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CLAUDE.md + handoff.md + Start/Stop Hooks: Claude Code Always Knows What to Work On Next

Claude Code / Skills◆ Intermediate◆ Advanced@joey_systemssaved JUN 09

◇ Could this help me?

Yes: This is the most complete session-continuity pattern shown so far. The dual-hook approach (auto-read on start + auto-write on stop) requires zero manual effort and solves session amnesia permanently. Especially valuable for long-running projects in Claude Code / GitHub Codespaces.

✦ Walkthrough+10 xp / step

Run /init in terminal to create CLAUDE.md.
Prompt: 'Create a handoff.md file as a session handoff. Include: what was worked on last session, what needs to be worked on immediately next session.'
Create start hook: tells Claude to read handoff.md alongside CLAUDE.md at session start (see @joey_systems for exact terminal command).
Create stop hook: tells Claude to update CLAUDE.md with big changes and update handoff.md with work summary + next steps.
Both hooks run automatically: no manual action needed between sessions.

0 / 5 steps · adopt for +40

$ suggested_prompt+40xp

Create a handoff.md file. Include: (1) Summary of what was worked on this session, (2) Current state of the codebase (what's working, what's broken), (3) The next 3 specific tasks to work on immediately in the next session, in priority order.

CLAUDE.md + handoff.md + Start/Stop Hooks: Claude Code Always Knows What to Work On Next

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