hs:journal

Write honest technical journal entries recording decisions, failures, and lessons learned after sessions.

Updated Jul 19, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/Dozyboy/VSF --skill hs-journal-dozyboy
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: hs:journal
Source: https://github.com/Dozyboy/VSF/tree/main/Day2_VSF/Demo1/harness/plugins/hs/disabled-skills/journal
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/Dozyboy/VSF --skill hs-journal-dozyboy

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Engineering teams lose valuable context when sessions end without documenting why decisions were made, what failed, and what was learned. This Skill captures honest technical reflections in structured journal entries so future developers understand the real story behind the code. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Structured Journal Entries: Delegates to a journal-writer agent that creates dated entries in plans/journals/ following a fixed format with root cause, lessons learned, and next steps. - Honest Reflection: Enforces truthful documentation including emotions and unsanitized failure descriptions, unlike tickets or status reports. - Clear Boundaries: Distinguishes journal history from the decision ledger (docs/decisions.md) and restricts writes to plans/journals/. - Use Case: After shipping a feature or fixing a production bug, invoke the skill with a topic like "webhook timeout root cause" to produce a dated entry capturing what happened, what was tried, and actionable lessons. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to write a journal entry about the bug fix or session topic you just completed.

Frequently Asked Questions about hs:journal

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I write a technical journal entry after a coding session?▼

Invoke the skill with a topic describing the event, such as a bug fix or shipped feature. It delegates to a journal-writer agent that creates a dated Markdown file in plans/journals following a structured format with root cause, lessons learned, and next steps.

When should I write a journal entry versus skipping it?▼

Write immediately after repeated test failures, production bugs, failed migrations, or flawed approaches. Write after sessions following ship, cook, or fix workflows. Skip entries for typo fixes, cosmetic changes, or routine commits already covered by the plan.

What is the difference between a journal entry and a decision record?▼

A journal entry records session history and subjective reflection, while durable decisions belong in the DEC ledger at docs/decisions.md via the decision register. The journal notes that a decision was made and why, but is not the decision's authority.

Can the journal skill write files outside plans/journals?▼

No. By convention the skill only creates entries in plans/journals, and creating Markdown elsewhere violates the project's CLAUDE.md rule. The journal-writer agent's RBAC lane technically spans plans/**, docs/**, and .claude/agent-memory/**, but the skill scope is narrower.

What format does a journal entry follow?▼

Each entry is 200-500 words with sections for what happened, the real truth, technical details, what was tried, root cause, lessons learned, and next steps. Files are named YYYY-MM-DD-slug.md and include date, severity, component, and status metadata.