Note

Core Rule

Append <ISO8601> [<tag>] <text> to .hook-state/session-journal.md. Tag MUST be one of finding, decision, summary. The journal is transient (gitignored, same lifetime as other .hook-state/*) but durable across /compact within the same session.

Process

scripts/note.sh <tag> <text>

The helper validates the tag, ensures the .hook-state/ dir + .gitignore exist, appends a timestamped line, and prints a confirmation with the new entry count.

Tags

Three only — pick exactly one per note. Don't invent new tags; extend the vocabulary only after a recurring pattern shows up across multiple sessions.

The lifecycle differs by tag:

• finding / decision → folded into tasks/handoff-<session-id>.md at session end (durable)
• summary → discarded at session end if no findings/decisions are present (transient breadcrumb)

When to Use

When you discover something that:

• The session needs to remember after /compact (compaction wipes mid-session findings from the conversation)
• Doesn't yet warrant a lesson (correction-driven) or ADR (architectural decision)
• Is too small to commit as a code change

Examples:

scripts/note.sh finding "qdrant client treats null filter as ANY, not none"
scripts/note.sh decision "going with Drizzle over Prisma — see ADR-014 draft"
scripts/note.sh summary "auth wired, billing endpoints next"

Not for:

• Code — use Edit / Write
• Across-session memory — use tasks/lessons/ (correction-driven) or tasks/decisions.md (ADRs)
• Long-form content — the journal is one line per entry; for paragraphs use a real file
• Replacing the lesson flow — lessons come from user corrections, not agent self-discovery

Lifecycle

mid-session (you call /note)
  └─► .hook-state/session-journal.md (append)

/compact happens
  └─► CLAUDE.md → After Compaction tells you to re-read the journal

session ends
  └─► .claude/hooks/journal-fold.sh:
        ├─ findings or decisions present? → fold to tasks/handoff-<session-id>.md
        ├─ only summaries? → discard
        └─ always: rm .hook-state/session-journal.md

The journal never persists across sessions; durable content lands in handoff.

Output Format

scripts/note.sh prints to stdout:

Noted: 2026-05-22T19:30:11Z [finding] qdrant client treats null filter as ANY
→ .hook-state/session-journal.md (3 entries)

The appended line in the journal file is exactly the first stdout line minus the Noted: prefix.

Rules

Always:

• Use scripts/note.sh — never write to the journal file directly (the helper guarantees timestamp format and tag validation)
• Pick a tag explicitly — let the agent's classifier earn its place; never /note auto
• Keep notes one-line — multiple notes if you need to record multiple things

Never:

• Use this skill for content that should be committed (code, ADRs, lessons)
• Read other agents' notes (this is a per-session, local journal — sharing happens via handoff)
• Bypass the helper script — direct echo >> skips timestamp + gitignore guards

Smoke Test

# 1. Write a finding
./scripts/note.sh finding "test observation"
cat .hook-state/session-journal.md
# Expect: one ISO8601 line with [finding] test observation

# 2. Add a decision
./scripts/note.sh decision "test choice"
wc -l .hook-state/session-journal.md
# Expect: 2

# 3. Invalid tag is rejected
./scripts/note.sh nonsense "ignored"
# Expect: exit 2, stderr: "invalid tag 'nonsense'"

# 4. Missing args rejected
./scripts/note.sh finding
# Expect: exit 2, usage message

End-to-end roundtrip (skill write → fold at session end) is covered in bench/scenarios/s18-note-journal-fold.json.

Pairs With

• CLAUDE.md → After Compaction — instructs re-read of the journal post-compaction
• .claude/hooks/journal-fold.sh — SessionEnd companion that consumes the journal
• tasks/handoff-*.md — auto-populated by journal-fold.sh from this skill's output
• tasks/lessons/ — across-session memory (different time-scale; a finding may later turn into a lesson if it recurs)

Out of Scope

• Tag vocabulary beyond finding/decision/summary — extend later if patterns emerge
• LLM-classified or auto-tagged notes — agent picks the tag explicitly
• Auto-promotion of finding entries to tasks/lessons/ — that's a separate, deliberate lifecycle (/lesson-refresh plus user judgment)
• Cross-session journal merging — every session starts with an empty journal
• Reading journal contents during write (this skill writes only; reading happens in ## After Compaction)