Agent skill

project-continue

Continue a project after PR merge or new session with full context loading

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npx add-skill https://github.com/majiayu000/claude-skill-registry/tree/main/skills/data/project-continue

SKILL.md

project-continue

Category: Project Lifecycle Last Updated: January 2026

Purpose

Tier 2 Orchestrator Skill - Resume work on an existing project after a PR merge, session break, or context compaction. This skill ensures:

Branch and PR status are verified and synced with master
Full project context is loaded (CLAUDE.md, plan.md, spec.md, etc.)
Work resumes from the correct task with proper state recovery
AI coding procedures and ADRs are followed

Key Difference from task-execute: This skill handles the project-level context setup (branch sync, PR status, all project files), while task-execute handles task-level context (specific POML file, knowledge files, step-by-step execution).

When to Use

After merging a PR to master and continuing development
Starting a new Claude Code session on an existing project
Resuming after context compaction (/compact)
User says "continue project", "resume project", "pick up where I left off"
User references a project that has existing artifacts (README.md, tasks/)
Trigger phrases: "continue project", "resume project", "where was I on {project}", "pick up {project}", "continue work on {project}"

Prerequisites

Project exists: projects/{project-name}/ folder with at least README.md and tasks/
Git configured: Repository initialized with remote
On a feature branch (not master) or worktree exists for the project

Workflow

Step 1: Identify Project and Branch

IDENTIFY project:
  - If user provides project name: Use that
  - If in a worktree: Extract project from worktree path
  - If on a feature branch: Extract project from branch name (feature/{project-name})
  - If ambiguous: Ask user to specify

VERIFY project folder exists:
  - projects/{project-name}/README.md
  - projects/{project-name}/tasks/TASK-INDEX.md

IF project folder missing:
  → ERROR: "Project '{project-name}' not found. Run /project-pipeline to initialize."
  → STOP

IDENTIFY branch/worktree:
  - Check if in a git worktree (git worktree list)
  - If worktree: Note worktree path
  - If not worktree: Check current branch name

Output to User:

📁 Project: {project-name}
🌿 Branch: feature/{project-name}
📍 Location: {path or worktree info}

Checking sync status with master...

Step 2: Sync with Master (Adapted from pull-from-github)

Purpose: Ensure branch is up-to-date with master to avoid conflicts and incorporate latest changes.

powershell

# Check for local uncommitted changes
git status --porcelain

Decision tree:

IF has uncommitted changes:
  → WARN: "You have uncommitted changes:"
  → SHOW: modified files list
  → OPTIONS:
    1. "Stash changes, sync with master, restore" (recommended)
    2. "Commit changes first, then sync"
    3. "Continue without syncing" (risk conflicts later)
  → ASK user preference

IF no uncommitted changes:
  → PROCEED with sync

Sync operations:

powershell

# Fetch latest from origin
git fetch origin

# Check if behind master
git log HEAD..origin/master --oneline

# Show divergence
git rev-list --left-right --count HEAD...origin/master

If behind master:

📥 Master has {N} new commits since your branch diverged.

Recent master commits:
  abc1234 feat(other): Some other feature
  def5678 fix(api): Bug fix

Options:
1. Merge master into your branch (recommended - preserves history)
2. Rebase onto master (cleaner history, but rewrites commits)
3. Skip sync (continue with current state)

[1/2/3 or skip]

Execute sync (if chosen):

powershell

# Option 1: Merge (default)
git merge origin/master --no-edit

# Option 2: Rebase
git pull --rebase origin master

# Handle conflicts if any (delegate to user for manual resolution)
IF conflicts:
  → LIST conflicted files
  → STOP and ask user to resolve manually
  → After resolution: "Ready to continue? [y]"

Output after sync:

✅ Branch synced with master
   - {N} commits merged
   - No conflicts (or: Conflicts resolved)

Ready to load project context.

Step 3: Check PR Status (if applicable)

powershell

# Check if a PR exists for this branch
gh pr list --head $(git branch --show-current) --state open --json number,title,state,checksUrl

If PR exists:

📋 Open PR: #{number} - {title}
   Status: {Draft/Ready for Review}
   CI: {Passing/Failing/Pending}
   URL: {pr-url}

IF CI failing:
  → WARN: "CI is failing. You may want to address CI issues."
  → SHOW: Failed checks summary
  → ASK: "Continue anyway? [y/n]"

If no PR:

ℹ️ No open PR found for this branch.
   Consider creating one for visibility: /push-to-github

Step 4: Load Project Context (MANDATORY)

This step is critical for accurate continuation. Do NOT skip.

LOAD all project files into context:

1. PROJECT ARTIFACTS (required):
   READ: projects/{project-name}/README.md
     → Extract: Project overview, graduation criteria, current status

   READ: projects/{project-name}/CLAUDE.md
     → Extract: Applicable ADRs, key services, skills to use

   READ: projects/{project-name}/plan.md
     → Extract: Phase structure, dependencies, architecture decisions

   READ: projects/{project-name}/spec.md
     → Extract: Requirements, success criteria, scope boundaries

2. TASK STATE (required):
   READ: projects/{project-name}/current-task.md
     → Extract: Active task, completed steps, next action, blockers

   READ: projects/{project-name}/tasks/TASK-INDEX.md
     → Extract: Task status overview, completed/pending counts

3. CODE INVENTORY (if exists):
   IF exists projects/{project-name}/CODE-INVENTORY.md:
     READ: CODE-INVENTORY.md
     → Extract: Files created/modified, key implementations
     → Note: This provides code-level context for continuation

4. RECENT NOTES (if useful):
   SCAN: projects/{project-name}/notes/
     → Check for recent files (modified in last 7 days)
     → Read any that provide implementation context

Context Summary Output:

✅ Project context loaded:

📄 Project Files:
   - README.md: {status from readme}
   - CLAUDE.md: {applicable ADRs count}
   - plan.md: {phase count} phases
   - spec.md: {word count} words

📋 Task State:
   - Active Task: {task-id} - {title}
   - Status: {in-progress/blocked/not-started}
   - Completed: {N}/{total} tasks
   - Next Action: {from current-task.md}

📁 Code Inventory: {Available/Not found}
   {If available: N files documented}

📝 Recent Notes: {count} files in notes/

Step 5: Load ADRs and Skills (via adr-aware)

EXTRACT applicable ADRs from CLAUDE.md

FOR each ADR referenced:
  READ: .claude/adr/ADR-{XXX}.md (concise version)
  EXTRACT: Key constraints, MUST/MUST NOT rules

LOAD always-apply skills:
  - adr-aware
  - spaarke-conventions
  - script-aware

Output:

📐 ADRs Loaded:
   - ADR-001: Minimal API patterns
   - ADR-013: AI Architecture
   - ADR-015: AI Observability

✅ Always-apply skills active

Step 6: Determine Resume Point

FROM current-task.md:

IF status == "in-progress":
  → This is a task continuation
  → EXTRACT: Current step, completed steps, files modified
  → REPORT: "Resuming task {id} at step {N}"

IF status == "blocked":
  → EXTRACT: Blocker description
  → REPORT: "Task {id} is blocked: {reason}"
  → ASK: "Blocker resolved? [y/n]"
  → IF yes: Continue task
  → IF no: Ask what user wants to do

IF status == "not-started" or "none":
  → CHECK TASK-INDEX.md for next pending task
  → REPORT: "Next task: {id} - {title}"
  → ASK: "Ready to start task {id}? [y]"

IF status == "completed" (all tasks done):
  → REPORT: "All tasks complete! Run /repo-cleanup to finalize."

Step 7: Transition to Task Execution

IF ready to work on a task:
  → INVOKE task-execute skill with:
    - Task file path
    - Pre-loaded project context
    - Resume point (if continuing)

  → task-execute will:
    1. Load task-specific knowledge files
    2. Continue from correct step
    3. Track progress in current-task.md

Final Output:

✅ Project continuation ready!

📁 Project: {project-name}
🌿 Branch: feature/{project-name} (synced with master)
📋 PR: #{number} - CI {passing/failing}

📌 Resume Point:
   Task: {task-id} - {title}
   Step: {current step}/{total steps}
   Next: {next action from current-task.md}

Ready to continue. Proceeding with task execution...

Guardrails and Best Practices

Context Budget Awareness

BEFORE loading all project files:
  CHECK current context usage

  IF > 50%:
    → WARN: "Context at {X}%. Loading project files may approach limits."
    → SUGGEST: "Consider /compact before loading full context"

  IF > 70%:
    → CRITICAL: "Context too high to safely load project."
    → SUGGEST: "Run /compact first, then /project-continue"
    → STOP

Human Escalation Triggers

MUST request human input for:

Merge conflicts during master sync
CI failures on PR that block progress
Blockers noted in current-task.md
Ambiguous resume points (multiple tasks in-progress)
Security-sensitive changes detected in git diff

State Preservation

ALWAYS verify current-task.md is accurate:
  - If discrepancy between current-task.md and actual files: WARN user
  - If task marked complete but files don't exist: FLAG as issue
  - If files modified outside task scope: NOTE for user awareness

ADR Compliance

BEFORE starting any implementation work:
  - All applicable ADRs must be loaded (Step 5)
  - Any ADR violations from previous work should be flagged
  - New work must follow ADR constraints

Error Handling

Situation	Response
Project folder not found	"Project '{name}' not found. Run /project-pipeline to initialize."
Not on feature branch	"You're on master. Checkout feature branch: git checkout feature/{name}"
Uncommitted changes	Offer stash/commit/skip options (Step 2)
Merge conflicts	List conflicts, stop for manual resolution
CI failing on PR	Warn user, offer to continue or address first
No current-task.md	"Task state missing. Check TASK-INDEX.md for progress."
Multiple tasks in-progress	"Ambiguous state. Which task to continue?"
Context budget high	Suggest /compact before proceeding

Examples

Example 1: Resume After PR Merge

User: "continue project ai-document-intelligence-r3"

Agent:
  1. CHECK: Branch exists, worktree at C:/code_files/spaarke (main repo)
  2. SYNC: Fetch origin/master, merge 3 new commits
  3. PR: #96 merged, no open PR (this is post-merge continuation)
  4. LOAD: README, CLAUDE.md, plan.md, spec.md, current-task.md
  5. STATE: Task 045 in-progress, step 3 of 5 complete

Output:
  "✅ Project synced and context loaded.
   Resuming task 045 - Deploy to production
   Step 4: Run smoke tests

   Proceeding..."

Example 2: New Session on Worktree Project

User: "where was I on the email automation project?"

Agent:
  1. IDENTIFY: email-to-document-automation project
  2. FIND: Worktree at C:/code_files/spaarke-wt-email-to-document-automation
  3. SYNC: 2 commits behind master, merge completed
  4. PR: #95 open, CI passing
  5. LOAD: All project files
  6. STATE: Task 012 not-started

Output:
  "✅ Email-to-Document Automation project ready.

   Last completed: Task 011 - Implement EML converter
   Next task: 012 - Add attachment handling

   PR #95 is open with passing CI.

   Ready to start task 012? [y]"

Example 3: Blocked Task

User: "pick up where I left off"

Agent:
  1. IDENTIFY: Currently in project worktree
  2. SYNC: Already up to date
  3. LOAD: Project context
  4. STATE: Task 023 blocked - "Waiting for Azure AD app registration"

Output:
  "⚠️ Task 023 is blocked.

   Blocker: Waiting for Azure AD app registration
   Noted on: 2026-01-02

   Has this blocker been resolved? [y/n]

   Or choose another action:
   - 'skip' to move to next non-blocked task
   - 'update' to modify the blocker status"

Integration with Other Skills

Skill	Integration
`pull-from-github`	Step 2 uses sync patterns from this skill
`task-execute`	Step 7 hands off to task-execute for actual work
`adr-aware`	Step 5 loads ADRs using this always-apply skill
`push-to-github`	Use after completing work to commit/push
`project-pipeline`	Use if project doesn't exist yet
`repo-cleanup`	Use when all tasks complete

Related Files

projects/{name}/current-task.md - Primary state recovery file
projects/{name}/tasks/TASK-INDEX.md - Task status overview
projects/{name}/CLAUDE.md - Project-specific AI context
projects/{name}/CODE-INVENTORY.md - Code change tracking (if exists)

Tips for AI

Always sync with master first - Prevents painful merge conflicts later
Load ALL project files - Partial context leads to inconsistent work
Respect current-task.md - It's the source of truth for resume points
Check context budget early - Better to compact before loading than run out mid-task
Verify PR status - CI failures should be addressed before adding more code
Use CODE-INVENTORY.md if available - It provides crucial code-level context
Don't skip ADR loading - ADR violations are costly to fix later

This skill ensures seamless project continuation across sessions, PR merges, and context boundaries.

Maintainer

majiayu000 Core maintainer

Source details

Full Name: majiayu000/claude-skill-registry
Branch: main
Path in repo: skills/data/project-continue
License: MIT License

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Install this agent skill to your Project

SKILL.md

project-continue

Purpose

When to Use

Prerequisites

Workflow

Step 1: Identify Project and Branch

Step 2: Sync with Master (Adapted from pull-from-github)

Step 3: Check PR Status (if applicable)

Step 4: Load Project Context (MANDATORY)

Step 5: Load ADRs and Skills (via adr-aware)

Step 6: Determine Resume Point

Step 7: Transition to Task Execution

Guardrails and Best Practices

Context Budget Awareness

Human Escalation Triggers

State Preservation

ADR Compliance

Error Handling

Examples

Example 1: Resume After PR Merge

Example 2: New Session on Worktree Project

Example 3: Blocked Task

Integration with Other Skills

Related Files

Tips for AI

Recommended Agent Skills

agent-ops-spec

agent-ops-state

agent-ops-spec

agent-ops-testing

agent-ops-testing

agent-ops-state