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skill GitHub Copilot official · GitHub

desk-journal — GitHub Copilot skill: journal memory

Keeps a desk journal across sessions by recording completed work, current state, and the next step. Use it when work needs to resume with its context intact.

Install into GitHub Copilot · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓ 
npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill desk-journal
Open on GitHub

What desk-journal does

desk-journal reads and appends a persistent desk journal at desks/<desk-name>/journal.md. At the end of a session, it records completed work, the current state, and the task to continue. At the start of another session, it reads the latest entry; it can also capture decisions and significant progress during work.

Each entry is a dated section with a short summary. The skill advises concrete notes, including failed paths, and keeps an entry to 3-5 lines. Larger context should go into a separate artifact on the bench.

When a desk closes, the journal records its overall summary, artifacts, and handoff details. A next step is required, because a later session otherwise has to reconstruct the work. That makes a vague closing note a poor handoff.

What it helps with

  • preserve work context between sessions
  • record the current task state
  • leave a concrete next step
  • document failed approaches and decisions
  • write a desk closure handoff

Example prompts for the agent

  • "Write a desk journal entry with completed work, current state, and the next step."
  • "Read `desks/<desk-name>/journal.md` and pick up the current context."
  • "Append our decision and the failed approach to the desk journal."

How to install desk-journal

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill desk-journal

2GitHub CLI

gh skill install github/awesome-copilot desk-journal

3Manually: put the files in place

.github/skills/desk-journal/SKILL.md

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Questions about desk-journal

How do I install desk-journal in GitHub Copilot?

Run npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill desk-journal. The skill file is placed at .github/skills/desk-journal/SKILL.md.

What does desk-journal do?

The skill maintains a desk journal that preserves context across sessions. It records completed work, current state, and the next action.

What should a desk-journal entry contain?

An entry includes a date, short summary, completed work, current state, and next step. It also encourages recording failed paths so a later session does not repeat them.

Source text

SKILL.md · MIT 
---
name: desk-journal
description: 'Write, append, or read desk journal entries. The journal is persistent memory — what survives session boundaries. A good entry has: what was done, current state, next step.'
---

# Desk Journal

Manage a desk's journal — the persistent memory that survives
session boundaries.

## When to use

- **End of session:** Write what was done, current state, next step
- **Start of session:** Read the journal to pick up where you left off
- **Mid-session checkpoint:** Note significant progress or decisions
- **Desk wind-down:** Write a final summary when a desk is being closed

## How to write a journal entry

Append to `desks/<desk-name>/journal.md`. Each entry is a section:

```markdown
## <date> — <short summary>
- **Worked on:** <what was done this session>
- **Current state:** <where things stand right now>
- **Next step:** <what the next session should pick up>
```

### Guidelines

- **Be specific.** "Worked on security scanning" is useless to the
  next session. "Scanned repos A, B, C for CWE-502; found 3
  findings in A, 0 in B and C; findings triaged to bench" — that's
  a trail.
- **Include what didn't work.** Dead ends are valuable — they prevent
  the next session from walking the same path.
- **Keep it short.** The journal is a trail marker, not a diary.
  3-5 lines per entry. If you need more, the important context
  should go on the bench as a separate artifact.
- **Always include next step.** The next session starts from zero.
  Without a next step, it has to re-derive everything.

## End-of-desk entry

When a desk is being wound down (not just a session ending, but
the desk itself closing):

```markdown
## <date> — Desk closed
- **Summary:** <what this desk accomplished overall>
- **Artifacts:** <what's on the bench from this desk>
- **Handoff:** <anything another desk or the operator needs to know>
```

## Reading the journal

At session start, read the desk's journal to pick up context.
The most recent entry is the most important — it has the current
state and next step. Earlier entries provide history if needed.

## Principles

- The journal is a cairn — stones left so the next traveler finds
  the way. Every entry is a stone.
- Honesty over completeness. "I got stuck on X and don't know why"
  is more useful than silence.
- The journal is for the next session, not for the current one.
  Write for someone who knows nothing about what you just did.

© github · MIT · github/awesome-copilot

See also

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