desk-journal

# Desk Journal Manage a desk's journal — the persistent memory that survives session boundaries. ## When to use - **End of session:** Write what was done, current state, next step - **Start of session:** Read the journal to pick up where you left off - **Mid-session checkpoint:** Note significant progress or decisions - **Desk wind-down:** Write a final summary when a desk is being closed ## How to write a journal entry Append to `desks/<desk-name>/journal.md`. Each entry is a section: ```markdown ## <date> — <short summary> - **Worked on:** <what was done this session> - **Current state:** <where things stand right now> - **Next step:** <what the next session should pick up> ``` ### Guidelines - **Be specific.** "Worked on security scanning" is useless to the next session. "Scanned repos A, B, C for CWE-502; found 3 findings in A, 0 in B and C; findings triaged to bench" — that's a trail. - **Include what didn't work.** Dead ends are valuable — they prevent the next session from walking the same path. - **Keep it short.** The journal is a trail marker, not a diary. 3-5 lines per entry. If you need more, the important context should go on the bench as a separate artifact. - **Always include next step.** The next session starts from zero. Without a next step, it has to re-derive everything. ## End-of-desk entry When a desk is being wound down (not just a session ending, but the desk itself closing): ```markdown ## <date> — Desk closed - **Summary:** <what this desk accomplished overall> - **Artifacts:** <what's on the bench from this desk> - **Handoff:** <anything another desk or the operator needs to know> ``` ## Reading the journal At session start, read the desk's journal to pick up context. The most recent entry is the most important — it has the current state and next step. Earlier entries provide history if needed. ## Principles - The journal is a cairn — stones left so the next traveler finds the way. Every entry is a stone. - Honesty over completeness. "I got stuck on X and don't know why" is more useful than silence. - The journal is for the next session, not for the current one. Write for someone who knows nothing about what you just did.