Your build starts here
Replace bracketed details with your own goal, context, and checks. Keep the first build small enough to inspect.
Resume [project] using [handoff file], [feature inventory], and the current repository. First compare the recorded commit, changed files, setup instructions, and next task with what is present now. Report discrepancies that affect the next action. Do not treat a stale completed flag as proof that a behavior works.
Run one relevant baseline check or reproduce the current behavior with a small disposable fixture. Choose the next unresolved milestone from the agreed scope and state its completion condition. Continue through implementation and the affected verification when the available tools allow it. If blocked, record the concrete missing input or environment capability rather than guessing a passing result.
At the end, leave the project runnable and update the handoff with the present files, commands actually used, observed result, and next unresolved check. Preserve useful uncommitted work. Include no secret values or private example records. Keep the update short enough that the next session can use it without rereading this conversation.Make this prompt yours
Use after a long session or a context reset. This template assumes the task scope is already agreed; it does not authorize unrelated publishing, messaging, or deletion.
You might also hear
- restart agent
- fresh session
- resumable coding
The docs behind it
These references explain the underlying concepts and APIs. The prompt templates and project plans are original examples to adapt to your own setup.
Research sources reviewed .
Editorial review · October 28, 2026
Supported: Original, unexecuted handoff template. Persistent progress artifacts have Anthropic support; checking current files/status before resuming appropriately treats prior summaries as potentially stale.