technicalpickles/unpark

Unpark

Resume work from a parked handoff document, or read a wrapped close-out record as reference.

Process

1. Find Handoff

Check parking locations in order:

1. Project CLAUDE.md -> ## Handoffs or ## Parking -> Location:
2. User ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md -> same lookup
3. Default: .parkinglot/ in project root

If multiple files exist, group them by mode and list:

Active handoffs:
(A) jwt-authentication.md     - Parked 2026-05-06
(B) fix-login-bug.md          - Parked 2026-05-04

Wrapped (reference only):
(C) sanitation-skill-fix-wrapped.md       - Wrapped 2026-03-30
(D) confirm-dotfiles-work-role-wrapped.md - Wrapped 2026-04-12

(E) Other location

Detect group by filename suffix (-wrapped.md) and the file's first heading (Parked: vs Wrapped:). Filename and heading should agree; if they disagree, trust the heading and note the mismatch.

2. Branch on Mode

After the user picks a file, read it and check the first heading.

• # Parked: -> continue with Continuation Flow below
• # Wrapped: -> switch to Reference Flow below

Continuation Flow

2a. Read and Present

Read the handoff and present a summary:

Resuming: [Topic]

Parked: [Date]
Branch: [branch]

Current state: [Brief summary]

Next steps:
1. [Step 1]
2. [Step 2]

2b. Validate

Check that the handoff is still valid:

• [ ] Git branch matches (or can be checked out)
• [ ] Worktree exists (if specified)
• [ ] Key files still exist
• [ ] Decisions still seem relevant

2c. Handle Validation Results

If valid:

Validation passed. Ready to continue with: [first next step]

Proceed?
(A) Yes, continue
(B) Review the full handoff first
(C) Adjust the plan

If stale or invalid:

Validation found issues:
- [Issue 1]
- [Issue 2]

Options:
(A) Update handoff and try again - I'll revise based on current state
(B) Start fresh - discard this handoff
(C) Continue anyway - I understand the context has changed

If option A: update the handoff file with current findings, then recommend unparking again.

Reference Flow

For Wrapped: files. No validation runs by default. Present the file as a reference:

This is a close-out record, not a handoff. Showing it as reference.

Wrapped: [topic]
Date: [...]
Outcome: [first paragraph from Outcome section]

Options:
(A) Read the full record
(B) Start fresh work building on this   (invokes brainstorming with this doc as context)
(C) Treat as continuation anyway        (runs full validation despite the heading)

Option (A): print the file contents as a reference, no further action. Option (B): invoke superpowers:brainstorming and pass the wrapped doc's path as starting context. Option (C): rare escape hatch. Treat the file as if it were a continuation and run the validate step from the Continuation Flow. Useful if the user wrapped something prematurely.

Session Chains

Both Parked: and Wrapped: files include a Session: field. Session tracking tools can use this to link work across sessions:

Session A (parked) -> handoff.md -> Session B (unparked) -> parked again -> ...
Session A (wrapped) -> wrapped.md -> [end of chain, unless treated as continuation]

Edge Cases

• Branch doesn't exist: Offer to create it or pick a different branch.
• Files deleted: Note in validation, may still be able to continue.
• Handoff is very old: Extra scrutiny on decisions, they may need revisiting.
• Filename/heading mismatch: Trust the heading. Note the mismatch to the user.
• Legacy Parked: file with old shape (Resume Prompt at bottom): Works fine. The validation flow does not depend on section order.