decision-logger

name	decision-logger
description	Two-layer memory for executive decisions, separating raw deliberation from approved decisions to prevent hallucinated consensus. Use when logging decisions, reviewing past decisions, or checking overdue action items.
license	MIT + Commons Clause
metadata	{"version":"2.0.0","author":"borghei","category":"c-level","domain":"decision-memory","updated":"2026-03-09T00:00:00.000Z","frameworks":["two-layer-memory","conflict-detection","supersession-tracking","action-item-management","decision-search"],"triggers":["decision log","log decision","past decisions","decision history","action items","overdue items","decision review","decision conflict","decision tracking","board minutes","approved decisions","decision search","what did we decide","reopen decision"]}

Decision Logger

Two-layer memory system for executive decisions. Layer 1 stores everything discussed. Layer 2 stores only what the founder approved. Future sessions read Layer 2 only -- this prevents hallucinated consensus from past debates bleeding into new deliberations.

Keywords

decision log, memory, approved decisions, action items, board minutes, conflict detection, DO_NOT_RESURFACE, decision history, overdue, supersession, decision search, decision tracking, accountability

---

Two-Layer Architecture

Why Two Layers?

Single-layer decision logs create a dangerous problem: agents read old debates, rejected proposals, and discarded ideas, then treat them as context for new decisions. This causes "hallucinated consensus" where rejected ideas gradually become accepted through repetition.

The two-layer system prevents this by strictly separating raw discussion from approved decisions.

Layer Architecture

Layer 1: Raw Transcripts (NEVER auto-loaded)
  Location: memory/board-meetings/YYYY-MM-DD-raw.md
  Contains: Full deliberation, all perspectives, rejected arguments
  Loaded: Only on explicit founder request
  Retention: Active 90 days, then archived

Layer 2: Approved Decisions (AUTO-LOADED every session)
  Location: memory/board-meetings/decisions.md
  Contains: Only founder-approved decisions and action items
  Loaded: Automatically at start of every board meeting (Phase 1)
  Mutation: Append-only. Decisions are never deleted, only superseded.

Layer Interaction Rules

Rule	Rationale
Layer 2 is append-only	Preserves complete decision history
Layer 1 is never auto-loaded	Prevents hallucinated consensus
Only Chief of Staff writes to Layer 2	Single point of control
Agents never write directly	All writes go through Chief of Staff after founder approval
Superseded decisions stay in Layer 2	History is the record; nothing is deleted

---

Decision Entry Format

Standard Decision Record

## [YYYY-MM-DD] -- [DECISION TITLE]

**Decision:** [One clear statement of what was decided]
**Context:** [1-2 sentences on why this decision was needed]
**Owner:** [One person or role accountable for execution]
**Deadline:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Review Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Confidence:** [High / Medium / Low]
**Rationale:** [Why this option over alternatives, 1-2 sentences]

**User Override:** [If founder changed agent recommendation -- what and why]

**Rejected Alternatives:**
- [Proposal] -- [reason for rejection] [DO_NOT_RESURFACE]
- [Proposal] -- [reason for rejection]

**Action Items:**
- [ ] [Action] -- Owner: [name] -- Due: [YYYY-MM-DD]
- [ ] [Action] -- Owner: [name] -- Due: [YYYY-MM-DD]

**Dependencies:** [Other decisions this depends on]
**Supersedes:** [DATE of previous decision on same topic, if any]
**Superseded by:** [Filled retroactively if overridden later]
**Raw transcript:** memory/board-meetings/[DATE]-raw.md
**Tags:** [topic tags for search -- e.g., pricing, hiring, market-entry]

Completed Action Item Format

- [x] [Action] -- Owner: [name] -- Completed: [YYYY-MM-DD] -- Result: [one sentence]

---

Conflict Detection System

Before logging any new decision, the system checks for three types of conflicts.

Conflict Type 1: DO_NOT_RESURFACE Violation

A new decision matches a previously rejected proposal.

Detection: New proposal text similarity > 70% to a rejected proposal

Response:
  BLOCKED: "[Proposal]" was rejected on [DATE].
  Reason: [original rejection reason]

  To reopen: Founder must explicitly say "reopen [topic] from [DATE]"
  This cannot be overridden by agents.

Conflict Type 2: Topic Contradiction

Two active decisions on the same topic reach different conclusions.

Detection: Same tags + contradictory conclusions

Response:
  DECISION CONFLICT DETECTED

  Active decision (older): [DATE] -- [decision text]
  New decision: [DATE] -- [decision text]

  These decisions contradict each other.

  Options:
  1. Supersede old decision (new replaces old)
  2. Merge decisions (reconcile the conflict)
  3. Defer to founder (present both, let founder choose)

Conflict Type 3: Owner Conflict

Same action assigned to different people in different decisions.

Detection: Same action description, different owners

Response:
  OWNER CONFLICT

  Action: "[action text]"
  Decision 1 ([DATE]): Owner = [Person A]
  Decision 2 ([DATE]): Owner = [Person B]

  Resolve: Which owner is correct?

Conflict Resolution Decision Tree

START: Conflict detected
  |
  v
[What type of conflict?]
  |
  +-- DO_NOT_RESURFACE --> Block automatically. Only founder can reopen.
  |
  +-- Topic contradiction --> [Is the new decision from a board meeting?]
  |                           |
  |                           +-- YES --> Supersede old by default (board > individual)
  |                           +-- NO  --> Present both to founder for resolution
  |
  +-- Owner conflict --> [Which decision is more recent?]
                         |
                         +-- Flag to founder with both dates
                         +-- Default to more recent unless founder overrides

---

Decision Lifecycle

States

PROPOSED --> APPROVED --> ACTIVE --> [COMPLETED | SUPERSEDED | EXPIRED]

PROPOSED:    Agent synthesis presented to founder
APPROVED:    Founder explicitly approved
ACTIVE:      Being executed, action items in progress
COMPLETED:   All action items done, review confirmed success
SUPERSEDED:  New decision replaced this one
EXPIRED:     Review date passed without renewal

State Transitions

From	To	Trigger	Who
Proposed	Approved	Founder says "yes" or "approve"	Founder
Proposed	Rejected	Founder says "no" or "reject"	Founder
Approved	Active	Action items begin execution	Automatic
Active	Completed	All action items marked done	Chief of Staff
Active	Superseded	New decision on same topic	Chief of Staff
Active	Expired	Review date passed, no renewal	System alert

---

Clarify First

Before logging a decision, confirm these inputs. If any is unknown or vague, ASK — do not assume:

• The exact decision statement (one clear sentence of what was decided) — this is the heart of the record; a vague statement makes the log useless for future conflict detection
• Owner and deadline — every decision record needs a single accountable person and a date, or it cannot be tracked or surfaced as overdue
• Rejected alternatives and why — these become DO_NOT_RESURFACE entries that prevent rejected ideas from re-entering future deliberations
• Whether this supersedes a prior decision on the same topic — drives conflict detection and supersession tracking against the existing log

Stop rule: ask only the 2-3 that most change the output. If the user says "just draft it," proceed and list your assumptions at the top of the artifact.

Logging Workflow

Post-Decision Logging (after Board Meeting Phase 5)

Step 1: Founder approves synthesis
  |
Step 2: Write Layer 1 raw transcript
  --> memory/board-meetings/YYYY-MM-DD-raw.md
  |
Step 3: Run conflict detection against decisions.md
  |
  +-- Conflicts found --> Surface to founder, wait for resolution
  +-- No conflicts --> Continue
  |
Step 4: Append approved entries to decisions.md (Layer 2)
  |
Step 5: Set review dates and action item deadlines
  |
Step 6: Confirm to founder:
  "Logged: [N] decisions, [M] action items tracked, [K] flags added"

---

Action Item Management

Overdue Detection

At the start of every session, scan for:

1. Action items past their deadline
2. Decisions with review dates that have passed
3. Decisions older than 90 days with no completion status

Alert Format

OVERDUE ITEMS (as of [today's date])

Action Items Past Deadline:
  1. [Action] -- Owner: [name] -- Due: [date] -- [X] days overdue
     From decision: [decision title] ([date])

  2. [Action] -- Owner: [name] -- Due: [date] -- [X] days overdue

Decisions Pending Review:
  1. [Decision title] -- Review was due: [date]
     Original decision: [summary]
     Prompt: "You decided [X] on [date]. Worth a check-in?"

Stale Decisions (> 90 days, no status update):
  1. [Decision title] -- Decided: [date] -- Last update: [date]

Action Item Priority Matrix

Urgency	Impact	Priority	Response
Overdue	High	Critical	Escalate to founder immediately
Overdue	Low	High	Flag in next session
Due this week	High	High	Surface proactively
Due this week	Low	Medium	Include in weekly summary
Due next month	Any	Low	Monitor only

---

Search and Retrieval

Search Capabilities

Query Type	Example	Returns
By topic	"pricing"	All decisions tagged with pricing
By owner	"CTO"	All decisions and actions owned by CTO
By date range	"Q4 2025"	All decisions from Oct-Dec 2025
By status	"overdue"	All overdue action items
By conflict	"conflicts"	All detected contradictions
By tag	"hiring AND engineering"	Intersection of tags

Decision Summary Views

View	Contents	When Used
Last 10	Most recent 10 approved decisions	Default quick view
Full history	All decisions, chronological	Audit or deep review
By owner	Grouped by accountable person	Accountability check
By topic	Grouped by tag	Strategic review
Overdue only	Only overdue items	Action management
Active only	Only decisions with open action items	Execution tracking

---

File Structure

memory/
  board-meetings/
    decisions.md           # Layer 2: append-only, founder-approved
    YYYY-MM-DD-raw.md      # Layer 1: full transcript per meeting
    archive/
      YYYY/                # Raw transcripts after 90 days

---

Integration with Other Skills

Skill	Integration Point
Chief of Staff (chief-of-staff)	Manages the logging workflow, writes to Layer 2
Board Meeting (board-meeting)	Triggers logging after Phase 5 approval
Strategic Alignment (strategic-alignment)	Checks if decisions cascade properly to team goals
Executive Mentor (executive-mentor)	Reviews stale decisions for re-evaluation
Org Health (org-health-diagnostic)	Decision velocity as health indicator

---

Red Flags

• Same topic discussed 3+ times without a logged decision -- decision avoidance
• Action items consistently overdue by the same owner -- capacity or accountability issue
• Decisions made without checking history -- risk of contradiction
• Layer 1 being loaded without explicit request -- hallucinated consensus risk
• No review dates set on decisions -- decisions age without re-evaluation
• Rejected proposals resurfacing in new language -- DO_NOT_RESURFACE not enforced
• Decision log not consulted at start of board meetings -- institutional memory not used
• All decisions owned by one person -- bottleneck or delegation failure

---

Proactive Triggers

• Review date passed on a decision -- prompt: "You decided [X] on [date]. Worth checking in?"
• Action item overdue > 7 days -- escalate to founder with owner context
• Same topic area has 3+ active decisions -- consolidation review needed
• 30+ days without any logged decision -- is the system being used?
• New decision proposed that matches DO_NOT_RESURFACE -- block and explain
• Decision from 6+ months ago with no status update -- mark as stale, prompt review

---

Output Artifacts

Request	Deliverable
"Show recent decisions"	Last 10 approved decisions with status
"What's overdue?"	All overdue action items with owner and days past due
"Search decisions about [topic]"	Filtered decision history by topic/tag
"Log this decision"	Formatted decision entry with all fields
"Check for conflicts"	Conflict scan against all active decisions
"Decision summary for board"	Decision velocity, completion rate, open items

---

Tool Reference

1. decision_tracker.py

Tracks executive decisions with full lifecycle management (Proposed > Approved > Active > Completed/Superseded/Expired). Scans for overdue action items, stale decisions, and generates status summaries.

python scripts/decision_tracker.py --input decisions.json --json
python scripts/decision_tracker.py --input decisions.json

Flag	Type	Description
--input	required	Path to JSON file with decision records (title, status, owner, deadline, action items, tags)
--json	optional	Output in JSON format instead of human-readable text

2. decision_quality_scorer.py

Scores decision quality across 6 dimensions: framing (problem definition), alternatives (options considered), information (evidence quality), reasoning (logic soundness), commitment (action clarity), and metacognition (awareness of uncertainty). Generates improvement recommendations.

python scripts/decision_quality_scorer.py --input decision_assessments.json --json
python scripts/decision_quality_scorer.py --input decision_assessments.json

Flag	Type	Description
--input	required	Path to JSON file with decision assessments (dimension scores 1-10, optional outcome data)
--json	optional	Output in JSON format instead of human-readable text

3. decision_tree_builder.py

Builds decision trees with expected value analysis. Calculates optimal paths through probability-weighted outcomes, identifies highest-value decisions, and generates sensitivity analysis on key assumptions.

python scripts/decision_tree_builder.py --input tree_data.json --json
python scripts/decision_tree_builder.py --input tree_data.json

Flag	Type	Description
--input	required	Path to JSON file with decision nodes (options, probabilities, outcomes, values)
--json	optional	Output in JSON format instead of human-readable text

---

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely Cause	Resolution
Same topic discussed 3+ times without a logged decision	Decision avoidance or no clear decision-making authority	Force a decision at next session; use decision tree builder to clarify options; assign explicit decision owner
Action items consistently overdue by same owner	Owner over-committed, lacks capacity, or accountability issue	Review owner workload; redistribute if capacity issue; escalate to founder if accountability issue
Decisions made without checking history	Decision log not consulted at session start; no integration habit	Automate decision log loading at board meeting Phase 1; surface relevant past decisions proactively
Rejected proposals resurfacing in new language	DO_NOT_RESURFACE not enforced; team members unaware of prior rejection	Enforce conflict detection before logging; block proposals matching rejected items; require explicit "reopen" from founder
Decision log growing but never consulted for patterns	Log treated as archive, not strategic tool	Run quarterly decision review; analyze decision velocity, completion rate, and quality trends
All decisions owned by one person	Bottleneck or delegation failure	Distribute ownership; use decision quality scorer to assess whether centralization improves or hurts quality
Decision quality scores low on "alternatives" dimension	Team anchoring on first option instead of exploring	Require minimum 3 alternatives for decisions above a threshold; use decision tree builder to model options

---

Success Criteria

• All board meeting decisions logged in Layer 2 within 24 hours of approval
• Action item completion rate exceeds 80% within stated deadlines
• Zero DO_NOT_RESURFACE violations (rejected proposals do not re-enter decision flow)
• Decision review dates honored for 90%+ of active decisions
• Decision quality score averages above 7/10 across all 6 dimensions
• Conflict detection catches 100% of topic contradictions before new decisions are logged
• Decision log consulted at the start of every board meeting session

---

Scope & Limitations

In scope: Two-layer decision memory architecture, decision entry and lifecycle management (Proposed > Approved > Active > Completed/Superseded/Expired), conflict detection (DO_NOT_RESURFACE, topic contradiction, owner conflict), action item tracking with overdue alerting, decision search and retrieval by topic/owner/date/status, decision quality scoring, and expected value analysis via decision trees.

Out of scope: CRM or project management tool integration (tools consume JSON exports), meeting transcription or recording, team-level task management (use project-management/ skills), strategic planning or OKR tracking (use strategic-alignment or ceo-advisor), and automated decision-making. This skill tracks and evaluates decisions; it does not make them.

Limitations: Conflict detection uses tag and text matching; semantically similar but differently worded proposals may not be caught. Decision quality scoring is retrospective and depends on honest self-assessment. Decision tree expected value calculations assume probabilities are estimable; highly uncertain environments may make probability assignment misleading. The two-layer architecture requires discipline to maintain; if Layer 2 is not consistently updated, institutional memory degrades.

---

Integration Points

• chief-of-staff -- Manages the logging workflow; single point of control for Layer 2 writes
• board-meeting -- Triggers decision logging after Phase 5 approval; decision log loaded at Phase 1
• strategic-alignment -- Checks if decisions cascade properly to team goals and OKRs
• executive-mentor -- Reviews stale decisions for re-evaluation; coaches on decision quality improvement
• ceo-advisor -- Strategic decisions logged and tracked; decision patterns inform leadership coaching