Making Issues Resumable Across Sessions

When Resumability Matters

Use enhanced documentation for:

• Multi-session technical features with API integration
• Complex algorithms requiring code examples
• Features with specific output format requirements
• Work with "occult" APIs (undocumented capabilities)

Skip for:

• Simple bug fixes with clear scope
• Well-understood patterns (CRUD operations, etc.)
• Single-session tasks
• Work with obvious acceptance criteria

The test: Would a fresh Claude instance (or you after 2 weeks) struggle to resume this work from the description alone? If yes, add implementation details.

Anatomy of a Resumable Issue

Minimal (Always Include)

Description: What needs to be built and why
Acceptance Criteria: Concrete, testable outcomes (WHAT not HOW)

Enhanced (Complex Technical Work)

Notes Field - IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE:

WORKING CODE:
```python
# Tested code that queries the API
service = build('drive', 'v3', credentials=creds)
result = service.about().get(fields='importFormats').execute()
# Returns: {'text/markdown': ['application/vnd.google-apps.document'], ...}

API RESPONSE SAMPLE: Shows actual data structure (not docs description)

DESIRED OUTPUT FORMAT:

# Example of what the output should look like
Not just "return markdown" but actual structure

RESEARCH CONTEXT: Why this approach? What alternatives were considered? Key discoveries that informed the design.

## Real Example: Before vs After

### ❌ Not Resumable

Title: Add dynamic capabilities resources Description: Query Google APIs for capabilities and return as resources Acceptance: Resources return capability info

**Problem:** Future Claude doesn't know:
- Which API endpoints to call
- What the responses look like
- What format to return

### ✅ Resumable

Title: Add dynamic capabilities resources Description: Query Google APIs for system capabilities (import formats, themes, quotas) that aren't in static docs. Makes server self-documenting.

Notes: IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE

WORKING CODE (tested):

from workspace_mcp.tools.drive import get_credentials
from googleapiclient.discovery import build

creds = get_credentials()
service = build('drive', 'v3', credentials=creds)
about = service.about().get(
    fields='importFormats,exportFormats,folderColorPalette'
).execute()

# Returns:
# - importFormats: dict, 49 entries like {'text/markdown': [...]}
# - exportFormats: dict, 10 entries
# - folderColorPalette: list, 24 hex strings

OUTPUT FORMAT EXAMPLE:

# Drive Import Formats

Google Drive supports 49 import formats:

## Text Formats
- **text/markdown** → Google Docs ✨ (NEW July 2024)
- text/plain → Google Docs
...

RESEARCH CONTEXT: text/markdown support announced July 2024 but NOT in static Google docs. Google's workspace-developer MCP server doesn't expose this. This is why dynamic resources matter.

Acceptance Criteria:

• User queries workspace://capabilities/drive/import-formats
• Response shows all 49 formats including text/markdown
• Output is readable markdown, not raw JSON
• Queries live API (not static data)

**Result:** Fresh Claude instance can:
1. See working API query code
2. Understand response structure
3. Know desired output format
4. Implement with context

## Optional Template

Copy this into notes field for complex technical features:

```markdown
IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE FOR FUTURE SESSIONS:

WORKING CODE (tested):
```language
# Paste actual code that works
# Include imports and setup
# Show what it returns

API RESPONSE SAMPLE:

{
  "actualField": "actualValue",
  "structure": "as returned by API"
}

DESIRED OUTPUT FORMAT:

Show what the final output should look like
Not just "markdown" but actual structure/style

RESEARCH CONTEXT:

• Why this approach?
• What alternatives considered?
• Key discoveries?
• Links to relevant docs/examples?

## Anti-Patterns

### ❌ Over-Documenting Simple Work
```markdown
Title: Fix typo in README
Notes: IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE
WORKING CODE: Open README.md, change "teh" to "the"...

Problem: Wastes tokens on obvious work.

❌ Design Details in Acceptance Criteria

Acceptance:
- [ ] Use batchUpdate approach
- [ ] Call API with fields parameter
- [ ] Format as markdown with ## headers

Problem: Locks implementation. Should be in Design/Notes, not Acceptance.

❌ Raw JSON Dumps

API RESPONSE:
{giant unformatted JSON blob spanning 100 lines}

Problem: Hard to read. Extract relevant parts, show structure.

✅ Right Balance

API RESPONSE SAMPLE:
Returns dict with 49 entries. Example entries:
- 'text/markdown': ['application/vnd.google-apps.document']
- 'text/plain': ['application/vnd.google-apps.document']
- 'application/pdf': ['application/vnd.google-apps.document']

When to Add This Detail

During issue creation:

• Already have working code from research? Include it.
• Clear output format in mind? Show example.

During work (update notes):

• Just got API query working? Add to notes.
• Discovered important context? Document it.
• Made key decision? Explain rationale.

Session end:

• If resuming will be hard, add implementation guide.
• If obvious, skip it.

The principle: Help your future self (or next Claude) resume without rediscovering everything.