Project Memory Skill

Maintain persistent context across Claude Code sessions using external files as memory.

Memory System Overview

Since Claude's context resets between sessions, we use files to persist important information:

Session Start Protocol

When starting a new session:

1. •

   Read status file

   bash

   cat docs/status.md
   

2. •

   Check git state

   bash

   git log --oneline -10
   git status
   

3. •

   Review recent decisions

   bash

   ls -la docs/decisions/ | tail -5
   

4. •

   Summarize context before proceeding with new work

Session End Protocol

Before ending a session:

1. •Summarize work done
2. •Update status.md with:
   • •What was accomplished
   • •What's in progress
   • •Any blockers
   • •Context for next session
3. •Document any decisions in docs/decisions/
4. •Commit changes with descriptive message

Status File Format

# Project Status

## Last Updated
[Timestamp]

## Current Focus
[Main area of work]

## In Progress
- [ ] [Task 1] - [status notes]
- [ ] [Task 2] - [status notes]

## Completed Recently
- [x] [Completed task]

## Blockers
- [Blocker description] - [what's needed]

## Decisions Made
- [Decision]: [rationale]

## Context for Next Session
- [Important point 1]
- [Important point 2]
- [Where to pick up]

Decision Record Format

Create docs/decisions/YYYY-MM-DD-topic.md:

# [Number]. [Title]

## Status
[Proposed | Accepted | Deprecated]

## Context
[Why this decision is needed]

## Decision
[What we decided]

## Consequences
[What this means going forward]

Technical Debt Tracking

Add to docs/tech-debt.md when noticing debt:

## [Priority Level]

| Item | Location | Description | Added |
|------|----------|-------------|-------|
| [Name] | [file:line] | [Description] | [Date] |

Git as Memory

Git history serves as additional memory:

• •Commit messages should explain why, not just what
• •Branch names should describe the work
• •PR descriptions capture context

Useful Git Commands for Context

# Recent activity
git log --oneline -20

# What changed in a file
git log -p --follow -- path/to/file

# Search commits for keywords
git log --grep="keyword"

# Changes in current branch
git log main..HEAD --oneline

Context Handoff Checklist

Before handing off to another session or team member:

• • docs/status.md is current
• • Uncommitted work is either committed or described
• • Decisions are documented
• • Blockers are noted
• • Next steps are clear

Best Practices

1. •Update frequently - Don't wait until the end
2. •Be specific - "Fixed auth" < "Fixed JWT expiry handling in refresh flow"
3. •Include blockers - They're easy to forget
4. •Link to files - "See src/auth/jwt.ts:45" for context
5. •Keep it scannable - Use lists and headers