module 04 memory layer

/startup + /wrapup

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Full Lesson Reference

Your memory layer isn't useful unless Claude Code actually reads from it and writes to it. Two slash commands make that happen: /startup at the beginning of every session, /wrapup at the end.

These skills don't ship with Claude Code by default - we've built them for you. Download + install them once, then they work forever.

What /wrapup does

Run at the end of every session, /wrapup

  1. Reads the entire session (what you worked on, what Claude did)
  2. Audits it twice to make sure nothing is missed
  3. Writes a session summary to memory (Supabase if configur ed, otherwise local markdown)
  4. Updates the relevant project record with current pending items
  5. Saves any new cross-project rules that emerged
  6. Commits + pushes your code changes to GitHub (if the project is a git repo)

Everything your session generated is now persistent. Tomorrow's Claude can read today's work.

What /startup does

Run at the start of a session in a project folder, /startup:

  1. Auto-detects your memory backend (Supabase if .env has credentials, otherwise local markdown)
  2. Identifies which project you're in (based on the folder path)
  3. Loads the project record - context, pending items, rules
  4. Loads the most recent session memory for that project
  5. Loads global rules that apply across all projects
  6. Cross-checks CLAUDE.md against memory, flags any staleness
  7. Summarises: "here's where you left off, here's what's pending, here are the rules for this work"

Claude is now fully briefed. You skip the "explain the context" phase every session.

Download the skills

Two files are attached to this lesson - one for each skill. Download both.

📎 Download 1: startup-SKILL.md The /startup skill - loads project memory at session start. Works with both Supabase and local markdown backends - auto-detects which you have set up.

📎 Download 2: wrapup-SKILL.md The /wrapup skill - saves the session at end. Same dual-backend support. Does a two-pass audit so nothing is missed.

Install the skills

Open a terminal, start Claude, and paste this (attach both files to the prompt, or tell

Claude the paths where you saved them)

I'm attaching two SKILL.md files - one for /startup and one for /wrapup. Install them to my Claude Code skills folder so they become available as slash commands. The startup skill goes to ~/.claude/skills/startup/SKILL.md and the wrapup skill goes to ~/.claude/skills/wrapup/SKILL.md. Confirm both are installed.

Claude creates the folders, saves the files, and confirms. Restart Claude Code so the new skills load. Type / and you should see both /startup and /wrapup listed.

How the auto-detection works

Both skills check your project's .env file when they run

  • If SUPABASE_URL and SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY are both set with non-empty values → use Supabase
  • Otherwise → use the local memory/ folder with markdown files

No configur ation needed. The skill reads .env at runtime and picks the right backend automatically. If you set up markdown memory in Lesson 2, the skills use that. If you set up Supabase in Lesson 3, the skills use that. If you upgrade from markdown to Supabase later, the skills start using Supabase the next time they run - no reinstall needed.

Your first /wrapup

Run a short session - edit a file, make a small change, whatever. When you're done:

terminal
/wrapup

Claude summarises the session, saves to memory, commits + pushes, confirms done. Takes about 30 seconds.

Verify it worked

  • Supabase backend: check dashboard > Table Editor > session_memories - you should see 1 new row
  • Local markdown backend: check memory/sessions/ - you should see a new file dated today

Your first /startup

Close that session. Start a new terminal, open the same folder, type claude, then:

terminal
/startup

Claude loads context - what project you're in, last session summary, pending items, rules. Hands you a short recap. This is the magic moment - every future session starts like this.

The habit to build

Every session follows the same pattern

  1. Open terminal in your project folder
  2. claude to start
  3. /startup - Claude loads context
  4. Do your work
  5. /wrapup - Claude saves everything
  6. Close the session

Make this automatic. The /startup + /wrapup pair is what turns Claude Code from a chat tool into an ongoing collaborator.

Power-user tips

  • Skip /startup if context is already loaded - if you just ran one session and start a new one 5 minutes later on the same project, the context is fresh. /startup is overkill. Save it for when you're switching projects or coming back the next day.
  • Ask Claude to search across sessions - "find the session where we decided X" triggers a search across session memories (full-text on both backends; semantic on Supabase if pgvector is enabled)
  • /wrapup can be lengthy - the skill does a thorough two-pass audit. If you're in a hurry, tell Claude "quick wrapup, just the essentials" and it'll save a shorter version.
  • Customise the skills - they're just markdown files. Open SKILL.md, edit, restart Claude Code to pick up changes. Tweak to your workflow .

Action items

☐ Download both startup-SKILL.md and wrapup-SKILL.md from this lesson

☐ Tell Claude to install them to ~/.claude/skills/startup/ and ~/.claude/skills/wrapup/

☐ Restart Claude Code and type / - confirm both skills appear

☐ Run your first /wrapup - verify the session was saved to your memory backend

☐ Open a fresh session and run /startup - confirm Claude loads the context

☐ Lock in the habit: /startup to begin, /wrapup to end, every session

Next lesson: Maintaining your memory layer.

Resources

startup-SKILL.md

wrapup-SKILL.md

Exercises

  1. Review the concepts covered in this lesson: /startup + /wrapup.
  2. Write down your key takeaway from this lesson.
  3. Practice running any commands or prompts mentioned above inside your terminal.