Session Begin Checklist

⚠️ IMPORTANT - Duplicate Detection:

Before proceeding with the full checklist, check if this session was already started:

1. Read the current conversation context - Have I already completed this checklist in the current conversation?
2. Check SESSION_CONTEXT.md timestamp - Was "Last Updated" modified today?
   • Note: Field stores date only (YYYY-MM-DD), not time. Sub-day duplicate detection relies on conversation context check (#1) and session counter check (#3).
3. Check session counter - Did I already increment the session counter earlier in this conversation?

If ANY of these are true:

• ✅ Session is already active
• ⚠️ DO NOT re-run the checklist
• ⚠️ DO NOT re-increment the session counter
• ⚠️ DO NOT re-run startup scripts
• 💬 Example response: "Session #35 already active (started earlier in this conversation). Checklist completed earlier. What would you like to work on?"

If ALL are false:

• ✅ This is a new session
• ✅ Proceed with full checklist below

Before starting any work, complete these verification steps:

0. Secrets Decryption Check (REMOTE SESSIONS)

Check if MCP tokens need decrypting:

# Check secrets status
if [ -f ".env.local.encrypted" ] && [ ! -f ".env.local" ]; then
  echo "⚠️ Encrypted secrets found but not decrypted"
fi

If secrets need decrypting:

1. Ask the user for their passphrase - Example: "Your MCP tokens need decrypting. What's your passphrase?"
2. Run the decrypt command using stdin (avoids shell history exposure):
   bashCopy

   echo "<user_passphrase>" | node scripts/secrets/decrypt-secrets.js --stdin
   

3. Verify success - Check that .env.local now exists with tokens
4. Never store or log the passphrase - Only use it for the decrypt command

Security note: Using --stdin with echo pipe is safer than env vars, which can leak to shell history and process listings.

If secrets are already decrypted or no encrypted file exists:

• Skip this step and continue to Context Loading

0b. Cross-Session Validation (AUTOMATIC)

The SessionStart hook automatically checks if the previous session ended properly.

If you see a "Cross-Session Warning":

1. The previous session started but /session-end was not run
2. Consider running the missed session-end checklist items:
   • Update SESSION_CONTEXT.md with progress from the incomplete session
   • Check for uncommitted changes
   • Run npm run hooks:health to see session statistics

Quick remediation:

# See session state
npm run hooks:health

# Check for uncommitted work from previous session
git status
git log --oneline -5

0c. Episodic Memory Search (RECOMMENDED)

Search past conversations for relevant context using episodic memory. This helps recover decisions, solutions, and patterns from previous sessions.

Use mcp__plugin_episodic-memory_episodic-memory__search with these queries:

// Search for context on current work
search({ query: ["current branch/feature name", "decisions"] });

// Search for past errors if debugging
search({ query: "error message or pattern" });

// Search for established patterns
search({ query: ["component/module name", "patterns"] });

When to search:

Tips:

• Single string = semantic search (fuzzy, meaning-based)
• Array of 2-5 terms = AND search (all terms must match)
• Use limit: 5 for focused results, limit: 20 for broader search
• Current conversation is NOT indexed yet (only previous sessions)

Summarize findings for the user if relevant context is found.

1. Context Loading (MANDATORY)

• Read SESSION_CONTEXT.md - Current status, active blockers, next goals
• Increment session counter in SESSION_CONTEXT.md
• Check ROADMAP.md for priority changes

1b. Stale Documentation Check (MANDATORY - NEW)

Documentation often drifts from reality. Before trusting any status in docs, verify against actual commits:

# Check recent commits to see actual work done
git log --oneline -30

# Check commits since last documented session date
git log --oneline --since="YYYY-MM-DD"

Compare commits against documented status:

1. Look for PR/feature commits (e.g., "feat:", "fix:", "refactor:")
2. Cross-reference with ROADMAP.md Active Sprint checkboxes
3. If commits show work done but docs show incomplete → UPDATE THE DOCS

Common discrepancies to check:

• Sprint track items: Check commits against Active Sprint checkboxes in ROADMAP.md
• Session counter: Check AI_REVIEW_LEARNINGS_LOG.md version history for session numbers
• Test counts: Run npm test to verify actual vs documented

If docs are stale:

1. Update the stale document with correct status
2. Note which sessions failed to update docs
3. Commit the corrections before proceeding

2. Consolidation Status Check

Check AI_REVIEW_LEARNINGS_LOG.md for the "Consolidation Trigger" section:

• If "Reviews since last consolidation" >= 10: ⚠️ CONSOLIDATION WAS MISSED
• This means patterns from previous reviews are NOT in claude.md context
• Previous session should have consolidated but didn't

If consolidation was missed:

1. Note this in your session summary
2. The patterns are still available in AI_REVIEW_LEARNINGS_LOG.md (read if needed)
3. Consolidation will happen at THIS session's end

3. Documentation & Planning Awareness

• Check ROADMAP.md Active Sprint section for current work
• Note: Archive files in docs/archive/ are excluded from linting
• Completed plans are archived to docs/archive/completed-plans/
• Reference: INTEGRATED_IMPROVEMENT_PLAN.md is ✅ COMPLETE (archived 2026-01-14)

4. Skill Selection (BEFORE starting work)

DECISION TREE:
├─ Bug/Error? → Use 'systematic-debugging' skill FIRST
├─ Writing code? → Use 'code-reviewer' agent AFTER completion
├─ Security work? → Use 'security-auditor' agent
├─ UI/Frontend? → Use 'frontend-design' skill
├─ Complex task? → Check available skills with /skills
└─ Multi-step task? → Use TodoWrite to track progress

5. Code Review Handling Procedures

When receiving code review feedback (CodeRabbit, Qodo, etc.):

1. Analyze ALL suggestions - Read through every comment multiple times
2. Create TodoWrite checklist - Track each suggestion as a task
3. Address systematically - Don't skip items; mark as resolved or note why skipped
4. Verify CI impact - Check if changes affect workflows (ci.yml, docs-lint.yml)
5. Test after changes - Run npm test and npm run lint before committing

6. Anti-Pattern Awareness

Before writing code, scan claude.md Section 4 "Critical Anti-Patterns" and CODE_PATTERNS.md Quick Reference section (🔴 = critical patterns). Key patterns:

• Read before edit - Always read files before attempting to edit
• Regex performance - Avoid greedy .* in patterns; use bounded [\s\S]{0,N}?
• ESLint flat config - Spread plugin configs, don't use directly
• Path-based filtering - Add pathFilter for directory-specific patterns
• Archive exclusions - Historical docs should be excluded from strict linting

7. Session Start Scripts (AUTO-RUN)

Execute these scripts automatically when processing this command:

# Surface known anti-patterns (errors should be visible, not suppressed)
npm run patterns:check

# Check if multi-AI review thresholds reached
npm run review:check

# Surface past lessons relevant to current work
npm run lessons:surface

Important: These scripts are required. If any script fails:

1. Note the error in session summary
2. Investigate if it's a real issue vs missing script
3. If script missing, note it as "N/A" in audit

Record results in session audit - these must be marked as "Ran" or "Failed (reason)" in /session-end audit.

8. Technical Debt Awareness (NEW - Session #98)

Check current technical debt status:

• Read TECHNICAL_DEBT_MASTER.md for prioritized tech debt
• Note any S0/S1 items that should be addressed this session
• Check if any items from previous session need updating

Key tracking documents:

After resolving tech debt items:

1. Mark item as resolved in TECHNICAL_DEBT_MASTER.md
2. Update ROADMAP.md if item was in a sprint track
3. Note in session summary

9. Cross-Document Dependency Check

Before starting work, verify cross-document consistency:

# Check cross-document dependencies
npm run crossdoc:check

Key dependencies to verify:

• ROADMAP.md ↔ SESSION_CONTEXT.md (priorities match)
• TECHNICAL_DEBT_MASTER.md ↔ ROADMAP.md (tech debt section current)
• Audit findings ↔ TECHNICAL_DEBT_MASTER.md (new findings consolidated)

See: DOCUMENT_DEPENDENCIES.md for full dependency matrix.

10. Incident Documentation Reminder

After encountering any significant errors or issues:

• Document the issue in AI_REVIEW_LEARNINGS_LOG.md
• Use the standard "Review #XX" format
• Include: cause, fix, pattern identified, prevention steps
• This builds institutional knowledge for future sessions

Ready to begin session. What would you like to work on?