git branch --show-current

# Check working directory status
git status

# Compare current state to handoff state
git diff [handoff_commit]

Step 4: Read Referenced Files

Read the "Critical Files" section files:

# Read each critical file mentioned
cat src/auth/oauth.ts
cat src/auth/providers.ts
# ... etc

Focus on:

• Understanding current implementation
• Verifying learnings still apply
• Finding any conflicts with changes since handoff

Step 5: Present Analysis

I've analyzed the handoff from [date]. Here's the current situation:

## Original Context
[Summary of what was being worked on]

## Task Status Review

**Completed (from handoff):**
- [x] Task 1 - VERIFIED: Still complete
- [x] Task 2 - VERIFIED: Still complete

**In Progress (from handoff):**
- [ ] Task 3 - STATUS: [describe current state]

**Planned:**
- [ ] Next task 1 [Priority from handoff]
- [ ] Next task 2

## Changes Since Handoff

**Commits since handoff:**
[List any commits between handoff and now]

**Impact:**
[How these changes affect our work]

## Key Learnings Still Applicable

1. [Learning 1] - Still valid because [reason]
2. [Learning 2] - Still valid, see [file:line]

## Questions Needing Resolution

From handoff:
- [ ] [Question 1] - [Current thinking or need decision]
- [ ] [Question 2] - [Can we resolve this now?]

## Recommended Next Action

Based on the handoff priorities and current state:

**Priority 1:** [Action from handoff]
- Reason: [Why this is still the priority]
- Files: [What needs to change]
- Approach: [How to do it]

Shall I proceed with [action]?

Step 6: Get Confirmation and Begin

Wait for user confirmation, then:

• Create todo list from next steps
• Start with highest priority action
• Apply learnings from handoff
• Track progress as you go

Scenarios

Clean Continuation

All changes present, no conflicts, proceed normally.

Diverged Codebase

Changes detected since handoff:

Commit a1b2c3d: "refactor: restructure auth module"
- Affects our OAuth implementation
- Provider files moved to src/auth/providers/ directory
- Need to update our understanding

I'll read the new structure before proceeding. Let me check:
- src/auth/providers/ directory contents
- How existing patterns changed
- If our learnings still apply

[After reading]

Updated understanding:
- Providers now in separate directory (not one file)
- Pattern still the same, just reorganized
- Our work can continue with file path updates

Shall I proceed with the original plan, adapting to new structure?

Incomplete Work

The handoff shows Task 3 was "in progress". Let me verify current state:

[Reads relevant files]

Current state: Task 3 is partially done:
- OAuth flow implemented
- Provider selection NOT YET implemented
- Error states missing

Recommended approach:
1. Complete Task 3 first (finish what was started)
2. Then proceed to planned work

Shall I complete Task 3 before moving to new work?

Stale Handoff

The handoff is from [3 weeks ago]. Significant changes detected:

Changes:
- 47 commits since handoff
- Auth system refactored
- New OAuth library integrated

This handoff may be too stale to resume directly.

Options:
1. Review changes and adapt the plan
2. Start fresh with current codebase state
3. Cherry-pick specific unfinished work

What would you like to do?

Guidelines

1. Always verify before acting - Don't assume handoff matches reality
2. Apply learnings - Use documented patterns and avoid noted pitfalls
3. Check open questions - Some may be resolved or need decisions now
4. Respect priorities - Handoff author prioritized for a reason
5. Adapt to changes - If codebase changed, acknowledge and adapt
6. Create new handoff - When this session ends, update or create new one