Write, append, or read desk journal entries. The journal is persistent memory — what survives session boundaries. A good entry has: what was done, current state, next step.
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Use desk-journal to append a concise 3–5 line session entry from [what was done, current state, and next step], including any relevant dead ends.
Required inputs
[what was done, current state, and next step]
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SKILL.md
name: desk-journaldescription: 'Write, append, or read desk journal entries. The journal is persistent memory — what survives session boundaries. A good entry has: what was done, current state, next step.'
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:
## <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):
## <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.