---

name: dialogue-log-decision description: Log a decision to the decision log. Supports OPERATIONAL, TACTICAL, DESIGN, and ADR types. Use when recording decisions made by human or AI. Triggers on "decision", "decided", "log decision", "record decision", "document choice". allowed-tools: Bash

Dialogue: Decision Logger

Log a decision to the decision log. The decision log is a chronological audit trail of all decisions, from routine operational choices to architectural decisions.

Decision Type Hierarchy

Choosing the Right Type

CopyDid you formally evaluate multiple alternatives with trade-offs?
  YES → Use ADR type (create ADR document first, then log with ref)
  NO  → Continue...

Does this affect how a component or schema works?
  YES → Use DESIGN
  NO  → Continue...

Does this change your approach to the current task?
  YES → Use TACTICAL
  NO  → Use OPERATIONAL

How to Log a Decision

Execute the following bash command:

Copy${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/dialogue-log-decision/scripts/log-decision.sh <type> <actor> <subject> <outcome> <rationale> [context] [tags] [ref]

Required Parameters

Conditionally Required Parameters

Optional Parameters

Examples

OPERATIONAL Decision

Copy${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/dialogue-log-decision/scripts/log-decision.sh OPERATIONAL "ai:claude" "Test failure response" "Added null check to validateInput()" "TypeError indicated undefined parameter" "" "fix,validation"

TACTICAL Decision

Copy${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/dialogue-log-decision/scripts/log-decision.sh TACTICAL "human:pidster" "Refactoring approach" "Refactor auth module before adding feature" "Reduce complexity before extending" "" "refactor,auth"

DESIGN Decision

Copy${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/dialogue-log-decision/scripts/log-decision.sh DESIGN "human:pidster" "Information reference schema approach" "Simplified from URI format to self-describing IDs" "Simpler format reduces cognitive load, maintains backward compatibility" "Initial v1 had complex URI format; user directed simplification" "schema,simplification"

ADR Cross-Reference

Copy${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/dialogue-log-decision/scripts/log-decision.sh ADR "human:pidster" "Graph storage approach" "Created ADR-001 for filesystem-first strategy" "Architectural decision requiring formal alternatives analysis" "Evaluated Kuzu, Neo4j, filesystem options" "architecture,storage" "ADR-001"

Output

The script returns the generated decision ID (e.g., DEC-20260113-143215).

When to Use ADR vs DESIGN

Use DESIGN when:

• You chose an approach but didn't formally document alternatives
• The decision affects a component but not the whole system
• Rationale matters but a full ADR would be overkill

Use ADR when:

• You formally evaluated 2+ alternatives with pros/cons
• The decision has system-wide architectural impact
• You need to document consequences and trade-offs
• Future developers will need to understand why

Process for ADR:

1. Create ADR document using dialogue-create-adr skill
2. Log cross-reference using this skill with type=ADR and ref=ADR-NNN

Granularity Guidelines

One Decision Per Distinct Choice

Log one decision entry per distinct choice. Do not batch multiple decisions into a single entry.

Why Granularity Matters

• Audit trail: Each decision can be reviewed independently
• Traceability: Specific rationale for each choice is preserved
• Search: Can find all decisions about a specific subject
• Compliance verification: Can count decisions against expected count

When Batching Is Acceptable

Batch only when:

• The decisions are truly identical (same rationale applies to all)
• The items being decided have no individual identity
• Example: "Applied consistent formatting to all 15 files" (one formatting decision, multiple files)

Sharing

Always commit and push immediately after logging a decision. Decisions capture rationale that is otherwise tacit—delayed sharing means delayed theory-building for the team.

Copygit add .dialogue/logs/decisions/ && git commit -m "DEC-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS: <subject>" && git push