What is Context Switch Briefing?

A 60-second orientation for a chosen code area that covers key files, recent changes, current state, known issues, dependencies, and tests.

What outputs are generated?

A compact briefing with sections: Key files, Architecture, Recent activity, Current issues, and Dependencies.

How long does it take to produce the briefing?

Designed for a quick 60-second read; the output should be scannable and action-oriented for fast context switching.

context-switch

Scanned

npx machina-cli add skill rana/yogananda-skills/context-switch --openclaw

Files (1)

SKILL.md

1.4 KB

Context Switch Briefing

Target area: $ARGUMENTS

Quickly build a mental model:

Locate — Find the key files and directories for this area using code search, file patterns, and project docs.
Recent changes — Run git log --oneline -15 -- {relevant paths} to see what's changed recently.
Current state — Read the key files. What's the architecture? What patterns are used?
Known issues — Check for TODOs, FIXMEs, and HACK comments in the area. Check open issues if gh is available.
Dependencies — What does this area depend on? What depends on it?
Tests — Where are the tests? What's their state?

Present as a compact briefing:

## {Area Name}

### Key files
{3-7 most important files with one-line descriptions}

### Architecture
{2-3 sentences on how this area is structured}

### Recent activity
{What changed recently and why}

### Current issues
{TODOs, known bugs, open questions}

### Dependencies
{What this area talks to}

Optimize for speed of comprehension. This is a 60-second orientation, not a deep analysis.

Source

git clone https://github.com/rana/yogananda-skills/blob/main/skills/context-switch/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

Context Switch Briefing delivers a compact 60-second orientation to a codebase area. It surfaces the area’s current state, recent changes, key files, and known issues to speed task switching and reduce cognitive load.

How This Skill Works

Provide an area, module, or subsystem name. The tool locates key files and directories, summarizes recent changes with git log on relevant paths, analyzes the current state by inspecting architecture and patterns in the files, surfaces TODOs/FIXMEs/HACKs for known issues, and lists dependencies and tests. The result is a compact, well-structured briefing formatted into Key files, Architecture, Recent activity, Current issues, and Dependencies.

When to Use It

Before switching tasks between subsystems to quickly reorient
When onboarding onto a new area to understand scope fast
During incident response to grasp current state and known issues quickly
Ahead of code reviews to refresh context on the target area
Before starting a refactor to map dependencies and tests

Quick Start

Step 1: Invoke with a target area, e.g., 'auth-service'
Step 2: Review the compact briefing output (Key files, Architecture, Recent activity, Current issues, Dependencies)
Step 3: Use the briefing to guide where to look next and which files to open

Best Practices

Use a precise area name to keep the briefing scoped
Highlight 3-7 key files with concise one-line descriptions
Check for TODO/FIXME/HACK comments and any open GH issues
Verify dependencies and tests are up to date for the area
Keep the briefing under 60 seconds and easily skimmable

Example Use Cases

Briefing area 'authentication-service' to understand recent auth flow changes and key files
briefing area 'payment-processing' after a refactor to review state and tests
briefing area 'frontend-ui' during a UI overhaul to map components and dependencies
briefing area 'data-models' before integrating a new data source
briefing area 'notification-service' during incident investigation to identify known issues

Frequently Asked Questions

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