Session Isolation Pattern

Session-based artifact isolation for multi-artifact workflows. Use when orchestrating workflows that generate multiple files (designs, reviews, reports) to prevent file collisions across concurrent or sequential sessions.

Problem

When multiple workflows run (even sequentially), artifacts with the same name collide:

Session 1 (SEO): writes ai-docs/plan-review-grok.md
Session 2 (API): writes ai-docs/plan-review-grok.md  <-- OVERWRITES!

Solution

Use unique session folders to isolate artifacts:

ai-docs/sessions/agentdev-seo-20260105-143022-a3f2/
├── session-meta.json      # Session tracking
├── design.md              # Primary artifact
├── reviews/
│   ├── plan-review/       # Plan review phase
│   │   ├── internal.md
│   │   ├── grok.md
│   │   └── consolidated.md
│   └── impl-review/       # Implementation review phase
│       ├── internal.md
│       └── consolidated.md
└── report.md              # Final report

Implementation Pattern

1. Session Initialization (Orchestrator)

Add to Phase 0 of your orchestrator command:

# Generate unique session path
TARGET_SLUG=$(echo "${TARGET_NAME:-workflow}" | tr '[:upper:] ' '[:lower:]-' | sed 's/[^a-z0-9-]//g' | head -c20)
SESSION_BASE="${WORKFLOW_TYPE}-${TARGET_SLUG}-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)-$(head -c4 /dev/urandom | xxd -p | head -c4)"
SESSION_PATH="ai-docs/sessions/${SESSION_BASE}"

# Create directory structure
mkdir -p "${SESSION_PATH}/reviews/plan-review" \
         "${SESSION_PATH}/reviews/impl-review" || {
  echo "Warning: Cannot create session directory, using legacy mode"
  SESSION_PATH="ai-docs"
}

# Create session metadata (if not legacy mode)
if [[ "$SESSION_PATH" != "ai-docs" ]]; then
  cat > "${SESSION_PATH}/session-meta.json" << EOF
{
  "session_id": "${SESSION_BASE}",
  "type": "${WORKFLOW_TYPE}",
  "target": "${USER_REQUEST}",
  "started_at": "$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)",
  "status": "in_progress"
}
EOF
fi

2. Pass SESSION_PATH to Sub-Agents

Include in all agent prompts:

SESSION_PATH: ${SESSION_PATH}

{actual task description}

Save output to: ${SESSION_PATH}/{artifact_path}

3. Sub-Agent SESSION_PATH Detection

Add to agent <critical_constraints>:

<session_path_support>
  **Check for Session Path Directive**

  If prompt contains `SESSION_PATH: {path}`:
  1. Extract the session path
  2. Use it for all output file paths
  3. Primary artifact: `${SESSION_PATH}/{type}.md`
  4. Reviews: `${SESSION_PATH}/reviews/{phase}/{model}.md`

  **If NO SESSION_PATH**: Use legacy paths (ai-docs/)
</session_path_support>

4. Session Completion

Update metadata when workflow completes:

if [[ -f "${SESSION_PATH}/session-meta.json" ]]; then
  jq '.status = "completed" | .completed_at = (now | strftime("%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ"))' \
    "${SESSION_PATH}/session-meta.json" > "${SESSION_PATH}/session-meta.json.tmp" && \
  mv "${SESSION_PATH}/session-meta.json.tmp" "${SESSION_PATH}/session-meta.json"
fi

Artifact Path Mapping

Backward Compatibility

Legacy Mode Triggers: 1. SESSION_PATH not provided in prompt 2. Directory creation fails (permissions) 3. Explicit LEGACY_MODE: true in prompt

Behavior: - Fall back to flat ai-docs/ paths - Log warning about legacy mode - All features still work, just without isolation

Session Metadata Schema

{
  "session_id": "agentdev-seo-20260105-143022-a3f2",
  "type": "agentdev",
  "target": "SEO agent improvements",
  "started_at": "2026-01-05T14:30:22Z",
  "completed_at": "2026-01-05T15:45:30Z",
  "status": "completed",
  "phases_completed": ["init", "design", "plan-review", "implementation", "quality-review"],
  "models_used": ["claude-embedded", "x-ai/grok-code-fast-1", "google/gemini-3-pro"],
  "artifacts": {
    "design": "design.md",
    "plan_reviews": ["reviews/plan-review/internal.md", "reviews/plan-review/grok.md"],
    "impl_reviews": ["reviews/impl-review/internal.md", "reviews/impl-review/gemini.md"],
    "report": "report.md"
  }
}

Plugins Using Session Isolation

Best Practices

1. Always initialize early: Session creation should happen in Phase 0
2. Include SESSION_PATH in all prompts: Sub-agents need it for output paths
3. Use descriptive slugs: Include workflow type and target in folder name
4. Update metadata on completion: Track status changes
5. Fallback gracefully: Never fail the workflow due to session creation issues