Where Are We

The user wants to know how far the work in this session has got. How much they need depends on how long they have been gone, so measure that first.

Tune here: the user counts as still active if the last message before this one was under 30 minutes ago.

1. Measure the gap

node <skill-dir>/idle.mjs ${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}

<skill-dir> is the folder this file is in. Resolve it from this file's real path: ~/.claude/skills/where-are-we is usually a link, and the script sits beside its target. It prints one line of JSON:

• {"lastMessageAt": ..., "minutesAway": n} — the gap between now and the last message before the user's current one.
• {"unknown": "<why>"} — no transcript, or no earlier message. Treat as away.

Under the threshold: active. At or over it, or unknown: away. If in doubt, choose away.

2. Check the state before you write

Read the real state, not your memory of it: git status, git diff --stat against the base branch, recent git log, the active todo list, and any plan or spec file written this session. Do not call a piece of work done without confirming it is on disk. If a claim comes only from the conversation and cannot be checked, mark it (recalled).

3. The answer

Active — two short lists, nothing else:

Done — completed work, up to five bullets.

Left — what remains, in the order it will be done, up to five bullets. If something is waiting on the user, say so on that bullet. If nothing is left, say Nothing left.

Away — the same two lists, preceded by one short paragraph (two to four sentences) saying what the task is: what is being built or fixed, and why. Write it for someone who has forgotten the session: no "as we discussed", no session-coined shorthand left unexplained, real file names.

When away, two more things, only when they have content:

• Changed while you were away — one or two plain sentences if the repo moved under them: new commits on the branch, a base branch that advanced, files they did not change. Goes after the paragraph, before the lists.
• Update footnote — if /check-skill-updates is installed, run it after the lists and append its one line if it has one. Skip it if Left opens with a half-applied edit.

Follow the Sentence-level shaping rules in the ttp skill (../ttp/SKILL.md, or ~/.claude/skills/ttp/SKILL.md when installed) for both.

4. Stop

No closing question, no offer to continue. If the user's message asked for something else as well, answer that after the status.

Edge cases

• Nothing has happened yet in this session. Say so in one line, and give the repo state from step 2 only if there is uncommitted work.
• Half-applied edit or incoherent working tree. Put it first under Left, plainly.
• Compacted session. Write from what survives, and say in one line where the detail runs out.

Not this skill

/reground also takes stock, but it distrusts the session and re-anchors the agent to code evidence. /where-are-we trusts the session and re-orients the user. If the work itself has gone off the rails, that is /reground.