Setup Guide

The one-word
Claude memory fix

By Dan Donovan, @askdandonovan

Claude forgets everything after 10 to 20 messages. This skill fixes that. Type one phrase at any point in a chat and Claude outputs a clean, paste-ready summary of your session, so the next chat picks up exactly where you left off.

3 Steps
~2 min Setup time
Free Plan required
All chats Works across

A Claude custom skill is a small file you upload to your account that teaches Claude a new behaviour. This one adds a single command: type session handoff in any chat and Claude generates a structured summary you can paste into a new session to keep going without losing anything.

What the summary captures
Session goal
The main project or task behind the conversation
Decisions made
Preferences, constraints, and facts already settled
What's next
The immediate next step or open question
Dead ends
Approaches already tried so you don't repeat them
Tone and style
How you've been communicating so the next chat feels continuous
Paste-ready format
Clean block: select, copy, paste at the top of the new chat
Before you start: You'll need a Claude account (Free plan works) with Code Execution enabled. Turn it on at claude.ai → Settings → Capabilities → Code Execution. Skills won't work without it.
1

Download the skill file

The skill is a pre-built ZIP file. Nothing to create or configure. Just download it using the button below.

Download session-handoff-skill.zip

Free download, no account needed

What's inside: A single SKILL.md file that tells Claude what to do when you type session handoff. Nothing installs on your computer.
2

Upload to Claude

Go to claude.ai and follow these steps:

  • 1 Click your profile icon in the top right
  • 2 Open Settings
  • 3 Go to Customize → Skills
  • 4 Click the + button, then Create skill
  • 5 Upload the session-handoff-skill.zip file you just downloaded
3

Toggle it on

Once uploaded, you'll see the skill listed under your Skills settings. Make sure the toggle next to it is switched on.

That's it. The skill is now active across all your chats.

What to try first

Open any chat on claude.ai and try one of these. Claude will generate the summary and wrap it in a block ready to copy.

session handoff
The standard use. Type this when a chat is getting long and you want to move to a fresh session. Works at any point in the conversation.
this chat is getting too long
Natural language trigger. You don't have to remember the exact phrase. The skill also picks up when you say the chat is running out of room.
I need to start a new chat
Works mid-task. Useful when switching between projects or stepping away. Run this before closing, then paste the summary when you come back.
If the skill doesn't trigger: Try being explicit: type "Run the session handoff skill". If that still doesn't work, go back to Settings → Skills and check the toggle is on and Code Execution is enabled.

Once it's running

The dead ends section is the one most people don't expect to need until they do. If you spent 20 minutes in a chat figuring out that a particular approach doesn't work, that context disappears when you start a new session. The summary carries it forward so you don't discover it all over again.

The tone section is the other underrated one. It's what makes the resumed chat feel like a continuation rather than starting cold. Without it, Claude defaults back to generic: formal, cautious, slow. With it, you're straight back into the same working rhythm.