How do I install the Scribe skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add xiaolai/scribe in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Scribe safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Scribe?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Scribe free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Scribe?

xiaolai (@xiaolai) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Scribe by xiaolai — Agent Skill

Name: Scribe
Author: xiaolai

Scribe

The live note-taker — summarize the current session's decisions and open threads on demand or at checkpoints, and (in a bureau workspace) append them to the session's running minute. Use when running bureau:note, or when the user asks to take a note / minute this / summarize where we are.

xiaolai 326740c 3.5 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Scribe — live minutes of the current session

file-session files the minutes after a session; the scribe writes them during it, so the record's fidelity doesn't depend on end-of-session memory. It is the minute-taker; the filed minute is its notes cleaned up.

Dual mode

In a bureau workspace → append a running note to the session's minute (it persists and file-session later finalizes it).
Anywhere else → just hand the user the summary (ephemeral) — a useful "where are we" with no workspace required.

When to run

On demand (bureau:note, or the user asking) or at natural checkpoints — a decision made, a direction changed, a milestone reached. Not after every turn: constant summaries bury the signal. Capture inflection points, not heartbeats.

Steps

Locate the workspace (bureau.json; default canon). If none, produce the summary for the user and stop (ephemeral mode) — do not error.
Summarize the span since the last note: the decisions reached, what changed, and the open threads. Faithful over polished — include reversals and dead ends.
Append, don't rewrite. Add the note to the session's running minute (logbook/<YYYY>/<MM>/<safe-session-id>.md, the same file file-session finalizes), under a timestamped checkpoint heading. Never rewrite earlier notes or other sessions' entries.
Stay low-authority. Running notes are status: logbook — raw material, never canon. The scribe never writes dossiers.
Report the note's path (workspace mode) or present the summary (ephemeral mode).

Rules

Append-only. Add checkpoints; never edit earlier ones. file-session consolidates them.
Inflection points, not heartbeats. Run at decisions/changes, not on a timer.
No canon writes. The scribe feeds the logbook only; cabinets are reached via compile.
Sanitize the path. Reuse the capture skill's safe-session-id rule for the file name.

Examples

Scope note

This skill covers ONLY live note-taking into the logbook (or an ephemeral summary). It does not finalize the entry (file-session), not distil to cabinets (compile), and not read the canon to answer questions (recall / bureau:query). It is invoked by bureau:note and by the SessionStart (post-compaction) hook's re-grounding flow.

---name: scribedescription: The live note-taker — summarize the current session's decisions and open threads on demand or at checkpoints, and (in a bureau workspace) append them to the session's running minute. Use when running bureau:note, or when the user asks to take a note / minute this / summarize where we are.---# Scribe — live minutes of the current session`file-session` files the minutes *after* a session; the scribe writes them *during* it, so therecord's fidelity doesn't depend on end-of-session memory. It is the minute-taker; the filedminute is its notes cleaned up.## Dual mode- **In a bureau workspace** → append a running note to the session's minute (it persists and `file-session` later finalizes it).- **Anywhere else** → just hand the user the summary (ephemeral) — a useful "where are we" with no workspace required.## When to runOn demand (`bureau:note`, or the user asking) or at **natural checkpoints** — a decision made,a direction changed, a milestone reached. **Not after every turn**: constant summaries bury thesignal. Capture inflection points, not heartbeats.## Steps1. **Locate the workspace** (`bureau.json`; default `canon`). If none, produce the summary for the user and stop (ephemeral mode) — do not error.2. **Summarize the span** since the last note: the decisions reached, what changed, and the open threads. Faithful over polished — include reversals and dead ends.3. **Append, don't rewrite.** Add the note to the session's running minute (`logbook/<YYYY>/<MM>/<safe-session-id>.md`, the same file `file-session` finalizes), under a timestamped checkpoint heading. Never rewrite earlier notes or other sessions' entries.4. **Stay low-authority.** Running notes are `status: logbook` — raw material, never canon. The scribe never writes dossiers.5. **Report** the note's path (workspace mode) or present the summary (ephemeral mode).## Rules1. **Append-only.** Add checkpoints; never edit earlier ones. `file-session` consolidates them.2. **Inflection points, not heartbeats.** Run at decisions/changes, not on a timer.3. **No canon writes.** The scribe feeds the logbook only; cabinets are reached via compile.4. **Sanitize the path.** Reuse the capture skill's safe-session-id rule for the file name.## Examples<example>Context: Mid-session, a design decision was just made in a bureau repo.user: "bureau:note"assistant: "Noted to logbook/2026/06/<id>.md — checkpoint 14:30: decided to bundle the renderer rather than depend on it (reasons: one install, no node_modules); open thread: whether to retire the standalone repo. Earlier checkpoints untouched."<commentary>A checkpoint is appended live to the running entry; file-session will consolidate the checkpoints at the end.</commentary></example><example>Context: The user asks for a recap in a repo with no bureau workspace.user: "summarize where we are"assistant: "No bureau workspace here, so this is just for you: we compared three caching strategies and leaned toward write-through; still open is eviction policy."<commentary>Outside a workspace the scribe summarizes ephemerally — useful, but it persists nothing.</commentary></example>## Scope noteThis skill covers ONLY live note-taking into the logbook (or an ephemeral summary). It does**not** finalize the entry (`file-session`), **not** distil to cabinets (`compile`), and **not**read the canon to answer questions (`recall` / `bureau:query`). It is invoked by `bureau:note`and by the `SessionStart` (post-compaction) hook's re-grounding flow.

Frequently asked questions