Cross-Machine Workflow¶

Skills used: PORTAL + Git

Start on your laptop. Continue on your desktop. Same context, different hardware.

The Problem¶

You've got multiple machines. Laptop for the couch, desktop for serious work, maybe a remote server. Your code syncs via git, but your context doesn't. You switch machines and Claude has no idea what you were doing 10 minutes ago on the other one.

The Setup (One Time)¶

Portals are JSON files. Put them somewhere git can reach.

Option A: In your project repo¶

# Add portals directory to your project
mkdir -p portals
echo "portals/" >> .gitignore  # Optional — keep portals private

To share or not to share

If you .gitignore portals, they stay local. If you don't, they travel with the repo. Your call — portals don't contain secrets, just context summaries.

Option B: Dedicated sync repo¶

# Create a private repo just for portals
mkdir -p ~/portal-sync/portals
cd ~/portal-sync
git init
git remote add origin git@github.com:you/portal-sync.git

Clone this repo on every machine. All portals live here.

The Workflow¶

Machine A (Laptop)¶

You're working. Time to switch machines.

/portal create current-work

Push it:

cd ~/your-project  # or ~/portal-sync
git add portals/
git commit -m "portal: save context"
git push

Machine B (Desktop)¶

Pull and restore:

git pull

/portal open current-work

Claude picks up exactly where you left off. Different machine, same context, zero re-explaining.

The Fast Version¶

If you use the same project repo for portals, it's even simpler:

# Machine A
/portal create current-work
git add -A && git commit -m "wip + portal" && git push

# Machine B
git pull
/portal open current-work

Two commands on each side. That's it.

Real Scenarios¶

Laptop → Desktop¶

Hacking on the couch, hit a wall that needs your big monitor and GPU:

/portal create move-to-desktop
# push
# walk to desk, pull
/portal open move-to-desktop

Desktop → Remote Server¶

Need to test on production-like hardware:

/portal create deploy-testing
# push
# SSH into server, pull
/portal open deploy-testing

Work → Home¶

/portal create end-of-work
# push to private repo
# at home, pull
/portal open end-of-work

Tips¶

Consistent portal names

Use a naming convention: laptop-eod, desktop-wip, server-debug. Makes it easy to know which portal came from where.

Combine with branch names

Name portals after branches: /portal create feature-auth. When you pull and checkout the branch, the matching portal is right there.

Git is the bridge

This only works if both machines can access the same git remote. No git connection = no cross-machine portals. SSH keys on all machines, push access configured.