diff --git a/hooks/session-end.sh b/hooks/session-end.sh
index fb4dd83..6e17214 100755
--- a/hooks/session-end.sh
+++ b/hooks/session-end.sh
@@ -5,12 +5,20 @@
 # It spawns a background process to analyze the session and update learnings.
 #
 
+LOG_FILE="${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR:-.}/.claude/hooks/session-end.log"
+
+log() {
+    echo "[$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')] $1" >> "$LOG_FILE"
+}
+
 # Read hook input from stdin (JSON with session info)
 INPUT=$(cat)
 
+log "Hook triggered with input: $INPUT"
+
 # Extract transcript path using jq (required dependency)
 if ! command -v jq &> /dev/null; then
-    # jq not available, skip silently
+    log "ERROR: jq not available"
     exit 0
 fi
 
@@ -18,30 +26,61 @@ TRANSCRIPT=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.transcript_path // empty')
 SESSION_ID=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.session_id // empty')
 PROJECT_DIR="${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR:-.}"
 
+log "Transcript: $TRANSCRIPT"
+log "Session ID: $SESSION_ID"
+log "Project dir: $PROJECT_DIR"
+
 # Validate transcript exists
-if [ -z "$TRANSCRIPT" ] || [ ! -f "$TRANSCRIPT" ]; then
+if [ -z "$TRANSCRIPT" ]; then
+    log "ERROR: No transcript path in input"
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+if [ ! -f "$TRANSCRIPT" ]; then
+    log "ERROR: Transcript file does not exist: $TRANSCRIPT"
     exit 0
 fi
 
 # Only run retrospective if session was substantial (more than 10 lines)
 LINE_COUNT=$(wc -l < "$TRANSCRIPT" 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+log "Transcript line count: $LINE_COUNT"
 if [ "$LINE_COUNT" -lt 10 ]; then
+    log "Session too short, skipping retrospective"
     exit 0
 fi
 
 # Check if learnings.md exists (system is properly set up)
 LEARNINGS_FILE="$PROJECT_DIR/.claude/skills/codebase-agent/learnings.md"
 if [ ! -f "$LEARNINGS_FILE" ]; then
+    log "ERROR: learnings.md not found at $LEARNINGS_FILE"
     exit 0
 fi
 
-# Run retrospective in background using claude -p
-# This uses Claude Code's existing authentication
+log "Starting retrospective analysis in background..."
+
+# Run retrospective in background using claude with skill invocation
+# Use nohup to ensure the process survives after hook exits
+# cd to project dir since --cwd is not a valid flag
 (
-    claude -p "Run /retrospective to analyze the session and extract learnings. The session transcript is at: $TRANSCRIPT" \
-        --cwd "$PROJECT_DIR" \
-        2>/dev/null
+    cd "$PROJECT_DIR" && nohup claude --dangerously-skip-permissions -p "$(cat <<EOF
+Analyze the coding session that just ended and extract valuable learnings.
+
+Session transcript is at: $TRANSCRIPT
+
+Your task:
+1. Read the transcript file to understand what happened in the session
+2. Identify patterns (what worked), failures (what to avoid), edge cases, and technology insights
+3. Read the current learnings file at: $LEARNINGS_FILE
+4. Add any NEW valuable learnings to the appropriate sections - skip generic knowledge
+5. Use the format: ### Title, then bullet points for Context, Learning, Example (optional), Session date
+
+Be selective - only add genuinely useful, project-specific insights that will help future sessions.
+EOF
+)" \
+        >> "$LOG_FILE" 2>&1 &
 ) &
 
+log "Background process spawned"
+
 # Exit immediately - don't wait for background process
 exit 0