memory-journaling

name	memory-journaling
description	Structured decision and pattern logging for Atlas. Guides the agent through high-quality entries to memory/DECISIONS.md, memory/PATTERNS.md, or memory/MISTAKES.md with proper frontmatter, cross-links, and version tags.
tags	["skill","memory","journaling","decisions","patterns","cfo"]
triggers	["log a decision","journal this","memory journal","log this pattern","record this","save this learning","memory-journaling"]
owner	atlas
tier	T1
risk	low
canonical_pattern	../../../Business-Empire-Agent/skills/memory-journaling/SKILL.md

Memory Journaling — Atlas Structured Logging

Overview

Memory drifts when entries are written ad-hoc. This skill enforces structure: every journal entry has a category, a date, a body shape per category, wiki-links to related files, and a freshness tag.

Atlas-specific: financial decisions are irreversible and audit-trail-relevant. A logged "we chose to defer instalment X because Y" or "this TLH window was the cleanest" is regulatory protection. CFO discipline is the highest bar.

When to invoke:

• Capital allocation decision (rebalance, position sizing, asset class shift)
• Tax strategy choice (TLH, deferral, election)
• Spend gate ruling (approve or deny)
• ACB methodology pivot
• Mistake (missed CRA deadline, miscalculated ACB, allocation regret)

Trigger: /journal <category>, "log a decision", "save this pattern"

Category Routing

Category	File	Use for
Decision	memory/DECISIONS.md	Capital allocation, tax strategy, advisory rulings, spend-gate verdicts
Pattern	memory/PATTERNS.md	TLH window timing, position-sizing heuristics, runway-protection patterns
Mistake	memory/MISTAKES.md	Missed deadlines, miscalcs, regrets, audit failures
Reflection	memory/SELF_REFLECTIONS.md (when present)	Atlas growth observations, advisory voice tuning

Entry Shapes

Decision entry

## YYYY-MM-DD — <one-line title>

**Context:** Financial situation. Numbers. Deadline if relevant.

**Decision:** What we chose. Specific — amounts, vehicles, accounts.

**Why:** The reasoning. Risk-adjusted tradeoff.

**Alternatives rejected:** What else was on the table + why.

**CFO_GATE state at time of decision:** (relevant pulse values — runway, MRR, fixed costs)

**Related:** [[brain/CFO_CANON]] | [[brain/CFO_GATE_CONTRACT]] | (trade ID / NOA year if applicable)

Pattern entry

## [P] / [V] — <pattern name>

**Pattern:** One sentence (e.g., "Run TLH 7 days after dividend ex-date to avoid superficial-loss window collision").

**When:** Trigger condition.

**How:** Step-by-step.

**Why it works:** Mechanism (cite ITA section or doctrine if regulatory).

**Uses:** N (increment per re-use; [P] → [V] at 3)

**First seen:** YYYY-MM-DD | **Last validated:** YYYY-MM-DD

**Related:** [[brain/CFO_CANON]] | (relevant skill SKILL.md)

Mistake entry

• Failure (1-2 sentences observable — e.g., "Missed Q3 instalment deadline by 3 days, CRA arrears interest $47")
• Why it slipped (root cause)
• Prevention (concrete rule — ideally a system rail like a cron, a calendar event, a snapshot freshness check)
• Tag (e.g., cra-deadline-miss, acb-miscalc, allocation-regret)

Execution Protocol

1. Classify Decision / Pattern / Mistake / Reflection.
2. Compose per matching shape. Always compute today's date.
3. Cross-link ≥ 2 related files.
4. Append at top of target file (newest first), below frontmatter.
5. Update frontmatter last_updated:.
6. Update index if high-leverage (CFO_CANON.md cross-ref, MEMORY index if present).
7. Confirm in chat.

Anti-Patterns

• ❌ Logging a CFO decision without the CFO_GATE state snapshot. Future-Atlas can't reconstruct context.
• ❌ One-line entries with no Why. Tax advisors and future-CC need the reasoning.
• ❌ Editing an old financial decision in place. Append a superseding entry; preserve the original (audit trail).
• ❌ Skipping the prevention on a mistake entry. Financial mistakes compound.
• ❌ Cross-linking to Bravo's files without read-only annotation. Atlas reads sibling files but never claims ownership.

When NOT to Journal

• Routine reads (checking balance, viewing pulse)
• Calculation outputs without decision (e.g., quarterly tax estimate without ruling)
• Ephemeral session context

Integration

• memory/DECISIONS.md / PATTERNS.md / MISTAKES.md — target files
• brain/CFO_CANON.md — the doctrinal source patterns cite
• brain/CFO_GATE_CONTRACT.md — gate state recorded with each decision
• brain/INTENTS.md — "Log a decision or pattern" playbook routes here

Obsidian Links

• [[memory/DECISIONS]] | [[memory/PATTERNS]] | [[memory/MISTAKES]]
• [[brain/CFO_CANON]] | [[brain/CFO_GATE_CONTRACT]] | [[brain/INTENTS]]
• [[skills/silver-platter/SKILL]] | [[skills/integrations-sync/SKILL]]