# Daily Journal > Create daily work journal notes in org-mode or markdown format, maintain hierarchical index, and generate weekly summaries. Use when user mentions daily note, journal, log work, weekly summary, or asks what they did today/this week. - Skill: `rutayan-nv/daily-journal` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add rutayan-nv/daily-journal` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/rutayan-nv/daily-journal/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Docs & Writing - Author: rutayan-nv (https://skillmd.com/u/rutayan-nv) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/rutayan-nv/daily-journal --- # Daily Work Journal Manages daily work notes with configurable format (org-mode or markdown) and paths for cross-platform support. ## First-Time Setup On first use, check if `config.json` exists in this skill directory (`~/.cursor/skills/daily-journal/config.json` on Unix, `%APPDATA%\Cursor\skills\daily-journal\config.json` on Windows). ### If config.json is missing, prompt the user: 1. "What note format do you prefer?" - a) org-mode (.org) - for Emacs users - b) markdown (.md) - for VS Code, Obsidian, Typora, etc. 2. "Where should your journal be stored? (provide full path)" 3. "Which directories contain your git repositories? (comma-separated full paths)" 4. "What's your name for the journal author field?" 5. "What's your git username or email for filtering commits?" ### Create config.json with the answers: ```json { "note_format": "org", "journal_path": "", "repo_search_paths": ["", ""], "author_name": "", "git_author_filter": "" } ``` After creating config, proceed with the journal operation. --- ## Configuration Reference | Field | Description | Values | |-------|-------------|--------| | `note_format` | File format for notes | `"org"` or `"markdown"` | | `journal_path` | Root directory for journal files | Full path | | `repo_search_paths` | Directories to scan for git repos | Array of paths | | `author_name` | Name used in file headers | String | | `git_author_filter` | Git author for log filtering | Username or email | --- ## Directory Structure File extension is `.org` or `.md` based on `config.note_format`. ``` / ├── index. # Hierarchical index └── YYYY/ # Year directory └── wwXX/ # Work week directory (ISO week number) ├── YYYY-MM-DD. # Daily notes └── weekly-summary. # Weekly summary (created Sunday) ``` --- ## Data Sources Before creating a daily note, gather context from: ### 1. Shell history (today's commands) **Auto-detect based on OS:** - **Unix/macOS**: Check `~/.zsh_history` and `~/.bash_history` - **Windows**: Run `(Get-PSReadLineOption).HistorySavePath` in PowerShell Filter for today's commands. ### 2. Emacs history (if exists) Check for these files (skip if not found): **Standard Emacs:** - `~/.emacs.d/history` - minibuffer command history - `~/.emacs.d/recentf` - recently opened files **Doom Emacs:** - `~/.config/emacs/.local/cache/recentf` - recently opened files - `~/.config/emacs/.local/etc/transient/history` - magit/transient command history Extract: files worked on, git operations (commits, rebases, pushes), search patterns. ### 3. Cursor agent transcripts **Auto-detect location:** - **Unix/macOS**: Scan `~/.cursor/projects/*/agent-transcripts/*.jsonl` - **Windows**: Scan `%APPDATA%\Cursor\projects\*\agent-transcripts\*.jsonl` Read recent transcripts to extract: code changes, features discussed, bugs fixed. ### 4. Git logs (today's commits) For each path in `config.repo_search_paths`: - **Unix/macOS**: `find -name ".git" -type d` - **Windows**: `Get-ChildItem -Path -Recurse -Directory -Filter ".git"` In each repo, run: ``` git log --oneline --since="today" --author="" ``` ### 5. Current conversation context --- ## Creating a Daily Note ### Step 1: Load configuration Read `config.json` from skill directory. If missing, run First-Time Setup. ### Step 2: Determine file path Calculate the ISO week number and create the path: - Path: `/YYYY/wwXX/YYYY-MM-DD.` - Extension: `.org` if `note_format` is "org", `.md` if "markdown" Create the year and week directories if they don't exist. ### Step 3: Gather context Read the data sources listed above. Focus on: - Commands that indicate debugging (repeated grep, find, git commands) - Code changes from agent transcripts - Git commits made today (features, fixes, refactors) - Features implemented - Errors encountered ### Step 4: Create the daily note Use the appropriate template based on `config.note_format`: #### Org-mode template (.org) ```org #+TITLE: YYYY-MM-DD (Weekday) #+AUTHOR: * Summary One paragraph overview of the day's work. * Work Done ** [Feature/Task Name] - What was implemented (2-3 lines) - Key decisions or approach taken - Links: [[url][description]] * Learnings ** [Topic] - Key insight or new knowledge (3-6 lines max) - Why it matters * Blockers/Bugs ** [Issue description] - Root cause identified - Time/effort spent debugging - Impact on productivity - Resolution or workaround ``` #### Markdown template (.md) ```markdown # YYYY-MM-DD (Weekday) **Author:** ## Summary One paragraph overview of the day's work. ## Work Done ### [Feature/Task Name] - What was implemented (2-3 lines) - Key decisions or approach taken - Links: [description](url) ## Learnings ### [Topic] - Key insight or new knowledge (3-6 lines max) - Why it matters ## Blockers/Bugs ### [Issue description] - Root cause identified - Time/effort spent debugging - Impact on productivity - Resolution or workaround ``` ### Step 5: Update index Add entry to `/index.` under the correct year and week. #### Org-mode index ```org * 2026 ** ww09 (Feb 24 - Mar 02) - [[file:2026/ww09/2026-02-24.org][Mon 2026-02-24]] ``` If index.org doesn't exist, create with: ```org #+TITLE: Work Journal Index #+AUTHOR: ``` #### Markdown index ```markdown # Work Journal Index **Author:** ## 2026 ### ww09 (Feb 24 - Mar 02) - [Mon 2026-02-24](2026/ww09/2026-02-24.md) ``` --- ## Creating Weekly Summary Run every Sunday. Create at `/YYYY/wwXX/weekly-summary.`. ### Step 1: Read all daily notes for the week Read all notes in the current week directory (excluding weekly-summary). ### Step 2: Create summary #### Org-mode weekly summary ```org #+TITLE: Week XX Summary (Mon Date - Sun Date) #+AUTHOR: * Highlights - Top 3-5 accomplishments this week * Features Implemented - List of features with brief descriptions * Key Learnings - Consolidated learnings from daily notes * Blockers Encountered - Summary of bugs/blockers and resolutions * Productivity Notes - Patterns observed (what slowed you down, what helped) * Next Week - Carry-over items or planned focus areas ``` #### Markdown weekly summary ```markdown # Week XX Summary (Mon Date - Sun Date) **Author:** ## Highlights - Top 3-5 accomplishments this week ## Features Implemented - List of features with brief descriptions ## Key Learnings - Consolidated learnings from daily notes ## Blockers Encountered - Summary of bugs/blockers and resolutions ## Productivity Notes - Patterns observed (what slowed you down, what helped) ## Next Week - Carry-over items or planned focus areas ``` ### Step 3: Update index Add weekly summary link under the appropriate week. --- ## Formatting Guidelines ### Org-mode - Headings: `* Level1`, `** Level2`, `*** Level3` - Links: `[[url][description]]` or `[[file:path.org][name]]` - Emphasis: `*bold*`, `/italic/`, `_underline_`, `~code~` ### Markdown - Headings: `# Level1`, `## Level2`, `### Level3` - Links: `[description](url)` or `[name](path.md)` - Emphasis: `**bold**`, `*italic*`, `` `code` `` ### Both formats - Each bullet point: 3-6 lines maximum - Keep notes human-readable and scannable - Focus on work and learnings, not personal items --- ## Detecting Bugs/Inefficiencies Signs of debugging or inefficiency in shell history: - Repeated similar commands (grep, find, git diff) - Multiple failed command attempts - Long sequences of cd/ls navigation - Repeated test runs When detected, note: - What was being searched for - How long the pattern persisted - What finally resolved it