scdenney/open-science-skills/finished

Session closure

Write down what the next session would otherwise have to rediscover. The record is only useful if it is honest: a log that reports intentions as accomplishments costs more than no log, because the next session trusts it.

0. Defer to the repository first

Glob for .codex/prompts/*finish*.md, .codex/prompts/*wrap*.md, and the same patterns under .claude/commands/ — they catch variants such as finished.md or wrap-up.md. If one matches, Read it, follow its instructions instead of the steps below, and say which file you used. Otherwise continue here.

1. Learn the project's conventions

Read AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md for the stated handoff or logging convention, then locate the artifacts the project actually keeps: HANDOFF.md, CODEX_HANDOFF.md, STATUS.md, SESSION_LOG.md, NOTES.md, or a dated logs/ directory. Match the structure already in the file. Updating these existing files is the job and needs no approval. If the project keeps none, summarize in the reply and offer once to start a durable file, since that sets a convention for the repository.

2. Establish what changed

git status --short
git log --oneline <session-start>..HEAD
git diff --stat

Ground every claim in one of these outputs. For each item, classify it:

• Done and verified — the change exists and a check passed. Name the check.
• Done, unverified — the change exists; nothing confirmed it works.
• Half-finished — started, and the next session needs to know where the seam is.
• Decided, not implemented — a decision that constrains future work. These are the most valuable entries and the easiest to lose.

3. Update the project's artifacts

• Handoff file — refresh "last updated", the current objective, completed work, and next actions, inside whatever section structure the file already uses. Overwrite the state rather than appending a second competing account, and keep it terse.
• Session log — add a dated entry at the top. Leave earlier entries as written. Terse bullets: work completed, notable outputs, commit hashes, next actions.

4. Commit, only if asked

If the user asked for a commit or push, run it and record the resulting hash in both the handoff file and the log entry. Otherwise leave the tree alone and report what is uncommitted — closing a session is not authorization to publish it.

5. Report

List the files updated, with paths, anything left uncommitted or unresolved, and any work that is done but unverified.