scribe

Scribe — live minutes of the current session

file-session files the minutes after a session; the scribe writes them during it, so the record's fidelity doesn't depend on end-of-session memory. It is the minute-taker; the filed minute is its notes cleaned up.

Dual mode

• In a bureau workspace → append a running note to the session's minute (it persists and file-session later finalizes it).
• Anywhere else → just hand the user the summary (ephemeral) — a useful "where are we" with no workspace required.

When to run

On demand (bureau:note, or the user asking) or at natural checkpoints — a decision made, a direction changed, a milestone reached. Not after every turn: constant summaries bury the signal. Capture inflection points, not heartbeats.

Steps

1. Locate the workspace (bureau.json; default bureau). If none, produce the summary for the user and stop (ephemeral mode) — do not error.
2. Summarize the span since the last note: the decisions reached, what changed, and the open threads. Faithful over polished — include reversals and dead ends.
3. Append, don't rewrite. Add the note to the session's running minute (logbook/<YYYY>/<MM>/<safe-session-id>.md, the same file file-session finalizes), under a timestamped checkpoint heading. Never rewrite earlier notes or other sessions' entries.
4. Stay low-authority. Running notes are status: logbook — raw material, never canon. The scribe never writes dossiers.
5. Report the note's path (workspace mode) or present the summary (ephemeral mode).

Rules

1. Append-only. Add checkpoints; never edit earlier ones. file-session consolidates them.
2. Inflection points, not heartbeats. Run at decisions/changes, not on a timer.
3. No canon writes. The scribe feeds the logbook only; cabinets are reached via compile.
4. Sanitize the path. Reuse the capture skill's safe-session-id rule for the file name.

Examples

Context: Mid-session, a design decision was just made in a bureau repo. user: "bureau:note" assistant: "Noted to logbook/2026/06/.md — checkpoint 14:30: decided to bundle the renderer rather than depend on it (reasons: one install, no node_modules); open thread: whether to retire the standalone repo. Earlier checkpoints untouched." A checkpoint is appended live to the running entry; file-session will consolidate the checkpoints at the end. Context: The user asks for a recap in a repo with no bureau workspace. user: "summarize where we are" assistant: "No bureau workspace here, so this is just for you: we compared three caching strategies and leaned toward write-through; still open is eviction policy." Outside a workspace the scribe summarizes ephemerally — useful, but it persists nothing.

Scope note

This skill covers ONLY live note-taking into the logbook (or an ephemeral summary). It does not finalize the entry (file-session), not distil to cabinets (compile), and not read the canon to answer questions (recall / bureau:query). It is invoked by bureau:note and by the SessionStart (post-compaction) hook's re-grounding flow.