Cold-start runs

Build-along · ~8 min at your own keyboard

Your workflow 'works' in the session where you built it because that session is soaked in context you provided along the way. The real test: a brand-new session, zero warmup, just the instructions. Whatever a cold start needs to ask you is exactly what's missing from the docs.

The long version: Cold-start runs ↗

Do this

0/4

Checkpoints

▸You should now see a brand-new session with no earlier chat.
▸You should now see a list of every question it asked, each sorted as a hole or a real question.
▸You should now see only the questions your instructions tell it to ask on the second cold start.

The three ways this goes wrong

The new session still has old context. — Fully exit and start claude again. Do not use /resume.
You answered its questions and forgot to log them. — Write each question down before you answer. Each one is a doc gap.
Instructions live only in your head or an old chat. — Put every path, template, and rule into the written instructions file.

Share what happened

Paste the questions the first cold start asked and confirmation of a clean second run.

Strip API keys, passwords, and tokens before you paste. Swap them for [KEY].

🔒 Don't paste confidential, personal-health, or payment info.