Process Keeper

Backfill development history and keep compact process logs

Use this skill when you want to turn project activity into a lightweight, reusable process log.

Best for

• backfilling what happened so far in a project
• recording important decisions, fixes, and turning points
• keeping a compact history for future review
• extracting article-ready notes from development work
• maintaining a simple process trail without flooding the repo

Good triggers

• "Backfill the history so far"
• "Record this decision"
• "Turn this work into a retrospective"
• "Keep a process log for this project"
• "Extract reusable notes from this iteration"

What it does

This skill helps you:

• reconstruct a project timeline from commits, files, and conversation context
• capture only meaningful nodes: problem, decision, change, result, lesson
• keep the process notes compact and readable
• turn process notes into reusable summaries, outlines, or narrative material

What it is not

• not a task manager
• not a daily journal
• not a code review tool
• not a replacement for feature specs
• not a place to dump every tiny edit

Core workflow

1. Find the project root.

   • Prefer the active repository.
   • If the repo has no process notes yet, create docs/process/.

2. Backfill first, then continue.

   • Reconstruct the timeline from commits, files, and available context.
   • Capture only the meaningful nodes.
   • Avoid transcript-style narration.

3. Keep three layers.

   • HISTORY.md for the timeline
   • PROCESS_GUIDE.md for recording rules
   • TEMPLATE.md for reusable entry structure

4. Record at key nodes.

   • major UI or UX changes
   • architecture or versioning changes
   • bug fixes with a clear cause
   • design disagreements that get resolved
   • successful or failed verification

5. Extract reusable material when asked.

   • retrospective
   • project narrative
   • article outline
   • "how we solved it" notes

Output style

Prefer compact records over long narrative blocks.

Default fields

• time
• context
• problem
• decision
• change
• result
• lesson
• article angle

Short version

Use a short version when the user only needs a quick record.

• what happened
• why it changed
• what changed after
• how to move faster next time

Public-use notes

• Keep public output free of private project names, private paths, and internal-only notes.
• Keep examples generic so they work in any repository.
• If a tiny edit did not change the direction, skip it.

Compatible use

This skill is designed to work with local coding agents and project assistants that can read files and write process notes.

Examples:

• Codex-style local agents
• Claude-style local agents
• editor-integrated agents
• other repo-aware coding assistants

Files

• PROCESS_GUIDE.md
• references/process-template.md
• references/examples.md
• agents/openai.yaml