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Journal Update Directions

How to detect activity and append journal Log entries — format, synthesis rules, approval flow

When to use

user wants to update their journal with recent activity

Slash command: /wb-journal-update

Linked workflow: daily-journal/update-journal

  • journal/journal_state
  • journal/journal_write
  • context/context_bundle

Directions

Start via mcp__work-buddy__wb_run("update-journal"). Advance with wb_advance after each step.

Target date: Defaults to today. If past midnight (00:00-04:00) and no date specified, ask whether they mean today or yesterday.

Synthesis instructions

The Log is a near-real-time event log, not a high-level summary. Each entry anchors a thing that happened at a specific time.

Format: *

Rules: 1. One entry per distinct activity -- a commit, a completed task, a bug fix. If 6 things happened, produce ~4-6 entries. 2. Timestamps from the data -- minute-level. 1:11 PM not 1:00 PM. Never round. 3. Describe the work, not the tools -- 'Fixed vault path normalization' not '1 commit to work-buddy' 4. Aggregate only when truly redundant -- 3 commits fixing same bug = one entry. But bug fix + feature + docs = three entries. 5. Commits and task completions are primary evidence. 6. Keep entries short -- one line, one topic. 7. Cover the full window -- if last entry timestamp is well before collect_until, something was missed.

Before writing

Present entries to user and wait for explicit approval. User may edit, reword, add, or remove. Do NOT call journal_write until approved.

Don'ts

  • Don't fabricate activity not in the signals
  • Don't repeat information already in existing Log entries
  • Don't include raw git hashes or file paths unless they add meaning
  • Don't add entries to sections other than Log