finnskogarna

Finnskogarna

The master accordion. N parallel sessions → compress each → diff the compressions → wake one, seal the rest.

A cogpros primitive (#29) for operators running multiple parallel Claude Code sessions on related work. When the parallel load passes what one mind can hold, /finnskogarna runs a two-level fold that never merges contexts. Every settlement keeps its own shape; the operator stands above the woods and picks which one breathes next.

Three-count: compress · compare · choose.

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Why this exists

Most operators (and most LLMs) respond to multi-session overwhelm by trying to merge contexts into one bigger window. That move concentrates load — it doesn't reduce it.

The opposite move works: seal each session independently, diff the compressions, wake one thread, send the others to cold-resumable storage. The output is a decision (which thread breathes), not a merged context.

This skill codifies the opposite move so it can not be re-discovered every time.

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When to use

Trigger conditions:

• Operator types /finnskogarna or says "master accordion" or "fold the sessions"
• N ≥ 3 parallel sessions accumulating without reconciliation
• "I'm overwhelmed by X sessions" with X ≥ 3
• Pre-bed reconciliation when operator can not hold all parallel threads in head
• After a long sprint where multiple sessions converged on shared substrate

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When NOT to use

• Single-session checkpoint → /accordion
• End-of-session close → your session-close skill
• Mid-session reorientation → /whats-next or equivalent
• One stalled session → just resume it
• Sessions that have not yet been sealed via your session-close skill

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Quickstart

/finnskogarna

Or with explicit session IDs:

/finnskogarna aaaa1111,bbbb2222,cccc3333,dddd4444,eeee5555,ffff6666

The skill walks five phases. Each phase must complete before the next.

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Configuration

The skill reads and writes a handful of directories, referenced throughout as variables. Set them to fit your machine:

Variable	Purpose	Suggested default
$FINN_STATE_DIR	Skill state (held-shelf, run log, counts)	$HOME/.finnskogarna
$FINN_REPORTS_DIR	Drop zone for interactive HTML reports	$HOME/reports
$FACT_SHEETS_DIR	Per-session fact sheet storage	$HOME/.finnskogarna/fact-sheets
$SEALS_DIR	Per-session seal records	$HOME/.finnskogarna/seals
$FINN_GOALS_DIR	Optional goal-board intake root	$HOME/goals

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The five phases

1. Probe-fire

Operator picks a probe prompt. Default: "audit yourself — produce your own session-state-dump in fact-sheet shape."

Operator pastes the prompt into each session. Each session responds with its own state, not a meta-prompt for a hypothetical 7th session.

If a session responds with an orchestrator-prompt, that's integrator-drift. Re-prompt with state-dump demand.

2. Seal

Run your session-close skill on each session, with explicit JSONL path to avoid mtime race:

python3 session-fact-sheet.py \
  ~/.claude/projects/<project-dir>/<session-id>.jsonl \
  > $FACT_SHEETS_DIR/<session-id>-<TS>.md

Each session writes its own fact sheet plus a cold-handover audit MD.

3. Harvest

Build an interactive harvest HTML at $FINN_REPORTS_DIR/finnskogarna-<DATE>.html (interactive-report pattern: textareas with data-q, action bar, autosave).

One card per session: probe-response, fact-sheet excerpt, work-shipped list, operator-take textarea. Cross-cutting cards for convergences, contradictions, drifts, and integrity issues. Autosave to localStorage. Export to .md or .html.

4. Offload

Optionally emit a goal intake at $FINN_GOALS_DIR/finnskogarna-<DATE>/ and queue an issue-tracker chain for the comparative read.

The operator-seat session does not chew through the inputs. The substrate does. The operator-seat picks the verdict.

5. Verdict

Surface:

• Convergences (2+ sessions extracting the same skill / pattern / decision → real primitive candidate)
• Contradictions (opposing decisions on the same artifact)
• Integrator-drifts (too-meta sessions)
• Fact-sheet integrity issues (missing seals, cross-wires)

Operator picks ONE thread to wake. Others go cold-resumable.

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Inputs

• N session IDs (or --auto for last-N-by-mtime, best-effort)
• Probe prompt (optional, default provided)
• Output directory (default $FINN_REPORTS_DIR)
• Date stamp (default today, operator's local timezone)

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Outputs

Path	Purpose
$FINN_REPORTS_DIR/finnskogarna-YYYY-MM-DD.html	Interactive harvest harness
$FINN_REPORTS_DIR/finnskogarna-YYYY-MM-DD-verdict.md	Synthesis output
$FINN_GOALS_DIR/finnskogarna-YYYY-MM-DD/	Optional goal board for synthesis work
Issue-tracker chain	Optional synthesis pass

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Hard constraints

1. NEVER merge session contexts. The trap is concatenation.
2. NEVER drift to integrator-prompt generation. If invoked inside a session, demand state-dump.
3. Operator-seat-only verdict. Skill surfaces; operator picks.
4. One thread woken; others sealed.
5. Explicit JSONL paths for every seal (mtime race protection).

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Anti-patterns

• "Bring it all into one session to move forward from" — the merge trap. Reject.
• Generating an orchestrator-prompt instead of running this skill — the integrator-drift. The origin diagnostic for the 6-session cascade: 5 of 6 sessions did this.
• Sealing without explicit JSONL path — mtime cross-wire.
• Waking multiple threads at once — defeats the point.

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Pairs with

• /accordion — single-topic compress (primitive 16). This is the multi-session generalization.
• Your session-close skill — per-session seal (Phase 2).
• Goal board + issue tracker — synthesis offload (Phase 4, optional).
• Interactive-HTML-report pattern — harness (Phase 3).
• A skill-audit skill — audit this skill before publication.

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Lineage

Cogpros primitive #29 candidate. Two-level extension of /accordion.

Convergence proof: 2026-05-14 six-session cascade. Five of six sessions independently generated the integrator-prompt shape this skill canonicalizes. Two of six independently birthed the interactive-HTML-report pattern that Phase 3 uses. The convergence proves the skill is real and needed.

Named for Livet i Finnskogarna — "Life in the Finn Forests" — accordion waltz by Carl Jularbo (1893–1966, Malmö). The song is about Finnish settlers who built lives in distinct clearings out in the Swedish woods. The operator's great-grandfather played it. The skill remembers the man who played it and the man who wrote it.

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Install

Claude Code

git clone https://github.com/cogpros/finnskogarna.git \
  ~/.claude/skills/finnskogarna

Other agent runtimes

Clone into the runtime's user-level skills directory:

git clone https://github.com/cogpros/finnskogarna.git \
  <RUNTIME_SKILLS_DIR>/finnskogarna

Verify the skill loaded — open a session and check the skills registry. The skill name finnskogarna should appear with the trigger phrases listed.

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Setup

1. Pick your directories (see Configuration) and confirm they exist:

   mkdir -p $FINN_STATE_DIR $FINN_REPORTS_DIR $FACT_SHEETS_DIR $SEALS_DIR
   

2. Confirm you have a fact-sheet extractor (any script that turns a session JSONL into a one-page fact sheet and accepts an explicit path).
3. Confirm companion skills are installed: a session-close skill and an interactive-HTML-report pattern.
4. (Optional) Wire a dashboard auto-index so harvest HTML registers on drop.

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Usage

Natural language

"fold the sessions" "i'm overwhelmed by six sessions" "/finnskogarna for last 5" "run master accordion on these session ids: a1b2c3, d4e5f6, ..."

Commands table

Invocation	Effect
/finnskogarna	Run with last-N-by-mtime auto-detect (best-effort)
/finnskogarna <sid1,sid2,...>	Run on explicit session IDs
/finnskogarna --probe "<text>"	Override probe prompt
/finnskogarna --output <dir>	Override output directory
/finnskogarna --date YYYY-MM-DD	Override date stamp

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File structure

finnskogarna/
├── SKILL.md          # Skill instructions + frontmatter
├── README.md          # This file
├── LICENSE.txt        # MIT license
└── .gitignore         # .DS_Store, node_modules/, editor files

No scripts — workflow-orchestration skill. Phases 2-4 delegate to companion skills.

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Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Phase 2 seal but no fact sheet appears	mtime race on multi-session machine	Re-run extractor with explicit JSONL path
Fact sheet has metrics from wrong session	Operator-fields cross-wired from another loaded context	Regenerate with explicit JSONL; preserve original as -original.md
5/6 sessions return orchestrator-prompts instead of state	Integrator-drift (known failure mode)	Re-prompt each drifted session: "no orchestrator prompt. give me YOUR session state in fact-sheet shape."
Harvest HTML opens empty	localStorage from a prior run masking content	Hit Clear button in the HTML or use a fresh browser profile
npx skills-ref validate fails	Frontmatter shape mismatch	Check name field matches dir name, description under 1024 chars

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Security

• This skill writes files to $FINN_REPORTS_DIR, $FINN_GOALS_DIR, and $FINN_STATE_DIR. Confirm those paths are writable.
• The harvest HTML uses localStorage for autosave on the operator's browser. No remote calls.
• No network access required for Phases 1, 3, 5. Phases 2 and 4 may touch local services depending on your session-close skill and issue tracker.
• No secrets read. No credentials handled.

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Limitations

• --auto session detection is best-effort by mtime — falls back to a warning if ambiguous.
• Phase 5 verdict is operator-only. The skill never auto-picks which thread to wake.
• Designed for Claude Code session topology. Other runtimes need adapted Phase 2 sealers.
• Not a chat-thread closer (use your session-close skill for that).

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License

MIT. See LICENSE.txt.

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Status

v0.5.1 — five field runs behind the design (see version notes in SKILL.md). Skill-doctor audited 2026-05-14 (9.0/11, 82%).

Acknowledgments

• Livet i Finnskogarna — Carl Jularbo (1893–1966), accordion composer, Malmö.
• The operator's great-grandfather, who played the song. The skill carries the song he played.