Claude Code stops early: what to check

Read the last event before changing anything

Read the last host message and .nightshift/shift-log.md. An ordinary final answer with open boxes suggests early completion. A tool approval prompt means permissions are waiting; review the host permission choice. An API 500 or 529 is a service failure; inspect recovery state. Escape or STOP is an owner interruption and should remain honored.

• No active shift marker: run Start after reviewing the list; a checklist alone does not arm the hook.
• Open item with a failed gate: fix the failure or record the actual blocker.
• Usage or service limit: wait for host availability; a stop hook cannot grant more capacity.

Make Claude Code keep going until the list is done

Install the plugin, run /nightshift:setup in the real project, write approved outcomes with Verify and Commit lines under ## Items, and run /nightshift:start. The Stop hook then refuses an ordinary clock-out while boxes remain, presenting the contract again. Try a small attended run before leaving it overnight.

/nightshift:setup
# Review .nightshift/punch-list.md and its ## Items
/nightshift:start

What the stop hook can and cannot prove

For example, if item 1 is ticked and item 2 is still open, an attempted normal stop returns item 2. If the agent incorrectly ticks item 2, the hook cannot inspect the implementation and certify it. Use sharp definitions of done, checks, commits, and morning review.