---

name: start description: > Initialize a work session with context, status, and priorities. TRIGGER when: user says "start my day", "what's on my plate", "catch me up", "morning briefing", "what should I work on", or begins a new session. argument-hint: "[focus-area]" user-invocable: true

Session Start

Orient the user at the beginning of a work session. Gather context from all available sources, synthesize it, and present a prioritized briefing.

Execution Flow

Run independent data-gathering steps in parallel where possible, then synthesize.

Phase 1 — Gather (run in parallel)

1a. Load Persistent Context

• Read ~/.claude/memory/MEMORY.md — if it exists, scan for project and reference memories relevant to today's work.
• Read .claude/CLAUDE.md in the current project — if it exists, note any project-specific conventions.
• If $ARGUMENTS specifies a focus area, prioritize memories matching that topic.

1b. Git State

• git status — uncommitted changes, untracked files
• git branch -vv — local branches and their tracking status
• git log --oneline --since="yesterday" --all — recent activity across all branches
• git stash list — any stashed work that might be forgotten

1c. GitHub State (skip gracefully if gh is not authenticated)

• gh pr list --assignee @me --state open — open PRs you own
• gh pr list --search "review-requested:@me" — PRs awaiting your review
• gh issue list --assignee @me --state open --limit 10 — assigned issues
• Note: If gh commands fail, report "GitHub integration unavailable" and continue.

1d. Task State

• Check if ~/.claude/tasks/TASKS.md exists.
• If yes, read it and extract tasks with status todo or in-progress.
• Flag overdue tasks (due date < today).
• Flag stale tasks (no update in > 7 days).

Phase 2 — Synthesize

Combine all gathered data into a single briefing. Prioritize by urgency:

1. Blockers & Alerts — failing CI, overdue tasks, stale PRs, merge conflicts
2. Needs Attention — PRs awaiting review, issues with approaching deadlines
3. In Progress — branches with uncommitted work, open PRs, active tasks
4. Queued — todo tasks, assigned issues not yet started

Phase 3 — Present

Output a structured briefing:

## Daily Briefing — {date}

### Alerts
- {anything requiring immediate attention, or "None"}

### In Flight
- {PR #123: "Add auth middleware" — 2 approvals, CI passing, ready to merge}
- {Branch: feature/payments — 3 uncommitted files}
- {TASK-005: "Migrate user table" — in-progress, due tomorrow}

### Queued
- {TASK-007: "Write API docs" — todo, medium priority}
- {Issue #45: "Fix pagination on /users" — assigned, no branch yet}

### Review Requests
- {PR #130 by @teammate: "Refactor logging" — requested 2 days ago}

### Context from Memory
- {Any relevant project memories, e.g., "Merge freeze starts 2026-04-10"}

Phase 4 — Plan

If $ARGUMENTS specifies a focus area, suggest a prioritized plan for that area.

Otherwise, ask: "What would you like to focus on?" and offer the top 3 suggested priorities based on urgency.

Edge Cases

• Empty state: If no memories, tasks, git history, or GitHub items exist, acknowledge this is a fresh start and offer to set up the task/memory system.
• Large backlog: If there are > 20 open items, group by category and show counts rather than listing every item. Offer to drill into any category.
• Multiple repos: Only report on the current working directory's git state. Mention if memories reference other projects.

Output Standards

• Use bullet points, not paragraphs.
• Bold labels for scanability.
• Show dates in relative + absolute form: "tomorrow (2026-04-09)".
• Keep the entire briefing under 40 lines unless the user asks for detail.

Quality Checklist

• Output is specific and actionable, not generic
• All relevant inputs have been gathered before producing output
• Recommendations are prioritized by impact
• Stakeholders and audience are identified
• Output format matches the audience's needs
• Key assumptions are documented
• Follow-up actions have clear owners