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Overview

The pause-work command creates a comprehensive handoff file when you need to pause work mid-phase. It captures your complete work state, making it easy to resume later without losing context.

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Syntax

/gsd:pause-work

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How It Works

When you run pause-work, GSD:
  1. Detects your current phase from recent files in .planning/
  2. Gathers complete state including:
    • Current position in the phase
    • Work completed so far
    • Work remaining
    • Decisions made
    • Any blockers or open questions
  3. Creates .continue-here.md with all context sections and timestamp
  4. Commits to git as a WIP (work-in-progress) commit
  5. Provides resume instructions for your next session

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What Gets Captured

The handoff file includes:
  • Phase identification - Which phase you’re working on
  • Completion status - What percentage complete, what’s done
  • Current position - Exactly where you left off
  • Recent changes - Files modified in this session
  • Decisions made - Any architectural or implementation choices
  • Next steps - Clear list of what to do next
  • Blockers - Any issues preventing progress
  • Context notes - Important details to remember

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Usage Examples

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Basic pause

# Pause work on the current phase
/gsd:pause-work
GSD will gather state and create: 
.planning/phases/001-user-auth/.continue-here.md

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Resume later

When you’re ready to continue: 
/gsd:resume-work
GSD automatically detects the .continue-here.md file and restores full context.

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When to Use

Perfect for

  • Switching tasks mid-phase
  • End of day during active work
  • Before taking a break during complex changes
  • When you need to context-switch urgently
  • Handing off work to another team member

Not needed for

  • After completing a phase (state is already saved)
  • At natural stopping points (after commits)
  • When no work is in progress

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Integration with Resume

The pause-work and resume-work commands work together:
  1. Pause → Creates .continue-here.md with full state
  2. Resume → Detects checkpoint file and loads all context
  3. Seamless continuation → Pick up exactly where you left off

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Files Created

.planning/phases/{phase-number}-{phase-name}/.continue-here.md
The handoff file uses markdown format with structured sections, making it both human-readable and machine-parseable.
  • resume-work - Resume from a pause checkpoint
  • progress - Check project progress and next actions