--- name: context-recovery description: Recovers working context from the journal after /clear or at session start when_to_use: Use this skill proactively after the user runs /clear, at the start of a new session, or when the user asks what they were working on. Essential for restoring continuity. --- # Context Recovery Skill You have the ability to recover working context from the journal to restore continuity after context loss. ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill **automatically and proactively** when: 1. **After `/clear` command** - User cleared conversation history - Need to restore what they were working on - Should happen immediately without asking 2. **Session start questions** - "What was I working on?" - "Where did we leave off?" - "What did I do yesterday?" - "Catch me up" 3. **Context seems lost** - User references past work you don't have context for - Conversation appears to resume mid-task - User seems to expect you to remember something 4. **Beginning of new work** - User wants to continue previous project - Need to understand recent changes - Planning next steps based on past work ## How to Recover Context **Step 1: Fetch recent entries** ``` journal_list_recent( limit=10 # Adjust based on need ) ``` **Step 2: Analyze and summarize** - Identify the most recent project - Determine what was accomplished - Note any in-progress work - Highlight blockers or open questions **Step 3: Present concisely** Show the user: - What they were working on (project/feature) - What was completed recently - What might be next - Key context or decisions ## Presentation Format ``` **Recent Work Context** You were working on [project name], focusing on [main task]. Recent accomplishments: - [Most recent significant work] - [Previous work] - [Earlier work] Last activity: [What happened most recently] Ready to continue? [Natural follow-up question] ``` ## Examples **Example 1: After /clear** ``` [User runs /clear command] → journal_list_recent(limit=10) → "You were working on my-api, implementing OAuth2 authentication. Last thing was configuring JWT token expiration. Ready to continue with the auth flow?" ``` **Example 2: Session start** ``` User: "What was I doing yesterday?" → journal_time_query(time_expression="yesterday") → "Yesterday you worked on: - Fixed cache memory leak in api-service - Started implementing Redis integration - Reviewed and merged 2 PRs Want to continue with the Redis work?" ``` **Example 3: Project context** ``` User: "Let's continue with the mobile app" → journal_list_recent(project="mobile-app", limit=15) → "For mobile-app, you recently: - Implemented push notifications - Fixed iOS crash on startup - Updated dependencies All tests passing. What's next?" ``` **Example 4: Lost context reference** ``` User: "Update that authentication thing we did" → journal_search(query="authentication", limit=5) → "Found your OAuth2 implementation from [date]: [Brief summary of what was done] What updates are needed?" ``` ## Advanced Recovery **Time-based recovery:** ``` journal_time_query( time_expression="last week", query="optional search term" ) ``` **Search-based recovery:** ``` journal_search( query="specific feature or technology", limit=10 ) ``` **Project statistics:** ``` journal_stats() # Get overview of all work ``` ## Best Practices 1. **Be proactive**: Don't wait for user to ask 2. **Be concise**: Summarize, don't dump raw entries 3. **Be relevant**: Focus on most recent/important work 4. **Be actionable**: Suggest next steps 5. **Be smart**: Use time queries when appropriate ## What to Avoid Don't: - Show raw entry dumps (always summarize) - Overwhelm with too much history - Recover context when not needed - Ask if they want context (just provide it) - Forget to check project filters ## Integration with Other Skills Combine with: - **journal-capture**: After recovering context and completing new work - **find-related-work**: When user needs deeper history on a specific topic --- Source attribution: chrismbryant Original project: https://github.com/chrismbryant/claude-journal-mcp/blob/b3d6ea447701a1029a7bef53750793aa66fc4ec9/skills/context-recovery/SKILL.md License: MIT License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Dave AI. ## Upstream license notice MIT License Copyright (c) 2024 Chris Bryant Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. # Dave AI resource metadata Creator / publisher: chrismbryant Original project: https://github.com/chrismbryant/claude-journal-mcp/blob/b3d6ea447701a1029a7bef53750793aa66fc4ec9/skills/context-recovery/SKILL.md Attribution basis: Recovered original package and original project license at a pinned revision Fields of work: Sales, Customer Support Roles: Customer Success Manager, Support Agent, Technical Support Specialties: Specialty not specified Tools: Journal Country applicability: Country not specified Classification basis: Source catalog labels Instruction SHA-256: 74e887d6232cf1445b3081650f647aa6dc19c133c368bdf587607806ef820a0b Metadata reviewed: 2026-10-27 This metadata supersedes earlier Dave AI catalog attribution. Original instruction and supporting files are preserved.