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Capture

  • 172 installs
  • 411 repo stars
  • Updated April 29, 2026
  • sharpdeveye/maestro

capture is a Maestro v2.0.0 agent command skill that writes a structured session summary to .maestro/sessions/ and appends decisions.jsonl for developers who need coding-agent context to persist across sessions.

About

capture is a user-invocable Maestro command skill (version 2.0.0) in sharpdeveye/maestro that persists AI coding session state across context boundaries. Part of Maestro's 25-command workflow toolkit, capture reads conversation history and records commands run, architectural decisions with rationale, files changed, open issues, and specific next steps into .maestro/sessions/{date}_{topic}.md. It also appends an entry to .maestro/decisions.jsonl. The skill mandates running /teach-maestro first if no .maestro context exists and pairs with /recap for session recovery. Developers reach for /capture at session end to prevent lost context on multi-day refactors, especially when using Maestro commands like /diagnose, /fortify, and /evaluate. It explicitly forbids storing raw prompts, overwriting existing session files, or auto-capturing without user invocation.

  • Writes .maestro/sessions/{date}_{topic}.md with commands, decisions, files, issues
  • Appends structured entry to .maestro/decisions.jsonl on each capture
  • Maestro v2.0.0 utility command; part of 25-command agent workflow toolkit
  • Requires /teach-maestro context first; recommends /recap as next session start
  • Forbids raw prompt storage, session file overwrites, and auto-capture

Capture by the numbers

  • 172 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • +6 installs in the week ending Jul 27, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
  • Ranked #3,091 of 16,546 AI & Agent Building skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Data as of Jul 27, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
npx skills add https://github.com/sharpdeveye/maestro --skill capture

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Listed on Skillselion
Installs172
repo stars411
Last updatedApril 29, 2026
Repositorysharpdeveye/maestro

How do you persist AI coding session context across sessions?

Run /capture at session end to write .maestro/sessions/{date}_{topic}.md with decisions, file changes, and actionable next steps.

Who is it for?

Developers using Maestro agent workflows who end coding sessions and need durable handoff notes for the next /recap invocation.

Skip if: Teams not using Maestro's .maestro/ directory or who only need git commit messages without structured session metadata.

When should I use this skill?

The user ends a Maestro-guided coding session and wants to save what was done, decided, and what to do next.

What you get

Markdown session summary in .maestro/sessions/ plus a decisions.jsonl append entry with commands, files changed, issues, and next steps.

  • session markdown file
  • decisions.jsonl entry

By the numbers

  • Maestro v2.0.0 capture command with 5 captured categories: commands, decisions, files, issues, next steps
  • Part of Maestro's 25-command workflow toolkit with 25 skills
  • Session memory layer stores files under .maestro/sessions/ and .maestro/decisions.jsonl

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

MANDATORY PREPARATION

Invoke /agent-workflow — it contains workflow principles, anti-patterns, and the Context Gathering Protocol. Follow the protocol before proceeding — if no workflow context exists yet, you MUST run /teach-maestro first.

---

Capture the current session's work into a persistent summary. This creates a record that survives session boundaries — future commands can reference what happened here.

What to Capture

Read the conversation history and identify:

1. Commands run — which Maestro commands were invoked and in what order 2. Decisions made — architectural choices, trade-offs accepted, patterns adopted 3. Files changed — what was created, modified, or deleted 4. Issues found — bugs, gaps, or risks identified 5. Next steps — what should happen next (be specific)

Output Format

Generate a session summary file at .maestro/sessions/{date}_{topic}.md:

# Session: {topic}
Date: {YYYY-MM-DD}

## Commands Run
- /diagnose → Score: 18/25
- /fortify → Added retry logic to API handlers
- /evaluate → Verified with 3 test scenarios

## Decisions
- Chose retry-with-backoff over circuit breaker (simpler, sufficient for current load)
- Kept synchronous error handling (async not justified yet)

## Files Changed
- `src/api/handler.ts` — added retry wrapper
- `src/middleware/auth.ts` — added input validation
- `tests/api.test.ts` — new test file

## Open Issues
- Rate limiting not yet implemented (deferred to next session)

## Next Steps
1. Run `/guard` to add rate limiting
2. Run `/evaluate` with adversarial test cases

Also append a decision entry to .maestro/decisions.jsonl recording this capture.

Session Capture Checklist

  • [ ] All commands from this session listed
  • [ ] Key decisions documented with rationale
  • [ ] Files changed listed with brief descriptions
  • [ ] Open issues captured (nothing lost)
  • [ ] Next steps are specific and actionable
  • [ ] Summary saved to .maestro/sessions/

Recommended Next Step

After capturing, your next session should start with /recap to restore context, then proceed with the next steps listed above.

NEVER:

  • Store raw prompts or full LLM outputs in the session file
  • Overwrite an existing session file — create a new one
  • Skip the "Next Steps" section — this is what makes capture valuable
  • Capture without reading the conversation history first
  • Auto-capture without the user invoking this command

Related skills

How it compares

Pick Maestro capture when using the Maestro command stack; use git notes or ADRs when you only need commit-level history without agent session structure.

FAQ

What files does Maestro capture create?

Maestro capture writes a markdown session file to .maestro/sessions/{date}_{topic}.md listing commands run, decisions, files changed, open issues, and next steps. It also appends a decision record to .maestro/decisions.jsonl for cross-session audit trails.

When should a developer run /capture?

Maestro capture runs at session end when the user explicitly invokes it after Maestro-guided work. It requires prior /teach-maestro context setup and should not auto-run or overwrite existing session files.

What should Maestro capture never store?

Maestro capture must not store raw prompts or full LLM outputs, must not overwrite existing session files, and must not skip the Next Steps section. Each capture creates a new dated file after reading full conversation history.

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