log

name	log
description	Capture debugging and problem-solving progress to Obsidian vault. Use when user invokes /log, says 'log this', 'capture progress', or 'write that down'. Scans recent conversation for relevant context and appends timestamped notebook-style entries to a per-project dev log note.
effort	low

Development Log Skill

Capture the progression of debugging sessions and problem-solving discussions as concise, timestamped entries in an Obsidian vault note (one note per project).

When to Use This Skill

• User invokes /log
• User says "log this", "capture progress", "write that down", "note that"
• After significant debugging progress or decisions

Workflow

Step 1: Detect Project Name

Derive the project name from the git remote:

git remote get-url origin 2>/dev/null | sed 's/.*[:/]\([^/]*\)\.git$/\1/' | sed 's/.*[:/]\([^/]*\)$/\1/'

If no git remote exists, fall back to the current directory name:

basename "$(pwd)"

Store the result as PROJECT_NAME.

Step 2: Check for User Message

If the user provided text after /log (e.g., /log "Tests finally passing but intermittent"):

• This text MUST appear verbatim in the log entry — do not paraphrase, summarize, or reword it
• Use it as the primary content of the entry
• Still scan conversation for supplementary technical context (file paths, code references) to include as additional bullets below the user's message
• If the user's text is sufficient on its own, no supplementary context is needed

If no text was provided, proceed to scan conversation as usual.

Step 3: Scan Recent Conversation

Review the last 10-15 messages for relevant problem-solving context:

• What problem/bug was being investigated?
• What approaches were tried?
• What was discovered or learned?
• What decisions were made and why?
• What code files/locations were touched?
• What are the next steps?

Step 4: Extract Key Points

Distill into concise freeform bullet points. Think "notebook jottings" not "meeting minutes":

• Focus on progression and learnings
• Include specific file paths, function names, line numbers when relevant
• Capture the "why" behind decisions
• Note dead ends briefly (they inform future debugging)
• No rigid structure required — just bullets that capture what matters

Step 5: Format Entry

Use this markdown format:

## Mon D, YYYY HH:MM

### Optional session topic

- User's verbatim text here (if provided via /log argument)
- Freeform bullet points capturing what happened
- Include `file:line` references where relevant
- Note decisions, discoveries, dead ends, next steps

Step 6: Write to Obsidian Vault

The dev log lives at: ~/obsidian-vault/3_Permanent Notes/Dev Log - <PROJECT_NAME>.md

If the file does not exist, create it with frontmatter and header:

---
tags:
  - type/devlog
  - project/<PROJECT_NAME>
created: "YYYY-MM-DD, HH:MM"
updated: "YYYY-MM-DD, HH:MM"
---

# Dev Log — <PROJECT_NAME>

Development session notes.

---

If the file already exists:

1. Update the updated timestamp in the frontmatter to the current time
2. Append the new entry to the end of the file

After writing, confirm to the user what was logged and to which project note.

What to Capture

• Problems/bugs being investigated
• Hypotheses formed and tested
• Key findings and breakthroughs
• Decisions made and rationale
• Code locations touched (file:line format)
• Error messages that led somewhere
• Tools/commands that helped
• Next steps identified

What NOT to Capture

• Full conversation transcript
• Pleasantries or off-topic discussion
• Information already in previous entries
• Obvious/trivial details
• Speculation that wasn't tested

Example Entries

Debugging Session

## Feb 3, 2026 14:30

### Null pointer in user creation endpoint

- API returning 500 on user creation — null pointer in `validateUser()` when email field empty
- Added null check in `src/validators/user.ts:42`
- Need test coverage for empty field edge cases

Architecture Decision

## Feb 3, 2026 16:45

### Caching strategy for recipe API

- Needed caching strategy for recipe API
- Considered Redis vs in-memory vs SQLite
- Went with in-memory LRU — 95% of requests hit same 50 recipes, Redis overkill for MVP

Investigation (No Fix Yet)

## Feb 4, 2026 09:15

### Intermittent CI test failures

- Intermittent test failures in CI, passes locally
- Increased timeouts — no change. Ran with `--runInBand` — still fails
- Failure correlates with parallel DB tests, possible connection pool exhaustion
- Next: check pool size config, add connection logging

Guidelines

1. Be concise: Each entry should be scannable in 10 seconds
2. Be specific: Include file paths, line numbers, function names
3. Be honest: Note dead ends — they're valuable context
4. Don't duplicate: If something was logged before, don't repeat it
5. Timestamp format: Use the user's local time, format as Mon D, YYYY HH:MM