nicksteffens/daily-log

Daily Log Management

File Path Convention

Daily logs are stored at: ~/.claude/daily-logs/YYYY/YYYY-MM.md

Example: December 2025 logs are at ~/.claude/daily-logs/2025/2025-12.md

Adding Log Entries - Wizard Workflow

ALWAYS use the AskUserQuestion wizard to gather session details - it's much easier than manual entry.

Step 1: Gather Session Details via Wizard

Use AskUserQuestion with these question sets:

First Question Set (Basic Info):

1. Duration - How long did we work together?
   • Options: "30-45 minutes", "1 hour", "1.5-2 hours", "2+ hours"
2. Success Rating - How would you rate today's session?
   • Options: "10/10 - Exceptional", "8-9/10 - Excellent", "6-7/10 - Good", "4-5/10 - Fair"
3. Your Role - What was your primary role?
   • Options: "Directing", "Collaborating", "Reviewing", "Learning"
4. Most Valuable - What was the most valuable aspect?
   • Customize options based on session context

Second Question Set (Details):

1. Challenges - What challenges did we encounter? (multiSelect: true)
   • Customize options based on session context
   • Always include "No significant challenges" option
2. Key Insight - What's the main learning/insight?
   • Customize options based on session context
3. Follow-up Items - Any tasks for future sessions? (multiSelect: true)
   • Customize options based on session context
   • Always include "None - complete for now" option

Step 2: Create Log Entry

1. Determine the file path:

   YEAR=$(date +%Y)
   MONTH=$(date +%m)
   TODAY=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
   LOG_FILE="$HOME/.claude/daily-logs/$YEAR/$YEAR-$MONTH.md"
   

2. Check if date heading exists:

   • Search for ## YYYY-MM-DD in the file
   • If found, append new session under it (separated by ---)
   • If not found, add the heading at the end of the file

3. Use wizard responses to populate the session template

4. Multiple sessions same day:

   • Separate with --- horizontal rule
   • Each session gets its own "Session Overview" block

Step 3: Commit the Log Entry

After writing the log entry, ALWAYS commit it to the ~/.claude git repo:

git -C ~/.claude checkout main
git -C ~/.claude add daily-logs/
git -C ~/.claude commit -m "docs: add daily log for YYYY-MM-DD"

IMPORTANT: ~/.claude IS a git repo (nicksteffens/claude-config). Use git -C ~/.claude to operate on it from any working directory. Daily logs should ALWAYS be committed to the main branch. After committing, ask the user if they'd like to push (git -C ~/.claude push origin main).

Session Template

## YYYY-MM-DD

### Session Overview
**Duration:** [time]
**Main Objective:** [objective]
**Success Rating:** [X]/10

### What We Accomplished
- [bullet points]

### Challenges Encountered
- [bullet points or "None"]

### Most Valuable Collaboration
[description]

### Key Insight
[main learning]

### Follow-Up Items
- [ ] [action items]

### Role Distribution
**Human:** [role]
**Claude:** [role]

### Success Factors
[what made it successful, if rating 6+]

---

Example Wizard Implementation

// First question set - Basic info
AskUserQuestion({
  questions: [
    {
      question: "How long did we work together today?",
      header: "Duration",
      multiSelect: false,
      options: [
        {label: "30-45 minutes", description: "Quick focused session"},
        {label: "1 hour", description: "Standard session length"},
        {label: "1.5-2 hours", description: "Extended working session"},
        {label: "2+ hours", description: "Deep dive session"}
      ]
    },
    {
      question: "How would you rate today's session overall?",
      header: "Success",
      multiSelect: false,
      options: [
        {label: "10/10 - Exceptional", description: "Everything went perfectly, exceeded expectations"},
        {label: "8-9/10 - Excellent", description: "Highly productive, met all objectives"},
        {label: "6-7/10 - Good", description: "Accomplished goals with some minor issues"},
        {label: "4-5/10 - Fair", description: "Made progress but faced challenges"}
      ]
    },
    {
      question: "What was your primary role during this session?",
      header: "Your Role",
      multiSelect: false,
      options: [
        {label: "Directing", description: "Provided high-level guidance and decisions"},
        {label: "Collaborating", description: "Active pair programming and problem solving"},
        {label: "Reviewing", description: "Primarily reviewing and approving Claude's work"},
        {label: "Learning", description: "Observing and learning new techniques"}
      ]
    },
    {
      question: "What was the most valuable aspect of our collaboration?",
      header: "Value",
      multiSelect: false,
      options: [
        // Customize based on session context
        {label: "Option 1", description: "Description"},
        {label: "Option 2", description: "Description"}
      ]
    }
  ]
})

// Second question set - Details
AskUserQuestion({
  questions: [
    {
      question: "What challenges did we encounter during this session?",
      header: "Challenges",
      multiSelect: true,  // Allow multiple challenges
      options: [
        // Customize based on session context
        {label: "Challenge 1", description: "Description"},
        {label: "Challenge 2", description: "Description"},
        {label: "No significant challenges", description: "Session went smoothly overall"}
      ]
    },
    {
      question: "What's the key insight or learning from today?",
      header: "Insight",
      multiSelect: false,
      options: [
        // Customize based on session context
        {label: "Insight 1", description: "Description"},
        {label: "Insight 2", description: "Description"}
      ]
    },
    {
      question: "Any follow-up items for future sessions?",
      header: "Follow-up",
      multiSelect: true,  // Allow multiple follow-up items
      options: [
        // Customize based on session context
        {label: "Task 1", description: "Description"},
        {label: "Task 2", description: "Description"},
        {label: "None - complete for now", description: "No immediate follow-up needed"}
      ]
    }
  ]
})

Bash Script for File Management

#!/bin/bash
YEAR=$(date +%Y)
MONTH=$(date +%m)
TODAY=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
LOG_DIR="$HOME/.claude/daily-logs/$YEAR"
LOG_FILE="$LOG_DIR/$YEAR-$MONTH.md"

mkdir -p "$LOG_DIR"

if [ ! -f "$LOG_FILE" ]; then
  MONTH_NAME=$(date +%B)
  echo "# Daily Logs - $MONTH_NAME $YEAR" > "$LOG_FILE"
  echo "" >> "$LOG_FILE"
fi

echo "Log file: $LOG_FILE"
echo "Today's date heading: ## $TODAY"

Important Notes

• Always customize wizard options based on session context for "Most Valuable" and "Challenges" questions
• Use multiSelect: true for challenges and follow-up items (can select multiple)
• Use multiSelect: false for duration, success rating, role, and key insight (single choice)
• Provide clear descriptions for each option to help user make informed choices
• Include "None" options where appropriate (no challenges, no follow-up items)