hermit-takeover

Hermit Takeover

Stop the autonomous hermit and take the wheel. This skill is for Docker-based always-on setups — it stops the container, preserves all session state, and loads the hermit's context so you can work interactively with full continuity.

Plan

1. Read config

Read .claude-code-hermit/config.json to get:

• tmux_session_name — resolve {project_name} with the actual project directory name
• agent_name — for display

2. Check Docker container status

Run docker compose -f docker-compose.hermit.yml ps --status running --format '{{.Name}}' in the project root.

• If a container is running: proceed to step 3
• If no container is running: skip to step 4 (just load state — the hermit may have already been stopped manually)
• If docker compose fails (Docker not installed or no compose file): inform the operator: "No docker-compose.hermit.yml found. This skill is for Docker-based setups." and stop.

3. Stop the container

Run docker compose -f docker-compose.hermit.yml stop (not down — we want to preserve the container for restart).

This sends SIGTERM, which triggers the entrypoint to exit cleanly. If hermit-stop runs inside the container, it archives the current report before exiting.

Wait briefly for the container to stop: check docker compose -f docker-compose.hermit.yml ps --status running up to 3 times with 5-second intervals. If it's still running after 15 seconds, warn: "Container is still stopping — it may take a moment for the session to archive."

4. Mark SHELL.md as operator takeover

Read .claude-code-hermit/sessions/SHELL.md.

If the file exists and has content:

• Find the **Status:** line and change the value to operator_takeover
• After the Status line, add: - **Takeover:** YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM with the current timestamp
• Preserve all other content (plan, progress log, blockers, cost, etc.)

If SHELL.md doesn't exist or is empty: note this for the summary — the hermit may have been idle with no active session.

5. Load hermit context

Read these files (all in parallel):

• .claude-code-hermit/OPERATOR.md — the project rulebook
• .claude-code-hermit/sessions/SHELL.md — current/last session state
• Latest archived report: find the most recent S-*-REPORT.md in .claude-code-hermit/sessions/ (by filename sort, descending)

6. Present summary

Print a structured summary for the operator:

Takeover complete.

Session: S-NNN | was: in_progress
Task: "Add input validation to API endpoints"
Progress: 2/4 tasks completed (via TaskList)
Blockers: none
Cost so far: $1.80

You're now driving. The hermit's full context is loaded.
When you're done, run /claude-code-hermit:hermit-hand-back to restart the hermit.

Adapt based on what's actually in SHELL.md:

• If there was no active task (hermit was idle): say "Hermit was idle — no active task."
• If there are blockers: highlight them
• If SHELL.md didn't exist: say "No session state found — starting fresh."

The session continues normally from here. The operator works interactively with the full hermit context loaded.