memory-entry

name	memory-entry
description	Log a decision, risk, milestone, blocker, or idea to the HQ business memory log. Covers entry schema, ID format, and filing rules.
when_to_use	Any HQ session with a material decision, risk, milestone, or idea worth tracking. Every session with material outcomes must end with memory updates.
when_to_skip	Routine session work with no material decisions, risks, or milestones. If in doubt, log it — orphan decisions are harder to recover than over-logging.
version	1.0
last_updated	"2026-04-23T00:00:00.000Z"
applies_to	hq

Memory Entry Procedure

Purpose

A decision not written down is a decision that will be re-litigated. A risk not logged is invisible to the next session. A milestone not recorded produces no chain of evidence when a gate asks for proof. This skill enforces the discipline of writing every material HQ outcome to the memory log before the session closes — with an ID, a certainty tag, and a next action.

Onboarding gate (BAM Product)

John does not append material HQ- rows to a bound hq_business_memory_log.md as steady-state commercial decisions until ONBOARDING.md at pack root is Stable (or Founder waiver) — see org_hq/agents/core/hq-chief-of-staff.md § Onboarding gate (BAM Product). Onboarding facts stay in ONBOARDING.md until then. (Pack stub hq_memory_log.md remains non-operational per existing rules.)

Pair With

• decision-ledger-hygiene — Engineering-side decisions use ENG- prefix and that skill's schema
• cross-org-handoff — XD- decisions must be logged in both memory log and cross_org_decisions.md
• session-notes — Engineering session notes are the parallel artifact for Engineering sessions

Entry Schema

Append to your bound shared_context/hq_business_memory_log.md (when the org exists on disk). Public method pack: shared_context/hq_memory_log.md is a stub — do not record operational HQ- rows there in the product repo (same schema for copy/paste into your org):

---
id: HQ-YYYYMMDD-NNN
type: decision | risk | blocker | milestone | idea
status: open | done | parked | superseded
certainty: known | risk | hypothesis
owner_agent: [Agent name]
owner_org: org_hq
summary: >
  What happened and why it matters. Be specific about outcomes,
  not just actions. Include evidence references.
refs:
  - path/to/evidence1.md
  - path/to/evidence2.yaml
updated_at_utc: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ
next_action: What happens next and who owns it.

ID Format

• HQ-only decisions: HQ-YYYYMMDD-NNN (e.g., HQ-20260101-001)
• Cross-org decisions: XD-YYYYMMDD-NNN or XD-NNN (e.g., XD-024)
• Increment NNN per day, starting at 001

Checklist

Priority	Item	Notes / Evidence
CRITICAL	Every material decision has a logged HQ- entry before session closes	No orphan decisions — if it changed direction, affected scope, or resolved a blocker, it gets logged
CRITICAL	Superseded decisions explicitly linked — old entry marked superseded, new entry references old ID	Silent supersessions leave two contradictory entries with no way to tell which is current
HIGH	Cross-org decisions logged in BOTH bound hq_business_memory_log.md and cross_org_decisions.md	XD- entries must be visible to both orgs — pack hq_memory_log.md is not the Company ledger
HIGH	Every entry has a certainty tag: known / risk / hypothesis	Untagged entries cannot be safely used in commercial or partner contexts
HIGH	Every entry has a next_action and a named owner	"TBD" is not an owner — name the agent or role
MEDIUM	Assumption register updated when decision rests on a core unstated belief	File: e.g. [YOUR_PLANS_DIR]/founder-operating-system/your_assumption_register_v1.md — add assumption_ref: AR-### in refs
LOW	Open blockers reviewed at session start — no stale blockers carried silently	A blocker with no movement for multiple sessions needs an owner change or explicit park decision

Anti-Patterns

• The orphan decision: A direction change, scope cut, or blocker resolution happens in session but no entry is written before closing. The next session has no record. Always log before closing — even a one-line summary is better than nothing.

• The silent supersession: A new decision replaces an old one without marking the old entry superseded and linking the new ID. Future sessions find contradictory entries and cannot determine which is current. Always link old → new explicitly.

• The missing certainty tag: An entry is logged without known / risk / hypothesis. HQ uses the log for commercial and partner decisions — untagged entries create ambiguity about what can be cited externally. Every entry must be tagged.

• The vague next_action: An entry closes with "next steps TBD" or no named owner. The decision sits open indefinitely. Every entry must name who does what next.

Stop Conditions

• Session is ending and one or more material decisions have no log entry → write entries before closing. Do not close with orphan decisions.
• Cross-org decision made but cross_org_decisions.md (or pack cross_org_decisions.STUB.md) not updated → update before notifying Engineering.
• Certainty cannot be determined → tag as hypothesis, note what evidence would change it, assign an owner to resolve.

Filing

• HQ decisions → bound shared_context/hq_business_memory_log.md (not the public pack stub)
• Cross-org decisions → also live cross_org_decisions.md when bound (pack .STUB.md is not a substitute for logging)
• Assumption-backed decisions → also your assumption register under [YOUR_PLANS_DIR]/founder-operating-system/ (filename is org-specific)