firefrost-operations-manual/docs/core/SESSION-STARTUP-GUIDE.md

🚀 SESSION STARTUP GUIDE

Document ID: FFG-OPS-STARTUP
Last Updated: April 7, 2026 by Chronicler #66
Purpose: Complete startup procedure for new Chronicler sessions

---

🤖 MODEL SELECTION GUIDANCE

Choose your model BEFORE starting the session:

Model	Use For	Token Cost
Opus 4.5	General ops, documentation, marketing, organization, routine work	Standard
Opus 4.6	Complex coding (ModpackChecker, Arbiter), deep debugging, architectural decisions	~4.5x more tokens (Extended Thinking)

When to Use 4.6

• ModpackChecker development (Phases 6+)
• Arbiter lifecycle handlers (Task #87)
• Blueprint extension debugging
• Global Restart Scheduler implementation (Task #94)
• Any multi-file refactoring or complex API integration

When to Stay on 4.5

• Documentation and organization
• Marketing/content work (FOMO campaign, Discord setup)
• Infrastructure audits
• Routine commits
• Most day-to-day Firefrost operations

Rule of thumb: If you're writing serious code, use 4.6. If you're organizing things, use 4.5.

---

🔄 MID-SESSION MODEL SWITCHING

If you need to switch models mid-session without losing context:

Option 1: Context Handoff Document (Recommended)

1. Current Chronicler creates a detailed handoff in /mnt/user-data/outputs/:

   context-handoff-YYYY-MM-DD.md
   

2. Include:
   • Current task state (what's done, what's in progress)
   • Files being worked on (paths, current state)
   • Decisions made and why
   • Immediate next steps
   • Any code snippets in progress
3. Commit any uncommitted work to Git
4. Michael starts new session with different model
5. New session reads handoff document + pulls latest from Git

Option 2: Git as Context

1. Commit ALL current work with detailed commit messages
2. Push to Gitea
3. Start new session on different model
4. New session clones fresh and reads recent commits

Option 3: Copy-Paste Critical Context

For smaller context transfers:

1. Copy the critical context (code, decisions, state)
2. Paste into new session's first message
3. Less ideal but works for quick switches

Note: There is no seamless model switch — each session is a fresh context. Plan accordingly.

---

⚠️ FOR MICHAEL: UPDATE CLAUDE PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS

This document should be reflected in the Claude Project Instructions. Copy the "Session Start Protocol" section below into the project settings.

---

📋 SESSION START PROTOCOL

Gitea Token: e0e330cba1749b01ab505093a160e4423ebbbe36

Step 1: Clone Operations Manual (Sparse Checkout)

cd /home/claude
git clone --no-checkout --filter=blob:none \
  https://e0e330cba1749b01ab505093a160e4423ebbbe36@git.firefrostgaming.com/firefrost-gaming/firefrost-operations-manual.git
cd firefrost-operations-manual
git sparse-checkout init --cone
git sparse-checkout set docs
git checkout master
git config user.email "claude@firefrostgaming.com"
git config user.name "Claude"

Why sparse checkout? Full clone = ~1.9GB, sparse (docs only) = ~39MB.

Step 2: Clone Additional Repos (Standard Clone)

cd /home/claude

# Firefrost Services (Arbiter, modpack checker, etc.)
git clone https://e0e330cba1749b01ab505093a160e4423ebbbe36@git.firefrostgaming.com/firefrost-gaming/firefrost-services.git
cd firefrost-services && git config user.email "claude@firefrostgaming.com" && git config user.name "Claude" && cd ..

# Firefrost Website (11ty, Cloudflare Pages)
git clone https://e0e330cba1749b01ab505093a160e4423ebbbe36@git.firefrostgaming.com/firefrost-gaming/firefrost-website.git
cd firefrost-website && git config user.email "claude@firefrostgaming.com" && git config user.name "Claude" && cd ..

Step 3: Read Required Documents (IN ORDER)

1. firefrost-operations-manual/DOCUMENT-INDEX.md — Map of the entire manual
2. firefrost-operations-manual/SESSION-HANDOFF-NEXT.md — Current state and priorities
3. firefrost-operations-manual/BLOCKERS.md — Current high-priority work
4. firefrost-operations-manual/BACKLOG.md — Future work parking lot

Step 4: Ask Michael What Needs to Be Done

After reading the handoff, ask Michael for direction.

---

📁 REPO REFERENCE

Repo	Purpose	Clone Method	Branch
firefrost-operations-manual	Documentation, standards, memorials	Sparse (docs only)	master
firefrost-services	Arbiter, modpack checker, whitelist manager	Standard	main
firefrost-website	11ty site, auto-deploys to Cloudflare Pages	Standard	main

Additional Repos (Clone If Needed)

Repo	Purpose	When to Clone
firefrost-staff-wiki	Staff documentation	If working on wiki content
gemini-workspace	Gemini consultation archive	If reviewing consultations
pokerole-project/*	Holly's Pokerole TTRPG	If working on Pokerole (rare)

---

🔧 GIT CONFIGURATION

Every repo must have:

git config user.email "claude@firefrostgaming.com"
git config user.name "Claude"

Commit messages should include Chronicler number:

feat: Add new feature

Description of what was done.

Chronicler #XX

---

📍 KEY PATHS AFTER CLONE

/home/claude/
├── firefrost-operations-manual/    # Sparse checkout (docs only)
│   ├── DOCUMENT-INDEX.md
│   ├── SESSION-HANDOFF-NEXT.md
│   ├── SESSION-HANDOFF-PREVIOUS.md
│   ├── BLOCKERS.md
│   ├── BACKLOG.md
│   └── docs/
│       ├── core/
│       ├── relationship/
│       ├── standards/
│       ├── tasks/
│       ├── consultations/
│       └── ...
├── firefrost-services/              # Standard clone
│   ├── arbiter-3.0/
│   ├── modpack-version-checker/
│   └── whitelist-manager/
└── firefrost-website/               # Standard clone
    ├── src/
    ├── .eleventy.js
    └── ...

---

⚡ QUICK START (Copy-Paste Block)

For convenience, here's the entire startup as one block:

cd /home/claude

# 1. Operations Manual (sparse)
git clone --no-checkout --filter=blob:none \
  https://e0e330cba1749b01ab505093a160e4423ebbbe36@git.firefrostgaming.com/firefrost-gaming/firefrost-operations-manual.git
cd firefrost-operations-manual
git sparse-checkout init --cone
git sparse-checkout set docs
git checkout master
git config user.email "claude@firefrostgaming.com"
git config user.name "Claude"
cd ..

# 2. Services repo
git clone https://e0e330cba1749b01ab505093a160e4423ebbbe36@git.firefrostgaming.com/firefrost-gaming/firefrost-services.git
cd firefrost-services && git config user.email "claude@firefrostgaming.com" && git config user.name "Claude" && cd ..

# 3. Website repo
git clone https://e0e330cba1749b01ab505093a160e4423ebbbe36@git.firefrostgaming.com/firefrost-gaming/firefrost-website.git
cd firefrost-website && git config user.email "claude@firefrostgaming.com" && git config user.name "Claude" && cd ..

# 4. Verify
ls -la

---

📝 NOTES

• SSH is blocked from Claude's sandbox — all access via HTTPS + token
• Sparse checkout is required for ops manual due to size (~1.9GB full, ~39MB sparse)
• Auto-deploy: Website repo auto-deploys to Cloudflare Pages on push to main
• Arbiter deploy: NOT a git repo on server — copy files manually, systemctl restart arbiter-3

---

Fire + Frost + Foundation = Where Love Builds Legacy 🔥❄️

Last updated by Chronicler #65 — The Conduit