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2025-11-30 09:00:21 +08:00

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tags description argument-hint allowed-tools model references_guidelines
workflow
collaboration
documentation
Add timestamped work log entries to track manual changes and communicate with AI "your comment text"
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claude-sonnet-4-5
docs/development/workflows/worklog-format.md

/worklog Command

WHAT: Add timestamped work log entries to track manual changes and communicate with AI.

WHY: Enable AI to understand manual work, avoid duplicating human effort, and maintain shared context.

HOW: See worklog-format.md for format standards. AI timestamps entry, finds WORKLOG, prepends in reverse chronological order.

Usage

/worklog "Added login button to header"
/worklog "Fixed dark mode - using --color-grey-dark (#2d2d2d)"
/worklog "Don't use jsonwebtoken - jose has better TS support"

How It Works

AI executes this workflow:

  1. Get timestamp: Run date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M' (NEVER guess/estimate)
  2. Get username: Run git config user.name
  3. Find WORKLOG: Locate current task's WORKLOG.md in pm/issues/TASK-###-*/
  4. Prepend entry (reverse chronological):
    ## 2025-10-22 15:30 - @username
    Added login button to header
    
  5. Analyze impact: Read TASK.md and check if comment relates to existing phases
  6. Offer update (interactive): Ask if task plan needs updating based on comment
  7. Update if confirmed: Modify TASK.md and log the change in WORKLOG.md

When to Use

Use when:

  • Making manual code changes outside /implement
  • Documenting gotchas or lessons learned
  • Communicating constraints to AI ("must use library X")

Don't use when:

  • AI agents did the work (they auto-log)
  • No changes made (just reading code)
  • Already documented in commit message

WORKLOG Format

# Work Log - TASK-001: User Authentication

## 2025-10-22 15:30 - @taylor
Added login button with dark mode support.
Files: src/components/Header.tsx

## 2025-10-22 14:30 - backend-specialist
Implemented JWT middleware with refresh logic.
Gotcha: Token expiry configurable via TOKEN_EXPIRY_HOURS.
Files: src/middleware/auth.js

Reverse chronological (newest first) for quick context scanning.

Interactive Plan Updates

After adding comment, AI analyzes task plan:

Your comment mentions login button. This might relate to:
- [ ] 2.1 Implement login UI components

Update task plan?
  1. Mark phase 2.1 complete
  2. Add new phase for login work
  3. No update needed

Choose (1/2/3): _

Examples

Styling work:

/worklog "Tweaked button padding to 12px/24px for mobile"
# → Added to WORKLOG, no plan updates needed

Feature addition:

/worklog "Added email validation to login form"
# → Added to WORKLOG, AI asks: "Mark phase 1.3 complete? (y/n)"

Gotcha documentation:

/worklog "Don't use setTimeout for token refresh - use setInterval"
# → Added to WORKLOG, documented for future reference

API change:

/worklog "API changed - login endpoint now /api/v2/auth/login"
# → Added to WORKLOG, AI asks: "Update phase 3.1 description? (y/n)"

Error Handling

No active task: AI lists available tasks and asks which one to associate comment with

No WORKLOG.md: AI creates it automatically with proper header

Benefits

For AI: Understands manual changes, avoids duplicating human work, respects decisions For Humans: Quick documentation, no context switching, AI keeps plan synchronized For Teams: Shared history, captured gotchas, implementation timeline

Philosophy

Human-AI collaboration through shared work log:

  • Humans add comments for manual work
  • AI agents add entries for automated work
  • Both contribute to narrative history
  • Result: AI remembers context, avoids breaking existing features