# Remember

> Save a decision, convention, or pattern into the project context scaffold.

- Skill: `theyoungastronauts/remember` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add theyoungastronauts/remember`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/theyoungastronauts/remember/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: theyoungastronauts (https://skillmd.com/u/theyoungastronauts)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/theyoungastronauts/remember

---


# Skill: Remember

Save a decision, convention, or pattern to the project's context scaffold.

## When to Use

Run `/remember <description>` when you want to persist something learned during a session:
- An architectural decision and its rationale
- A naming or structural convention discovered in the codebase
- A reusable pattern worth codifying for future work
- A freeform note that belongs in project context

## Process

### Step 1: Classify the Input

Read the user's description and classify it into one of three types:

| Type | Target File | Signal Words |
|------|------------|--------------|
| **Decision** | `.claude/context/decisions.md` | "decided", "chose", "switched to", "why we use", "tradeoff" |
| **Convention** | `.claude/context/conventions.md` | "always", "never", "naming", "file structure", "how we handle" |
| **Pattern** | `.claude/context/patterns/<name>.md` | "how to add", "the way we build", "standard approach for", "template for" |

If the classification is ambiguous, ask the user which type fits best. If it truly doesn't fit any category, default to Convention under "Project-Specific Rules".

### Step 2: Check for Duplicates

Read the target file and scan for similar existing entries:
- For decisions: check if the same topic is already covered (even with different wording)
- For conventions: check if the same rule exists under any category heading
- For patterns: check if a pattern file covering the same scenario already exists in `patterns/`

If a similar entry exists:
- Tell the user what you found
- Ask whether to **update** the existing entry or **add** alongside it
- If updating, preserve the original date and add an "Updated: YYYY-MM-DD" note

### Step 3: Format the Entry

Each target file carries its own authoritative format — follow it rather than reformatting from memory:

- **Decision** → the `## Format` block at the top of `decisions.md`. Append the new record under `## Entries`.
- **Convention** → the one-line `- [Convention]: [Example] — [Why, if not obvious]` shape shown under each category in `conventions.md`. Choose the right category heading (Naming, File Organization, Error Handling, Testing, or Project-Specific Rules); if none fit, use Project-Specific Rules.
- **Pattern** → the `## Pattern File Format` block in `patterns/README.md`. Create a new `.claude/context/patterns/<kebab-name>.md` from it; at minimum fill "When to Use" and "Structure", asking the user for anything you can't infer.

If a target file is missing its format header (an older scaffold), fall back to the matching template under `templates/context/` — those templates are the source of truth for the schema.

### Step 4: Write the Entry

1. Read the target file
2. Insert the new entry in the correct location:
   - Decisions: above the `<!-- Add new decisions above this line -->` comment
   - Conventions: under the appropriate `##` category heading, above the `<!-- Add new conventions above this line -->` comment
   - Patterns: create new file in `.claude/context/patterns/`
3. Do NOT modify `## Manual Notes` or anything below it

### Step 5: Update ROUTER.md (Patterns Only)

If a new pattern file was created:

1. Read `.claude/context/ROUTER.md`
2. Add the pattern to the **Context Files** table with its purpose
3. If the pattern is relevant to specific task types, update the **Task Routing** table
4. Keep ROUTER.md under 50 lines

### Step 6: Confirm

Tell the user:
- What type was classified (decision/convention/pattern)
- Which file was written to (full path)
- The exact content that was added
- If a pattern was created, note that ROUTER.md was updated

## Scaffold Missing?

If `.claude/context/` doesn't exist, tell the user:

> Project context scaffold not found. Run `/intel` first to generate the scaffold structure, then use `/remember` to add entries.

Do not create the scaffold from scratch — `/intel` handles that.

## Common Mistakes

- **Writing to the wrong file** — decisions have rationale and tradeoffs, conventions are rules to follow, patterns are structural templates
- **Skipping deduplication** — always check before adding
- **Modifying Manual Notes** — never touch content below `## Manual Notes`
- **Creating trivial patterns** — a pattern file should describe something non-obvious and reusable, not a single-line convention