decision-memo — Claude Code skill: one-page decision docs
Turns a pending choice into a written memo: context, options, a recommendation, risks and reversibility. Useful when a decision needs a record.
npx skills add gasserane/personal-skills --skill decision-memo -a claude-codeWhat decision-memo does
The skill fires on requests for a decision memo, decision doc, options paper or recommendation brief. What comes back is a single page of 400–500 words, split into the decision required, context, options, recommendation, risks and next steps. Every option carries a label, a one-line description, pros, cons, a reversibility rating and its cost in whichever currency matters most.
Before drafting, it asks for missing inputs in one batch. Three are mandatory: the decision phrased as a question, who decides and by when, and what changed to force the choice now. Options already on the table, constraints and success criteria are optional — leave them out and the skill generates 2–4 of its own. Withhold the first three and it will not draft at all.
Writing style is pulled from CLAUDE.md: active voice, sentences under 25 words, concrete verbs, no filler and no hedging. Point it at an existing file by path and ask for revisions, and an edit-preservation protocol kicks in — the skill reads the file, changes only the scoped section through the Edit tool, and leaves everything else byte-identical. It does not invent facts or figures; a missing fact gets flagged with ⚠️ Data gap:. Start with one small decision to see the shape of the output.
What it helps with
- put a decision on record instead of keeping it in your head
- weigh 2–4 options with pros, cons and the cost of each
- judge whether the chosen path can be undone and what that costs
- lay out second-order risks with probability, mitigation and an owner
- list next steps with who does what and by when
Example prompts for the agent
- Draft a decision memo: Postgres or SQLite for the new service, Ane decides by Friday.
- Write an options paper on moving to the new billing system, constraints are budget and team capacity.
- Improve the memo at
docs/decision-auth.mdand keep the rest of the file unchanged.
How to install decision-memo
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add gasserane/personal-skills --skill decision-memo -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/decision-memo/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/decision-memo/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add gasserane/personal-skills --skill decision-memo -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/decision-memo/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add gasserane/personal-skills --skill decision-memo -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/decision-memo/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install gasserane/personal-skills decision-memo2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/decision-memo/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add gasserane/personal-skills --skill decision-memo -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/gasserane/personal-skills --path skills/decision-memoManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/decision-memo/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add gasserane/personal-skills --skill decision-memo -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about decision-memo
How do I install decision-memo in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add gasserane/personal-skills --skill decision-memo -a claude-code. The skill lands at ~/.claude/skills/decision-memo/SKILL.md.
What does decision-memo do?
It writes a one-page decision document: context, options, a recommendation, risks, reversibility and next steps. Style comes from CLAUDE.md.
What inputs does the skill need before it starts writing?
Three are required: the decision as a question, who makes it and by when, and what changed. Options, constraints and success criteria are optional — without them the skill proposes its own.
