Cursor Diary

Overview

Maintain a step-by-step implementation diary as you work, focused on reproducibility (exact commands, file paths, commit hashes) and review efficiency (what to check + how to validate).

Workflow

1) Bootstrap

• Create a diary doc early (before exploration if possible).
  • If using docmgr tickets: docmgr doc add --ticket TICKET-ID --doc-type reference --title "Diary"

2) Record each tiny step (frequently)

• Write 1–2 short prose paragraphs first (intent + what it unlocked).
• Include exact commands, key outputs, and versions when relevant.
• Capture failures verbatim (errors are valuable).

3) Keep code ↔ docs consistent (docmgr loop)

• Implement + format + test.
• Commit code (record hash).
• Update diary with the commit hash + rationale.
• Relate files to the diary with absolute paths: docmgr doc relate --doc <diary-path> --file-note "/abs/path:why it matters"
• Update ticket changelog per step: docmgr changelog update --ticket TICKET-ID --entry "Step N: ..." --file-note "/abs/path:reason"
• Commit docs separately (e.g., Diary: record Step N).

Output template

• Use the diary template in references/diary.md (copy/paste) as the canonical structure.

Notes

• Prefer many small steps over a few big ones.
• Always include: “What was tricky to build” + “What warrants a second pair of eyes” when behavior changes.