Session Wrap — End-of-Session Protocol

Purpose

Structured close of a working session. Ensures nothing is lost across /compact or session restart. Runs once per session at the end — not per commit (that's handled by post-commit-lessons.js).

Application

Step 1 — Uncommitted changes check

git status --short

If any staged or unstaged changes exist → suggest /commit before wrapping:

"You have uncommitted changes. Run /commit first to preserve this work?"

Wait for user response before continuing.

Step 2 — Learnings capture

Scan the current session for any [LEARN] items:

• Look through the conversation for messages prefixed with [LEARN]
• Look in scratchpad for any [LEARN] entries added during the session

For each [LEARN] found:

1. Present it to the user: "Found a learning: [text]. Add to memory/patterns.md?"
2. On approval, append to memory/patterns.md under the Learnings section using the format:

### [Category] Rule description
- **Mistake**: what went wrong
- **Correction**: what to do instead
- **Project**: [project name]
- **Date**: YYYY-MM-DD

Categories: Navigation, Editing, Testing, Git, Quality, Context, Architecture, Performance

Step 3 — Scratchpad: next steps

Read current memory/scratchpad.md.

Ask: "What's the next step for next session? I'll add it to the scratchpad."

Append to scratchpad (append-only, never overwrite):

### HH:MM — Session wrap [YYYY-MM-DD]
- Done: [summary of what was completed this session]
- Next: [immediate next step for next session]
- Decision: [any key decision made, if applicable]
---

Step 4 — Polaris check

Ask: "Did any priorities or goals shift today? Update polaris.md?" (1 line answer)

• If yes → run /polaris to update interactively
• If no → skip

Step 5 — Spec check (conditional)

If any source files were modified this session and /commit step 6 (spec-update) wasn't already run:

"Code changed but spec update may be missing. Run /spec-update now?"

Advisory — user decides.

Step 6 — Closing summary

Output a brief session summary:

Session closed [YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM]
Done: [2-3 bullet points of what was accomplished]
Committed: [yes/no — last commit hash if yes]
Learnings captured: [N items]
Next: [one-liner from scratchpad]

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Skipping the wrap on short sessions

Symptom: "I'll remember." → next session starts with no context. Fix: Run /session-wrap even for short sessions. The 2-minute investment prevents a 10-minute re-orientation.

Pitfall 2: Running before committing

Symptom: Uncommitted changes exist at wrap time. Fix: Step 1 always checks — it blocks until user commits or explicitly skips.

References

• memory/scratchpad.md — running work log, last 30 lines re-injected by session-context.js
• memory/patterns.md — learnings storage (append only)
• memory/polaris.md — strategic context (north star, goals, values)
• /polaris skill — interactive polaris update
• /spec-update skill — post-change documentation
• post-commit-lessons.js hook — per-commit lesson reminder (complementary, not duplicate)