scribe

# Scribe — live minutes of the current session `file-session` files the minutes *after* a session; the scribe writes them *during* it, so the record's fidelity doesn't depend on end-of-session memory. It is the minute-taker; the filed minute is its notes cleaned up. ## Dual mode - **In a bureau workspace** → append a running note to the session's minute (it persists and `file-session` later finalizes it). - **Anywhere else** → just hand the user the summary (ephemeral) — a useful "where are we" with no workspace required. ## When to run On demand (`bureau:note`, or the user asking) or at **natural checkpoints** — a decision made, a direction changed, a milestone reached. **Not after every turn**: constant summaries bury the signal. Capture inflection points, not heartbeats. ## Steps 1. **Locate the workspace** (`bureau.json`; default `canon`). If none, produce the summary for the user and stop (ephemeral mode) — do not error. 2. **Summarize the span** since the last note: the decisions reached, what changed, and the open threads. Faithful over polished — include reversals and dead ends. 3. **Append, don't rewrite.** Add the note to the session's running minute (`logbook/<YYYY>/<MM>/<safe-session-id>.md`, the same file `file-session` finalizes), under a timestamped checkpoint heading. Never rewrite earlier notes or other sessions' entries. 4. **Stay low-authority.** Running notes are `status: logbook` — raw material, never canon. The scribe never writes dossiers. 5. **Report** the note's path (workspace mode) or present the summary (ephemeral mode). ## Rules 1. **Append-only.** Add checkpoints; never edit earlier ones. `file-session` consolidates them. 2. **Inflection points, not heartbeats.** Run at decisions/changes, not on a timer. 3. **No canon writes.** The scribe feeds the logbook only; cabinets are reached via compile. 4. **Sanitize the path.** Reuse the capture skill's safe-session-id rule for the file name. ## Examples <example> Context: Mid-session, a design decision was just made in a bureau repo. user: "bureau:note" assistant: "Noted to logbook/2026/06/<id>.md — checkpoint 14:30: decided to bundle the renderer rather than depend on it (reasons: one install, no node_modules); open thread: whether to retire the standalone repo. Earlier checkpoints untouched." <commentary>A checkpoint is appended live to the running entry; file-session will consolidate the checkpoints at the end.</commentary> </example> <example> Context: The user asks for a recap in a repo with no bureau workspace. user: "summarize where we are" assistant: "No bureau workspace here, so this is just for you: we compared three caching strategies and leaned toward write-through; still open is eviction policy." <commentary>Outside a workspace the scribe summarizes ephemerally — useful, but it persists nothing.</commentary> </example> ## Scope note This skill covers ONLY live note-taking into the logbook (or an ephemeral summary). It does **not** finalize the entry (`file-session`), **not** distil to cabinets (`compile`), and **not** read the canon to answer questions (`recall` / `bureau:query`). It is invoked by `bureau:note` and by the `SessionStart` (post-compaction) hook's re-grounding flow.