Decision Logger

Two-layer memory system for executive decisions. Layer 1 stores everything discussed. Layer 2 stores only what the founder approved. Future sessions read Layer 2 only -- this prevents hallucinated consensus from past debates bleeding into new deliberations.

Keywords

decision log, memory, approved decisions, action items, board minutes, conflict detection, DO_NOT_RESURFACE, decision history, overdue, supersession, decision search, decision tracking, accountability

Two-Layer Architecture

Why Two Layers?

Single-layer decision logs create a dangerous problem: agents read old debates, rejected proposals, and discarded ideas, then treat them as context for new decisions. This causes "hallucinated consensus" where rejected ideas gradually become accepted through repetition.

The two-layer system prevents this by strictly separating raw discussion from approved decisions.

Layer Architecture

Layer 1: Raw Transcripts (NEVER auto-loaded)
  Location: memory/board-meetings/YYYY-MM-DD-raw.md
  Contains: Full deliberation, all perspectives, rejected arguments
  Loaded: Only on explicit founder request
  Retention: Active 90 days, then archived

Layer 2: Approved Decisions (AUTO-LOADED every session)
  Location: memory/board-meetings/decisions.md
  Contains: Only founder-approved decisions and action items
  Loaded: Automatically at start of every board meeting (Phase 1)
  Mutation: Append-only. Decisions are never deleted, only superseded.

Layer Interaction Rules

Rule	Rationale
Layer 2 is append-only	Preserves complete decision history
Layer 1 is never auto-loaded	Prevents hallucinated consensus
Only Chief of Staff writes to Layer 2	Single point of control
Agents never write directly	All writes go through Chief of Staff after founder approval
Superseded decisions stay in Layer 2	History is the record; nothing is deleted

Decision Entry Format

Standard Decision Record

## [YYYY-MM-DD] -- [DECISION TITLE]

**Decision:** [One clear statement of what was decided]
**Context:** [1-2 sentences on why this decision was needed]
**Owner:** [One person or role accountable for execution]
**Deadline:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Review Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Confidence:** [High / Medium / Low]
**Rationale:** [Why this option over alternatives, 1-2 sentences]

**User Override:** [If founder changed agent recommendation -- what and why]

**Rejected Alternatives:**
- [Proposal] -- [reason for rejection] [DO_NOT_RESURFACE]
- [Proposal] -- [reason for rejection]

**Action Items:**
- [ ] [Action] -- Owner: [name] -- Due: [YYYY-MM-DD]
- [ ] [Action] -- Owner: [name] -- Due: [YYYY-MM-DD]

**Dependencies:** [Other decisions this depends on]
**Supersedes:** [DATE of previous decision on same topic, if any]
**Superseded by:** [Filled retroactively if overridden later]
**Raw transcript:** memory/board-meetings/[DATE]-raw.md
**Tags:** [topic tags for search -- e.g., pricing, hiring, market-entry]

Completed Action Item Format

- [x] [Action] -- Owner: [name] -- Completed: [YYYY-MM-DD] -- Result: [one sentence]

Conflict Detection System

Before logging any new decision, the system checks for three types of conflicts.

Conflict Type 1: DO_NOT_RESURFACE Violation

A new decision matches a previously rejected proposal.

Detection: New proposal text similarity > 70% to a rejected proposal

Response:
  BLOCKED: "[Proposal]" was rejected on [DATE].
  Reason: [original rejection reason]

  To reopen: Founder must explicitly say "reopen [topic] from [DATE]"
  This cannot be overridden by agents.

Conflict Type 2: Topic Contradiction

Two active decisions on the same topic reach different conclusions.

Detection: Same tags + contradictory conclusions

Response:
  DECISION CONFLICT DETECTED

  Active decision (older): [DATE] -- [decision text]
  New decision: [DATE] -- [decision text]

  These decisions contradict each other.

  Options:
  1. Supersede old decision (new replaces old)
  2. Merge decisions (reconcile the conflict)
  3. Defer to founder (present both, let founder choose)

Conflict Type 3: Owner Conflict

Same action assigned to different people in different decisions.

Detection: Same action description, different owners

Response:
  OWNER CONFLICT

  Action: "[action text]"
  Decision 1 ([DATE]): Owner = [Person A]
  Decision 2 ([DATE]): Owner = [Person B]

  Resolve: Which owner is correct?

Conflict Resolution Decision Tree

START: Conflict detected
  |
  v
[What type of conflict?]
  |
  +-- DO_NOT_RESURFACE --> Block automatically. Only founder can reopen.
  |
  +-- Topic contradiction --> [Is the new decision from a board meeting?]
  |                           |
  |                           +-- YES --> Supersede old by default (board > individual)
  |                           +-- NO  --> Present both to founder for resolution
  |
  +-- Owner conflict --> [Which decision is more recent?]
                         |
                         +-- Flag to founder with both dates
                         +-- Default to more recent unless founder overrides

Decision Lifecycle

States

PROPOSED --> APPROVED --> ACTIVE --> [COMPLETED | SUPERSEDED | EXPIRED]

PROPOSED:    Agent synthesis presented to founder
APPROVED:    Founder explicitly approved
ACTIVE:      Being executed, action items in progress
COMPLETED:   All action items done, review confirmed success
SUPERSEDED:  New decision replaced this one
EXPIRED:     Review date passed without renewal

State Transitions

From	To	Trigger	Who
Proposed	Approved	Founder says "yes" or "approve"	Founder
Proposed	Rejected	Founder says "no" or "reject"	Founder
Approved	Active	Action items begin execution	Automatic
Active	Completed	All action items marked done	Chief of Staff
Active	Superseded	New decision on same topic	Chief of Staff
Active	Expired	Review date passed, no renewal	System alert

Logging Workflow

Post-Decision Logging (after Board Meeting Phase 5)

Step 1: Founder approves synthesis
  |
Step 2: Write Layer 1 raw transcript
  --> memory/board-meetings/YYYY-MM-DD-raw.md
  |
Step 3: Run conflict detection against decisions.md
  |
  +-- Conflicts found --> Surface to founder, wait for resolution
  +-- No conflicts --> Continue
  |
Step 4: Append approved entries to decisions.md (Layer 2)
  |
Step 5: Set review dates and action item deadlines
  |
Step 6: Confirm to founder:
  "Logged: [N] decisions, [M] action items tracked, [K] flags added"

Action Item Management

Overdue Detection

At the start of every session, scan for:

Action items past their deadline
Decisions with review dates that have passed
Decisions older than 90 days with no completion status

Alert Format

OVERDUE ITEMS (as of [today's date])

Action Items Past Deadline:
  1. [Action] -- Owner: [name] -- Due: [date] -- [X] days overdue
     From decision: [decision title] ([date])

  2. [Action] -- Owner: [name] -- Due: [date] -- [X] days overdue

Decisions Pending Review:
  1. [Decision title] -- Review was due: [date]
     Original decision: [summary]
     Prompt: "You decided [X] on [date]. Worth a check-in?"

Stale Decisions (> 90 days, no status update):
  1. [Decision title] -- Decided: [date] -- Last update: [date]

Action Item Priority Matrix

Urgency	Impact	Priority	Response
Overdue	High	Critical	Escalate to founder immediately
Overdue	Low	High	Flag in next session
Due this week	High	High	Surface proactively
Due this week	Low	Medium	Include in weekly summary
Due next month	Any	Low	Monitor only

Search and Retrieval

Search Capabilities

Query Type	Example	Returns
By topic	"pricing"	All decisions tagged with pricing
By owner	"CTO"	All decisions and actions owned by CTO
By date range	"Q4 2025"	All decisions from Oct-Dec 2025
By status	"overdue"	All overdue action items
By conflict	"conflicts"	All detected contradictions
By tag	"hiring AND engineering"	Intersection of tags

Decision Summary Views

View	Contents	When Used
Last 10	Most recent 10 approved decisions	Default quick view
Full history	All decisions, chronological	Audit or deep review
By owner	Grouped by accountable person	Accountability check
By topic	Grouped by tag	Strategic review
Overdue only	Only overdue items	Action management
Active only	Only decisions with open action items	Execution tracking

File Structure

memory/
  board-meetings/
    decisions.md           # Layer 2: append-only, founder-approved
    YYYY-MM-DD-raw.md      # Layer 1: full transcript per meeting
    archive/
      YYYY/                # Raw transcripts after 90 days

Integration with Other Skills

Skill	Integration Point
Chief of Staff (`chief-of-staff`)	Manages the logging workflow, writes to Layer 2
Board Meeting (`board-meeting`)	Triggers logging after Phase 5 approval
Strategic Alignment (`strategic-alignment`)	Checks if decisions cascade properly to team goals
Executive Mentor (`executive-mentor`)	Reviews stale decisions for re-evaluation
Org Health (`org-health-diagnostic`)	Decision velocity as health indicator

Red Flags

Same topic discussed 3+ times without a logged decision -- decision avoidance
Action items consistently overdue by the same owner -- capacity or accountability issue
Decisions made without checking history -- risk of contradiction
Layer 1 being loaded without explicit request -- hallucinated consensus risk
No review dates set on decisions -- decisions age without re-evaluation
Rejected proposals resurfacing in new language -- DO_NOT_RESURFACE not enforced
Decision log not consulted at start of board meetings -- institutional memory not used
All decisions owned by one person -- bottleneck or delegation failure

Proactive Triggers

Review date passed on a decision -- prompt: "You decided [X] on [date]. Worth checking in?"
Action item overdue > 7 days -- escalate to founder with owner context
Same topic area has 3+ active decisions -- consolidation review needed
30+ days without any logged decision -- is the system being used?
New decision proposed that matches DO_NOT_RESURFACE -- block and explain
Decision from 6+ months ago with no status update -- mark as stale, prompt review

Output Artifacts

Request	Deliverable
"Show recent decisions"	Last 10 approved decisions with status
"What's overdue?"	All overdue action items with owner and days past due
"Search decisions about [topic]"	Filtered decision history by topic/tag
"Log this decision"	Formatted decision entry with all fields
"Check for conflicts"	Conflict scan against all active decisions
"Decision summary for board"	Decision velocity, completion rate, open items

decision-logger