st0nefish/session-start

Start work from whatever you describe. This is the input-driven door: you say what to do, it grounds in the current repo state, creates or reuses a branch, then runs the shared begin-work spine (explore → plan). To browse and pick from open issues instead, use /session:session-issue; for a read-only status view, use /session:session-summarize.

CRITICAL: You MUST drive this to a plan. NEVER print "suggested first steps" or ask "ready to start?" — the flow does not end until you have explored the code with research agents and called EnterPlanMode. And once the approved work is implemented you STOP and hand back to the user (spine Phase 5) — never commit, push, open/merge a PR, or finalize on your own. Plan approval ≠ permission to publish.

Phase 0 — Take the input and ground it

1. The work comes from $ARGUMENTS (your description). If $ARGUMENTS is empty, ask the user what they want to work on (a single open-ended AskUserQuestion or plain prompt) — do not enumerate a work board; /session:session-issue is the issue picker and /session:session-summarize is the status view.

2. Ground yourself in the current state:

   bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/catchup
   

   Read the output:

   • Already on a feature branch (not the default, with prior commits or uncommitted work) → you are continuing existing work. Reuse this branch; do NOT create a new one. Skip Phase 1 and tell the spine to skip its Isolate phase.
   • On the default branch → this is new work; create a branch in Phase 1.

Phase 1 — Identify the target & base branch (new work only)

3. Interpret the description to pick a base branch name:

   • References an existing issue (e.g. "#42", "issue 42") → fetch it and link it:

     bash ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/git-cli issue show <N>
     

     Derive the branch type from labels (bug/fix → bug, enhancement/feature/improvement → enhancement, docs/chore/refactor/maintenance → chore, else feature). Base name: <type>-<slug> (the issue number lives in the PR's Closes #N, not the branch). Keep the issue body + labels as context.

   • Freeform → base name wip-<kebab-slug> (3-5 word slug from the description). No issue linked; the description is the context.

Phase 2 — Run the spine

4. Read the shared begin-work spine and execute it (use the Read tool):

   ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/spine.md
   

   Hand it the context you gathered (the freeform description and/or the issue body + labels) and the base branch name from Phase 1. The spine drives Isolate (worktree) → Escalate-to-orchestrate? → Explore (parallel research agents) → Plan (EnterPlanMode) → Hand-off. If Phase 0 determined you are continuing an existing branch, tell the spine to skip its Isolate phase. Complete every MANDATORY phase — the flow ends only once you have presented a plan.