Save Session — Capture and Persist Session Context

Capture everything that happened in this session — what was built, what worked, what failed, what's left — and write it to a dated file so the next session can pick up exactly where this one left off.

When to Use

• End of a work session before closing Claude Code
• Before hitting context limits (run this first, then start a fresh session)
• After solving a complex Salesforce problem you want to remember
• Any time you need to hand off context to a future session

Process

Step 1: Gather context

Before writing the file, collect:

• Read all files modified during this session (use git diff or recall from conversation)
• Review what was discussed, attempted, and decided
• Note any errors encountered and how they were resolved (or not)
• Check current test/sf-deployment status if relevant
• Note org-specific details (scratch org alias, connected org, CLI version)

Step 2: Create the sessions folder if it doesn't exist

mkdir -p ~/.claude/sessions

Step 3: Write the session file

Create ~/.claude/sessions/YYYY-MM-DD-<short-id>-session.md, using today's actual date and a short-id:

• Allowed characters: lowercase a-z, digits 0-9, hyphens -
• Minimum length: 8 characters
• No uppercase letters, no underscores, no spaces

Full valid filename example: 2026-03-18-apex-trig-session.md

The short-id should include the project name to enable cross-project isolation (e.g., myapp-apex-trig instead of just apex-trig). This prevents session file collisions when working across multiple Salesforce projects that share the same ~/.claude/sessions/ directory.

Step 4: Populate the file with all sections below

Keep session files under ~500 lines. Focus on decisions, blockers, and next steps — not full code dumps. If you need to reference large code blocks, point to file paths instead.

Write every section honestly. Do not skip sections — write "Nothing yet" or "N/A" if a section genuinely has no content.

Step 5: Show the file to the user

After writing, display the full contents and ask:

Session saved to [actual resolved path to the session file]

Does this look accurate? Anything to correct or add before we close?

Wait for confirmation. Make edits if requested.

Session File Format

# Session: YYYY-MM-DD

**Started:** [approximate time if known]
**Last Updated:** [current time]
**Project:** [project name or path]
**Topic:** [one-line summary of what this session was about]

---

## What We Are Building

[1-3 paragraphs describing the feature, bug fix, or task. Include enough
context that someone with zero memory of this session can understand the goal.
Include: what it does, why it's needed, how it fits into the Salesforce org.]

---

## What WORKED (with evidence)

[List only things that are confirmed working. For each item include WHY you
know it works — test passed, deployment succeeded, scratch org validated, etc.
Without evidence, move it to "Not Tried Yet" instead.]

- **[thing that works]** — confirmed by: [specific evidence]

If nothing is confirmed working yet: "Nothing confirmed working yet."

---

## What Did NOT Work (and why)

[This is the most important section. List every approach tried that failed.
For each failure write the EXACT reason so the next session doesn't retry it.
Be specific: "threw X error because Y" is useful. "didn't work" is not.]

- **[approach tried]** — failed because: [exact reason / error message]

If nothing failed: "No failed approaches yet."

---

## What Has NOT Been Tried Yet

[Approaches that seem promising but haven't been attempted.]

- [approach / idea]

If nothing is queued: "No specific untried approaches identified."

---

## Current State of Files

[Every file touched this session. Be precise about what state each file is in.]

| File              | Status         | Notes                      |
| ----------------- | -------------- | -------------------------- |
| `path/to/file.cls` | Complete    | [what it does]             |
| `path/to/file.cls` | In Progress | [what's done, what's left] |
| `path/to/file.js` | Broken      | [what's wrong]             |

If no files were touched: "No files modified this session."

---

## Decisions Made

[Architecture choices, tradeoffs accepted, approaches chosen and why.]

- **[decision]** — reason: [why this was chosen over alternatives]

If no significant decisions: "No major decisions made this session."

---

## Blockers & Open Questions

[Anything unresolved that the next session needs to address.]

- [blocker / open question]

If none: "No active blockers."

---

## Exact Next Step

[The single most important thing to do when resuming.]

---

## Environment & Setup Notes

[Only fill if relevant — scratch org alias, connected org, SF CLI version, etc.]

Notes

• Each session gets its own file — never append to a previous session's file
• The "What Did NOT Work" section is the most critical — future sessions will blindly retry failed approaches without it
• The file is meant to be read by Claude at the start of the next session via the resume-session skill
• Use the canonical global session store: ~/.claude/sessions/

Examples

/save-session
/save-session Save progress on the AccountManagement feature refactor
/save-session Checkpoint before switching to the hotfix branch