/vt-c-journal¶
Capture a decision, learning, or activity to the session journal
Plugin: core-standards
Usage: /vt-c-journal [type] <description>
Journal Command¶
Manually capture context to the session journal for future reference.
Usage¶
# Auto-detect entry type from description
/vt-c-journal "Chose PostgreSQL over MySQL for better JSON support"
# Explicit entry type
/vt-c-journal decision "Using event sourcing for audit trail"
/vt-c-journal learning "Rails 7.1 has built-in async queries"
/vt-c-journal activity "Refactored user service to use Result objects"
Entry Types¶
| Type | When to Use |
|---|---|
decision |
Choosing between alternatives, explaining rationale |
learning |
Discovered something new, unexpected behavior |
activity |
Completed significant work, investigation results |
What Gets Captured¶
The command will: 1. Extract context from recent conversation 2. Identify the entry type (or use explicit type) 3. Create structured journal entry with: - What was decided/learned/done - Why (rationale, evidence) - Related files and context 4. Update daily summary 5. Confirm capture with link to entry
Examples¶
Decision Entry¶
/vt-c-journal "Decided to use Sidekiq over delayed_job because we need
better Redis integration and the web UI for monitoring"
Creates entry with: - Options considered (Sidekiq, delayed_job) - Decision made (Sidekiq) - Rationale (Redis integration, monitoring UI) - Tags auto-generated
Learning Entry¶
/vt-c-journal learning "The Turbo Drive skip attribute needs to be on
the link itself, not a parent element - discovered while debugging
the settings page reload issue"
Creates entry with: - Discovery (skip attribute location) - Context (debugging settings page) - Confidence level - Related files
Activity Entry¶
/vt-c-journal activity "Completed migration of legacy auth to Devise -
all tests passing, old auth code removed"
Creates entry with: - What was done (auth migration) - Result (tests passing) - Files changed - Scope of changes
Related Commands¶
/vt-c-journal-search <query>- Search past journal entries/vt-c-journal-summary- Show today's entries/vt-c-journal-pause- Temporarily disable auto-capture/vt-c-journal-resume- Re-enable auto-capture
Integration¶
Works with: - compound-docs - Links to solution documentation - TodoWrite - References completed todos - SpecKit - Notes spec-related decisions
Auto-Capture¶
The session-journal skill can auto-detect and capture when you: - Explain why you chose one approach over another - Discover something unexpected - Complete significant changes with rationale
Enable in project CLAUDE.md: