CSDLC Session Start#

---
name: csdlc-session-start
description: Run the CSDLC session-start ritual — load context in the canonical order, then deliver the 5-part standup. Use at the start of any CSDLC working session, or whenever the user says "catch up", "what are we working on", "bootload", "read NEXT.md", "standup". This skill should fire at every session start even if the user doesn't name it — orientation before action is a core CSDLC practice (PROCESS.md > Rituals > Standup).
---

A new session is starting on a CSDLC project. Load context in the canonical order defined in PROCESS.md, then deliver the 5-part standup. Do not start the work until the standup is out and the user has confirmed the top item (or redirected you).

Context loading order#

Load in this order. Skip any layer that doesn't exist in this workspace — don't fabricate.

1. Human context — USER.md or equivalent. Who the user is, preferences, communication style.
2. Process & values — methodology/process (PROCESS.md — CSDLC methodology) and methodology/core-values (CORE_VALUES.md) from Foundry. These define how you work together.
3. Current priorities — status/next.md from Foundry. The running journal: Priority Stack, active NEXT section, recent SHIPPED, ON DECK, Tech Debt.
4. Active design doc — NEXT.md should name the current focus and point at a design doc. Fetch it from Foundry.
5. Project workflow doc — if the current focus is in a specific repo, load its WORKFLOW.md. Lazy-load: only when the work requires it.
6. Long-term memory — curated memory files only if they exist and you're in a main session (not a shared context).

PROCESS.md, CORE_VALUES.md, NEXT.md, and all design docs live in Foundry. Use get_page from the Foundry MCP connector for all of them. If the connector isn't authenticated, surface that first — don't guess at state.

The standup (deliver unprompted)#

Before doing any work, report these five things. This is PROCESS.md > Rituals > Standup — it's a calibration ritual, not a greeting.

1. Context loaded — which files you read, with rough token cost if notable. Name the layers above you skipped and why.
2. Recap — what shipped last session, pulled from the most recent ✅ SHIPPED block in NEXT.md.
3. On deck — the top item(s) from the 🎯 Priority Stack and the current 🔴 NEXT section.
4. Design doc state — what's refined vs still open on the active design doc, if there is one.
5. Gaps — anything referenced that you couldn't load, anything that looks stale, any contradictions between docs.

Then ask one question: which item does the user want to start with, or is there something not in NEXT.md that takes priority? Don't wait on the standup itself — deliver it, then ask.

After the standup#

• If the user confirms the top item, start on it. Don't ask permission for each next step.
• If the user redirects, update NEXT.md's Priority Stack at session end to reflect the shift.
• Do not execute anything from the "First actions" or "On deck" list before confirmation — those are proposals, not a script.

Edge cases#

• No NEXT.md or equivalent: Surface it, offer a cold-start conversation. Don't fabricate state.
• Referenced docs unfetchable: Name them explicitly in the Gaps section of the standup.
• NEXT.md looks corrupted (duplicate sections, [2] suffixes): Surface the contradiction and re-read from the source design doc it links.
• Stale context: If NEXT.md's top-of-file date is more than a few days old, flag it in Gaps — something may have shipped out-of-band.
• User rushes you past the standup: Deliver the standup anyway, just terse. Skipping it trades two minutes now for an hour of rediscovery later.

Context loading order#

Load in this order. Skip any layer that doesn't exist in this workspace — don't fabricate.

1. Human context — USER.md or equivalent. Who the user is, preferences, communication style.
2. Process & values — PROCESS.md (CSDLC methodology) and CORE_VALUES.md if present. These define how you work together.
3. Current priorities — NEXT.md (or status/next.md in Foundry). The running journal: Priority Stack, active NEXT section, recent SHIPPED, ON DECK, Tech Debt.
4. Active design doc — NEXT.md should name the current focus and point at a design doc. Fetch it.
5. Project workflow doc — if the current focus is in a specific repo, load its WORKFLOW.md. Lazy-load: only when the work requires it.
6. Long-term memory — curated memory files only if they exist and you're in a main session (not a shared context).

NEXT.md lives in Foundry for CSDLC projects today. Use get_page from the Foundry MCP connector. If the connector isn't authenticated, surface that first — don't guess at state.

The standup (deliver unprompted)#

Before doing any work, report these five things. This is PROCESS.md > Rituals > Standup — it's a calibration ritual, not a greeting.

1. Context loaded — which files you read, with rough token cost if notable. Name the layers above you skipped and why.
2. Recap — what shipped last session, pulled from the most recent ✅ SHIPPED block in NEXT.md.
3. On deck — the top item(s) from the 🎯 Priority Stack and the current 🔴 NEXT section.
4. Design doc state — what's refined vs still open on the active design doc, if there is one.
5. Gaps — anything referenced that you couldn't load, anything that looks stale, any contradictions between docs.

Then ask one question: which item does the user want to start with, or is there something not in NEXT.md that takes priority? Don't wait on the standup itself — deliver it, then ask.

After the standup#

• If the user confirms the top item, start on it. Don't ask permission for each next step.
• If the user redirects, update NEXT.md's Priority Stack at session end to reflect the shift.
• Do not execute anything from the "First actions" or "On deck" list before confirmation — those are proposals, not a script.

Edge cases#

• No NEXT.md or equivalent: Surface it, offer a cold-start conversation. Don't fabricate state.
• Referenced docs unfetchable: Name them explicitly in the Gaps section of the standup.
• NEXT.md looks corrupted (duplicate sections, [2] suffixes): Legacy bug #103 corruption (the bug is fixed as of PR #107, but pre-fix docs may still have scars). Surface the contradiction and re-read from the source design doc it links.
• Stale context: If NEXT.md's top-of-file date is more than a few days old, flag it in Gaps — something may have shipped out-of-band.
• User rushes you past the standup: Deliver the standup anyway, just terse. Skipping it trades two minutes now for an hour of rediscovery later.