receive - Receive context from parent or child session

Read and integrate context from a parent or child session handoff file.

Usage

/context:receive parent [subject] [path]
/context:receive child [subject] [path]

Both subject and path are optional:

• subject: Claude will infer from context if not provided
• path: Defaults to /tmp/claude-ctx/ if not provided

What it does

1. Checks if /tmp/claude-ctx/ directory exists using test command
2. Creates directory only if it doesn't exist
3. If creating directory, generates minimal README.md:

   # Claude Context Handoff Directory
   
   This is an **ephemeral directory** for Claude Code session context handoff. Created by claude slash commands. '/context:send' and '/context:receive'.
   

4. Determines direction: parent-to-child or child-to-parent
5. If subject provided, looks for {path}/ctx-{direction}-{subject}.md
6. If no subject, uses wildcard: {path}/ctx-{direction}-*.md sorted by newest first
7. Path defaults to /tmp/claude-ctx/ but can be customized
8. Reads and displays context file
9. Integrates context into current session understanding

Important: When using wildcard (no subject), files are sorted by modification time with newest first, ensuring you get the most recent context.

Example: Receiving from Parent (Wildcard)

/context:receive parent

✓ Searching for context files: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-parent-to-child-*.md (newest first)
✓ Found: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-parent-to-child-database-migration.md (modified 2 minutes ago)

[Context displayed with parent session details]

Ready to begin focused work based on parent's context!

Example: Receiving from Child with Subject

/context:receive child api-implementation

✓ Context received from child session
  File: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-child-to-parent-api-implementation.md

[Context displayed with completed work summary]

Child session completed. Integrating results back.

Example: Custom Path

/context:receive parent database-work ~/Documents/context/

✓ Context received from parent session
  File: ~/Documents/context/ctx-parent-to-child-database-work.md

[Context displayed]

What gets loaded

• Context file content: Decisions, work done, blockers, next actions
• Handoff metadata: Why the handoff occurred, what was planned
• Related context: Key information needed to continue

When to use

• Immediately after starting a new child session from parent
• After resuming parent session when child is complete
• When receiving context from any parent/child session
• To understand what happened in related session

Related commands

• /context:send - Send context to parent/child before switching