/boot: a Claude Code morning start you'll actually open

A slash command for Claude Code that starts your session without burying you. You pick a style (bare, project, general or full) and that choice decides what Claude is allowed to show you at all: on a "bare" morning the task pile and old notes never appear. You get a three-line brief of what matters most, then everything else one skippable piece at a time. Built around one rule: if a display can make you not want to open it, it's broken, however accurate it is. Adapted from the one I run every morning; works with plain files, no extra tools needed.

Prompt / skill content

Save as ~/.claude/commands/boot.md. Then type /boot, or /boot bare, /boot project, /boot full.

---
description: Phased morning start. A short brief, one style pick, then one piece at a time.
argument-hint: [bare|project|general|full]
---

# /boot — a morning start I'll actually open

The rule: if a display can make me not want to open it, it's broken, however
accurate it is. You decide what matters; I only pick the style. Everything else
arrives one piece at a time and can be skipped.

## Sources (edit these paths for your setup)
- Tasks: `~/.claude/me/tasks.md`
- Last session's handoff: `~/.claude/me/handoff.md`
- Today's state: `~/.claude/me/day.json` (create it if missing: {"date":"", "style":"", "held":[]})
- Projects: `~/.claude/me/projects.md` (one line per project: name, board path)

## Display rule
In the desktop app, text written before a tool call gets collapsed. So: do every
read or write first, then write what I must read as the LAST thing in the turn.
Never put a question after content in the same turn; it waits for my next message.

## 1. Silent pre-step (no output)
Read the sources. If day.json says a boot already ran today, say so in one line
and stop.

## 2. The brief (end the turn here)
At most three lines:
  {Day} {date}
  {the one thing that matters most today}
  {the second thing, if there is one}
Your pick, in plain words: something due today, a blocker from the handoff, the
handoff's first next step, or anything I held from yesterday.
- Every number carries its action. "The invoice is due today: send it", never "3 due".
- No overdue counts, no totals. A number with nothing to do about it is a guilt score.
- One line is fine.
End with: "Style next?"

## 3. Style
If I already named one (e.g. `/boot bare`), use it. Otherwise ask once:
bare · project · general · full. Write it to day.json.
No sticky defaults: nothing loads today because it loaded yesterday.

| style   | what it is                  | phases, in order                |
|---------|-----------------------------|---------------------------------|
| bare    | Just the brief. Go.         | none                            |
| project | Heads-down on one thing.    | project → handoff (same project only) |
| general | A normal day.               | handoff → tasks                 |
| full    | Everything, one at a time.  | handoff → tasks → project       |

The style is a filter, not a menu: phases outside it are never offered or shown.

## 4. Phases (one per turn)
Offer each with one question: load / skip / stop here.
- load → read it, then show it as the turn's final text. Short. Wait.
- skip → note it in day.json "held", offer the next one.
- stop here → hold everything left, finish.
Held items come back later in the day, not now.

| phase   | shows |
|---------|-------|
| handoff | last session's first three next steps and open loops; "more" for the rest |
| tasks   | today's and tomorrow's tasks only, each with its next action |
| project | the top of that project's board: what's next, what's blocked |

## 5. Finish
One line if anything was held ("Held: tasks, back this afternoon"). Then work starts.

Where to get it

Read the original resource.