Checkpoint Workflow Skill

Core Principle

CHECKPOINT EARLY, CHECKPOINT OFTEN

Never accumulate more than 5 minutes of unsaved work. Every significant unit of work must be persisted before moving to the next.

Checkpoint Triggers

Create a checkpoint when:

1. After creating ANY file → commit immediately
2. After completing a subtask → update PROGRESS.md + commit
3. Before starting a new phase → save current state
4. Every 3-5 tool calls → update progress journal
5. Before complex operations → pre-operation snapshot

Required Actions

After Every 2-3 Files Created

git add <files>
git commit -m "checkpoint: <brief description>"
git push origin main

Before and After Major Steps

Update docs/claude-integration/PROGRESS.md:

### Completed Steps:
- [x] Step description (commit: abc123)

### Current State:
- Working on: [specific item]
- Next action: [what comes next]

Commit Message Prefixes

• checkpoint: - Work in progress
• wip: - May not build/work
• progress: - Incremental progress
• save: - Explicit save point

Recovery Protocol

On context loss or "continue" request:

1. Read docs/claude-integration/PROGRESS.md
2. Check git log --oneline -10
3. Check /mnt/transcripts/[latest].txt
4. Resume from documented "Next Actions"
5. Update PROGRESS.md before continuing

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

❌ Creating 10 files then committing all at once ❌ Completing entire task before documenting ❌ Starting context-heavy operations without saving first ❌ Ignoring PROGRESS.md updates

Sample Workflow

1. START TASK
   └─> Update PROGRESS.md: "Starting task X"
   └─> git commit -m "checkpoint: starting task X"

2. SUBTASK A (2-3 files)
   └─> Create files
   └─> git commit -m "checkpoint: completed subtask A"
   └─> Update PROGRESS.md

3. SUBTASK B (2-3 files)
   └─> Create files
   └─> git commit -m "checkpoint: completed subtask B"
   └─> Update PROGRESS.md

4. COMPLETE
   └─> git commit -m "feat: complete task X"
   └─> Update PROGRESS.md: "COMPLETE"