/float-capture — Save Your Work

The primary way to preserve session context.

Run this when you've completed significant work. You get:

• Full log entry (title, decision, rationale)
• Updated folder context
• handoff.md for next session

---

Why Manual Capture Matters

Capture Type	Trigger	What You Get
Manual (/float-capture)	You decide	Full enrichment + handoff.md
Auto (PreCompact)	Context fills up	Mechanical only (facts, no handoff)
Auto (SessionEnd)	You exit	Mechanical only (facts, no handoff)

Auto-capture is a safety net, not a replacement.

PreCompact fires when context is nearly full, but compaction doesn't wait for AI agents to complete. You get the facts (what files changed) but not the understanding (why, what matters, what's next).

Manual capture runs with no time pressure. All agents complete. handoff.md is generated.

"PreCompact saves facts. Manual capture saves understanding."

---

When to Run

• Just finished a feature or significant fix
• Made an important decision
• About to switch focus areas
• Before ending a long session
• Anytime you'd be upset losing context

Rule of thumb: If the work matters, run /float-capture.

---

What Gets Captured

Mechanical (instant)

• Files changed this session
• Folders edited
• Diff size
• Timestamp

AI Enrichment (~90 seconds)

• Session title (what was this about)
• Decision summary (what was decided)
• Rationale (why)
• handoff.md (AI-to-AI note for next session)
• Folder context updates
• Open questions resolved

---

The Capture Pipeline

/float-capture
  │
  ├─ Phase 1: Mechanical INSERT (instant)
  │   └─ log_entry created with files, folders, timestamp
  │
  ├─ Phase 2: Entry Writers (~30-60s, parallel)
  │   ├─ float-log → title, decision, rationale
  │   └─ float-decisions → open questions
  │
  ├─ Phase 3: Entry Readers (~30-60s, parallel)
  │   ├─ float-enrich → folder context updates
  │   └─ float-handoff → writes .float/handoff.md
  │
  └─ Phase 4: Workshop (if .float-workshop/ exists)
      ├─ float-organize → cleanup
      └─ float-update-logs → decision logs

Total time: ~90 seconds for full enrichment.

---

Running Capture

Step 1: Check What Changed

git diff --name-only HEAD

Step 2: Run Capture

${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/hooks/capture.sh --manual

Step 3: Verify

sqlite3 .float/float.db "SELECT id, title, decision FROM log_entries ORDER BY id DESC LIMIT 1;"

Check handoff.md was updated:

head -10 .float/handoff.md

---

End State

When capture completes:

What	State
log_entries	New session-handoff entry with full enrichment
folders	Edited folders context updated
.float/handoff.md	AI-to-AI note for next session
Context	Preserved for next session

Context saved. Continue working or end session.

---

Best Practice

Session work...
       ↓
Hit a milestone or finishing up
       ↓
Run /float-capture     ← SAVE YOUR WORK
       ↓
Continue (or exit)

Don't rely on auto-capture for context you care about. It's there if you forget, but manual capture is how you get the full benefit of FloatPrompt's context system.