session-close

Session Close

Close Mode

/session-close is always a Full Shutdown. The operator explicitly invoked it — that's the confirmation. No close mode decision, no prompting.

Idle transitions happen automatically at task boundaries (handled by the session skill). By the time the operator runs /session-close, they want out.

If heartbeat is running, stop it before archiving. If watches are registered (state/monitors.runtime.json has entries), stop all watches before archiving — invoke /claude-code-hermit:watch stop --all.

session-mgr handles updating both SHELL.md (cosmetic) and state/runtime.json (lifecycle truth) during archiving. For full shutdown, session-mgr sets shutdown_completed_at in runtime.json.

Full Shutdown

Use this when the operator wants to end everything (via hermit-stop or explicit --shutdown).

1. Compile final session data in context — do NOT write to SHELL.md yet. session-mgr owns the final write. Gather:
   • Status: one of completed | partial | blocked
   • Blockers: one line each, enough context for a cold start
   • Lessons: only genuinely useful ones
   • Changed: list of files modified
   • Artifacts: if this session produced a durable output (research note, decision doc, audit summary), write it to compiled/<type>-<slug>-<date>.md with session: S-NNN in the frontmatter and list the wikilink here. Don't leave domain output wedged in SHELL.md Findings or a proposal body.
2. Ensure all native Tasks reflect their correct status (completed, pending)
3. Confirm the "Next Start Point" is clear enough for a fresh session to resume without questions
4. If any high-leverage improvements were discovered during work, create proposals via the claude-code-hermit:proposal-create skill
5. Invoke the claude-code-hermit:reflect skill to reflect on accumulated experience. Reflect no longer requires archived reports — it uses memory. This runs before archiving so any findings are included in the archived report.
6. If native Tasks exist: call TaskList, format as a markdown table. Then TaskUpdate(status=deleted) for completed tasks only — pending/in_progress tasks persist for next session.
7. Archive the session via claude-code-hermit:session-mgr (full close — finalize SHELL.md and replace with fresh template in one operation). Pass the following compact structured payload in the prompt — keep it brief, no freeform prose:

   Status: <completed|partial|blocked>
   Blockers: <one line each, or none>
   Lessons: <one line each, or none>
   Changed: <file list, or none>
   Artifacts: <wikilinks to compiled/ outputs produced this session, or none>
   Next Start Point: <one line>
   

   Also include the task table (if native Tasks were created).

Quality Check Before Closing

Verify these before proceeding with close (applies to both modes):

• Tags from SHELL.md are copied to the session report's Tags field
• Task status is accurate (completed | partial | blocked)
• All changed files are listed in the Changed section
• Blockers are described with enough context for a cold start
• Cost data is recorded (if available from the cost-tracker hook)
• If status is blocked: have you run /debug to check for tool/hook failures? Include diagnosis in blockers if relevant

Full shutdown only:

• Next Start Point is actionable — a fresh session can begin work immediately

If any check fails, fix it before closing.