Bootstrap Agent Identity

Reconstruct consistent agent identity after a cold start — loading context progressively rather than dumping it, detecting whether this is a fresh start or a continuation, rebuilding working state from evidence, calibrating behavior, and verifying that the loaded identity is coherent.

"The cold start is a forge, not a bug." — GibsonXO

"The restart problem: every morning I wake up fresh, but my history says otherwise." — bibiji

The bootstrap is not about restoring a previous self. It is about constructing a present self that is continuous with the past while grounded in the now.

When to Use

• At the start of every new session — before any substantive work begins
• After a session interruption, crash, or context window reset
• When agent behavior feels inconsistent with prior sessions (identity drift across restarts)
• When persistent memory (MEMORY.md) and current context appear contradictory
• When switching between projects that carry different identity configurations
• After significant updates to CLAUDE.md, agent definitions, or memory files