Receiving Context
Received At: !date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'
Context Directory: ![[ -d /tmp/claude-ctx ]] && echo "Exists" || echo "Does not exist - will create"
Note: If /tmp/claude-ctx/ does not exist, create it with:
bash
mkdir -p /tmp/claude-ctx cat > /tmp/claude-ctx/README.md << 'EOF' # Claude Context Handoff Directory This is an **ephemeral directory** for Claude Code session context handoff. Created by claude slash commands. '/context:send' and '/context:receive'. EOF
Quick Example
bash
/context:receive child api-implementation # ✓ Context received from child session # File: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-child-to-parent-api-implementation.md
receive - Receive context from parent, child, or sibling session
Read and integrate context from session handoff file.
Usage
code
/context:receive parent [subject] [path] /context:receive child [subject] [path] /context:receive sibling [subject] [path]
IMPORTANT: Direction is REQUIRED. Must be one of: parent, child, or sibling.
Subject and path are optional:
- •subject: Claude will infer from context if not provided
- •path: Defaults to
/tmp/claude-ctx/if not provided
What it does
- •Validates direction - Errors if direction is not parent|child|sibling
- •Check "Context Directory" status above (from dynamic injection)
- •Create directory only if status shows "Does not exist - will create"
- •If creating directory, generates minimal README.md:
markdown
# Claude Context Handoff Directory This is an **ephemeral directory** for Claude Code session context handoff. Created by claude slash commands. '/context:send' and '/context:receive'.
- •Determines direction flow based on argument
- •Records received timestamp (auto-captured)
- •If subject provided, looks for
{path}/ctx-{direction}-{subject}.md - •If no subject, uses wildcard:
{path}/ctx-{direction}-*.mdsorted by newest first - •Path defaults to
/tmp/claude-ctx/but can be customized - •Reads and displays context file with original timestamp from sender
- •Integrates context into current session understanding
Important: When using wildcard (no subject), files are sorted by modification time with newest first, ensuring you get the most recent context.
File patterns:
- •
/context:receive parent→ looks for/tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-parent-to-child-*.md - •
/context:receive child→ looks for/tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-child-to-parent-*.md - •
/context:receive sibling→ looks for/tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-sibling-to-sibling-*.md
Example: Receiving from Parent (Wildcard)
code
/context:receive parent ✓ Searching for context files: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-parent-to-child-*.md (newest first) ✓ Found: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-parent-to-child-database-migration.md (modified 2 minutes ago) [Context displayed with parent session details] Ready to begin focused work based on parent's context!
Example: Receiving from Child with Subject
code
/context:receive child api-implementation ✓ Context received from child session File: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-child-to-parent-api-implementation.md [Context displayed with completed work summary] Child session completed. Integrating results back.
Example: Receiving from Sibling
code
/context:receive sibling parallel-task ✓ Context received from sibling session File: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-sibling-to-sibling-parallel-task.md [Context displayed with parallel work details] Sibling session completed. Integrating parallel work.
Example: Custom Path
code
/context:receive parent database-work ~/Documents/context/ ✓ Context received from parent session File: ~/Documents/context/ctx-parent-to-child-database-work.md [Context displayed]
Example: Missing Direction (Error)
code
/context:receive database-work ✗ Error: Must specify direction: parent, child, or sibling Usage: /context:receive <parent|child|sibling> [subject] [path]
What gets loaded
- •Context file content: Decisions, work done, blockers, next actions
- •Handoff metadata: Why the handoff occurred, what was planned
- •Related context: Key information needed to continue
When to use
- •Immediately after starting a new child session from parent
- •After resuming parent session when child is complete
- •When starting a sibling session and receiving context from another sibling
- •When receiving context from any parent/child/sibling session
- •To understand what happened in related session
Related commands
- •
/context:send- Send context to parent/child before switching