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Refine journal server design with entry/overview distinction and JSON prototype approach
Key refinements: - Clarified journal_write tool: mandatory entry parameter, optional overview for consolidation moments - Solved git conflict avoidance with entry count metadata: <!-- entry count: 47 --> - Entry count reflects actual commit history, resolved by counting real commits during conflicts - Established development path: JSON prototype first, then git migration once interface is proven - Updated implementation plan for Python with uv + mypy, configurable data file via CLI - Design documents updated to reflect all technical and workflow refinements Ready to begin Phase 1 implementation with refined understanding of journal interface design.
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‎src/SUMMARY.md‎

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- [Design Foundation](./memory-bank/design-foundation.md)
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- [Current State](./memory-bank/current-state.md)
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- [Frequently asked questions](./memory-bank/faq.md)
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- [Journal Server Design](./journal-server/README.md)
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- [Design Document](./journal-server/design-doc.md)
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- [Implementation Plan](./journal-server/implementation-plan.md)
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# Dialectic
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‎src/journal-server/README.md‎

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# Journal Server Design
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*A memory system that emerges from collaborative understanding*
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## Vision
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The journal server reimagines AI memory as an organic, reflective practice rather than mechanical storage. Instead of a database of facts, it maintains a living journal that captures both our current understanding and the collaborative journey that led there.
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## Core Insight
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Our experiments with the official MCP memory server revealed that traditional memory systems miss something essential: the hermeneutic circle of understanding. We don't just need to store facts - we need to capture how understanding deepens through the back-and-forth between parts and whole, between specific discoveries and evolving context.
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The journal server aligns with our existing collaboration patterns:
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- `.ongoing` files that track evolving work
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- GitHub tracking issues that document understanding as it shifts
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- Consolidation moments ("Make it so") when insights crystallize
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- The natural rhythm of exploration → synthesis → new exploration
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## Architecture
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### Tree Structure
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The journal organizes around a hierarchical structure that mirrors how understanding naturally develops:
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```
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journal/
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├── project-alpha/
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│ ├── overview.md # Current synthesis/pre-understanding
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│ ├── entries/ # Chronological journey log
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│ │ ├── 2024-07-21-initial-exploration.md
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│ │ ├── 2024-07-22-breakthrough-insight.md
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│ │ └── ...
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│ └── subsections/
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│ ├── api-design/
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│ │ ├── overview.md
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│ │ └── entries/
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│ └── error-handling/
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│ ├── overview.md
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│ └── entries/
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└── project-beta/
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└── ...
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```
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### Three Types of Content
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**Overviews**: Living synthesis documents that capture our current understanding of each section. These represent our "pre-understanding" - what we bring to new work in this area.
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**Entries**: Chronological log of collaborative moments, insights, and discoveries. These document the hermeneutic journey - how our understanding evolved through actual work.
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**Subsections**: Natural divisions that emerge from the work itself - major features, distinct problem domains, or significant architectural boundaries.
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## Temporal Salience
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Memory naturally decays and requires increasing relevance to surface:
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- **Recent entries** (days/weeks): Easily accessible, loaded by default
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- **Older entries** (months): Require higher relevance matching
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- **Ancient entries** (longer): Only surface when specifically salient
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This creates natural rhythms where current work builds on recent understanding while allowing deeper patterns to emerge when truly relevant.
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## Session Flow
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### Starting Work
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When beginning a session, the journal server loads:
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- **Current overviews** for relevant sections
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- **Recent entries** that provide collaborative context
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- **Salient older entries** that meet relevance thresholds
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### During Work
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The journal remains available for:
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- Searching for related patterns and insights
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- Referencing previous collaborative moments
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- Understanding how current work connects to broader context
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### Consolidation Moments
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During checkpointing and "Make it so" moments:
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- **Update overviews** with refined understanding
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- **Add new entries** documenting the journey and insights
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- **Create new sections** when work reveals natural boundaries
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## Search Design
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Search operates on two dimensions to provide contextually relevant results:
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**Context**: The broader kind of work being done
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- "debugging memory retrieval issues"
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- "designing API interfaces"
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- "refactoring error handling"
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**Content**: The specific thing being sought
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- "async/await patterns"
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- "configuration approaches"
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- "testing strategies"
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Journal entries are matched against both dimensions, preventing false positives where content matches but context doesn't (or vice versa).
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## Integration with Existing Patterns
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### Relationship to GitHub Issues
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- **GitHub issues**: External view, public artifacts, status communication
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- **Journal entries**: Internal view, intimate collaborative space, thinking process
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### Relationship to `.ongoing` Files
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- `.ongoing` files capture immediate work state
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- Journal entries distill insights from `.ongoing` work during consolidation
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- Overviews synthesize patterns across multiple `.ongoing` cycles
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### Relationship to Tracking Issues
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- Tracking issues document decisions and status for project management
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- Journal entries capture the collaborative journey that led to those decisions
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- Both evolve together but serve different purposes
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## Why Journal vs. Database
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Traditional memory systems treat information as discrete facts to be stored and retrieved. The journal approach recognizes that understanding is:
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- **Contextual**: The same insight means different things in different situations
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- **Temporal**: Recent understanding builds on older insights in complex ways
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- **Collaborative**: Meaning emerges between minds, not within individual storage
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- **Organic**: Consolidation happens naturally, not on rigid schedules
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The journal serves the deeper practice of collaborative understanding rather than just information management.
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## Next Steps
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This design document captures our current understanding of the journal server concept. The next phase involves:
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1. **Detailed specifications** for the tree structure and entry formats
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2. **Search implementation** design for context/content matching
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3. **Integration patterns** with existing MCP tooling
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4. **Prototype development** to test the core concepts
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---
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*This design emerges from our collaborative exploration of memory systems that honor the hermeneutic circle of understanding.*

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