Conversation Lifecycle

Conversation Lifecycle

Manages the full conversation lifecycle: start, capture, and exit.

---

Overview

---

Part 1: Start

Establishes understanding and alignment before diving into execution.

When to Start

• Automatically at the start of every new conversation
• When user explicitly says "convo-start"
• When topic shifts significantly mid-conversation

Phase 1: Understanding

Actions:

1. Read the request carefully
2. Identify:
   • What type of work is this? (feature, spec review, planning, research, fix)
   • Which agents/​patterns are relevant?
   • What context do I need?
3. Gather initial context (follow research-priority pattern)

Research Priority Pattern:

1. Repo docs (CLAUDE.md, README, existing specs)
2. Linear/​issue tracker (if referenced)
3. Ask user for clarification
4. External sources (last resort)

Phase 2: Alignment

1. State Your Understanding

I understand you want to [specific goal].

This involves:
- [Scope item 1]
- [Scope item 2]

2. Propose Execution Plan

Here's my approach:
1. [Step 1]
2. [Step 2]
3. [Step 3]

I'll use:
- [Relevant agent/​pattern]
- [Another relevant pattern]

3. Wait for Confirmation

Do NOT proceed until user confirms or corrects the plan.

Quick Templates

For simple tasks:

Got it - you want [X]. I'll [approach]. Sound good?

For complex tasks:

Let me make sure I understand:

**Goal**: [What you want to achieve]
**Scope**: [What's included/​excluded]
**Approach**: [How I'll tackle it]
**Output**: [What you'll get]

Anything to adjust before I start?

When to Skip Full Alignment

Skip when:

• Simple question requiring quick answer
• User explicitly says "just do X"
• Continuing prior conversation with established context

Never skip when:

• Creating or modifying documents/​code
• Work will take significant time
• Multiple approaches are possible
• User's intent is unclear

---

Part 2: Capture

Saves context mid-conversation for continuity and handoff.

When to Capture

Automatic Triggers

1. Significant decision made - Architecture choice, approach selected, scope change
2. Large work completed - Document created, major code changes, phase finished
3. Topic shift detected - Before switching to new topic
4. Natural breakpoint - Before user goes to meeting, logical pause

On Request

• User asks "save where we are"
• User needs to leave but wants to continue later
• Handoff to another person/​session

What to Capture

Capture Formats

Inline Capture (Quick)

---
**Checkpoint**: [Brief description]

**Status**: [Current state of work]
**Just completed**: [What was done]
**Next**: [What's queued]
---

Context File (Detailed)

Create convo-captures/​YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM-topic.md:

# Context Capture: [Topic]

**Date**: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
**Status**: In Progress / Paused / Blocked

## Current State
[Where we are in the work]

## Decisions Made
| Decision | Rationale | Alternatives Considered |
|----------|-----------|------------------------|
| [Choice] | [Why] | [Other options] |

## Files Changed
**Created**: [list]
**Modified**: [list]

## Next Steps
1. [ ] [Immediate next step]
2. [ ] [Following step]

## To Resume
[Instructions for picking this back up]

---

Part 3: Exit

Wraps up conversations with debrief, feedback, and knowledge capture.

Triggers

• User says "we're done", "that's it", "looks good"
• Conversation naturally concluding
• User explicitly requests exit/​debrief
• Topic drift suggests starting fresh

Exit Protocol

Step 1: Review

Let me review our conversation:

**Original goal**: [State the goal]

**What we accomplished**:
- [Outcome 1]
- [Outcome 2]

**Files created/​modified**:
- `path/​file.md` - [Brief description]

Step 2: Tasks Remaining

**Tasks Remaining**:

For this effort:
- [ ] [Remaining task 1]
- [ ] [Remaining task 2]

Step 3: Ask for Feedback

**Your feedback**:

1. What worked well in this conversation?
2. What would you have liked to see improved?
3. Were there moments where I was unclear or off-track?

Step 4: Propose Changes

After receiving feedback:

**Based on our conversation, I propose these changes**:

1. [File path]: [Specific change]
2. [File path]: [Specific change]

Should I make these changes?

Step 5: Create Convo-Exit Document

File: convo-exits/​YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM-topic.md

# Conversation Exit: [Topic]

**Date**: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
**Repo**: [which repo(s) were involved]

## Original Goal
[What we set out to do]

## Outcomes
**Files Created**: [list]
**Files Modified**: [list]
**Decisions Made**: [list]

## User Feedback
**What worked well**: [feedback]
**What could improve**: [feedback]

## Improvements Made
- [ ] [Change 1] - [Status]

## Next Steps
**Immediate**: [list]
**Future**: [list]

Step 6: Activity Log Update

If brain repo has personal/​activity-log.md AND significant work was done:

## YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM - [Topic]

**What I accomplished**:
- [Accomplishment 1]
- [Accomplishment 2]

**Repos affected**: [list]
**Related**: `convo-exits/​YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM-topic.md`

---

Anti-patterns

---

Success Metrics

Start

• User never confused about what you're doing
• Plan is specific enough to evaluate
• User can correct misunderstandings early

Capture

• Can resume work without context loss
• Can hand off to someone else smoothly
• Past decisions are understandable

Exit

• Clear record of what was accomplished
• Learnings captured for future
• Improvements made to the system
• User feels heard and in control