Receiving Context

date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'

[[ -d /tmp/claude-ctx ]] && echo "Exists" || echo "Does not exist - will create"

/tmp/claude-ctx/

mkdir -p /tmp/claude-ctx
cat > /tmp/claude-ctx/README.md << 'EOF'
# Claude Context Handoff Directory

This is an **ephemeral directory** for Claude Code session context handoff. Created by claude slash commands. '/context:send' and '/context:receive'.
EOF

Quick Example

/context:receive child api-implementation
# ✓ Context received from child session
#   File: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-child-to-parent-api-implementation.md

receive - Receive context from parent, child, or sibling session

Usage

/context:receive parent [subject] [path]
/context:receive child [subject] [path]
/context:receive sibling [subject] [path]

parent

child

sibling

• subject: Claude will infer from context if not provided
• path: Defaults to

  /tmp/claude-ctx/

  if not provided

What it does

1. Validates direction - Errors if direction is not parent|child|sibling
2. Check "Context Directory" status above (from dynamic injection)
3. Create directory only if status shows "Does not exist - will create"
4. If creating directory, generates minimal README.md:
   markdown

   # Claude Context Handoff Directory
   
   This is an **ephemeral directory** for Claude Code session context handoff. Created by claude slash commands. '/context:send' and '/context:receive'.

5. Determines direction flow based on argument
6. Records received timestamp (auto-captured)
7. If subject provided, looks for

   {path}/ctx-{direction}-{subject}.md

8. If no subject, uses wildcard:

   {path}/ctx-{direction}-*.md

   sorted by newest first
9. Path defaults to

   /tmp/claude-ctx/

   but can be customized
10. Reads and displays context file with original timestamp from sender
11. Integrates context into current session understanding

• /context:receive parent

  → looks for

  /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-parent-to-child-*.md

• /context:receive child

  → looks for

  /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-child-to-parent-*.md

• /context:receive sibling

  → looks for

  /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-sibling-to-sibling-*.md

Example: Receiving from Parent (Wildcard)

/context:receive parent

✓ Searching for context files: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-parent-to-child-*.md (newest first)
✓ Found: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-parent-to-child-database-migration.md (modified 2 minutes ago)

[Context displayed with parent session details]

Ready to begin focused work based on parent's context!

Example: Receiving from Child with Subject

/context:receive child api-implementation

✓ Context received from child session
  File: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-child-to-parent-api-implementation.md

[Context displayed with completed work summary]

Child session completed. Integrating results back.

Example: Receiving from Sibling

/context:receive sibling parallel-task

✓ Context received from sibling session
  File: /tmp/claude-ctx/ctx-sibling-to-sibling-parallel-task.md

[Context displayed with parallel work details]

Sibling session completed. Integrating parallel work.

Example: Custom Path

/context:receive parent database-work ~/Documents/context/

✓ Context received from parent session
  File: ~/Documents/context/ctx-parent-to-child-database-work.md

[Context displayed]

Example: Missing Direction (Error)

/context:receive database-work

✗ Error: Must specify direction: parent, child, or sibling
  Usage: /context:receive <parent|child|sibling> [subject] [path]

What gets loaded

• Context file content: Decisions, work done, blockers, next actions
• Handoff metadata: Why the handoff occurred, what was planned
• Related context: Key information needed to continue

When to use

• Immediately after starting a new child session from parent
• After resuming parent session when child is complete
• When starting a sibling session and receiving context from another sibling
• When receiving context from any parent/child/sibling session
• To understand what happened in related session

Related commands

• /context:send

  - Send context to parent/child before switching