thinking-log

/thinking-log

Create or update a THINKING_LOG.md file that documents Claude's reasoning process during implementation tasks.

Usage

/thinking-log [action] [options]

Actions

• init - Initialize a new THINKING_LOG.md file for the current project
• add - Add a new entry to the existing log
• summary - Add a session summary to the log
• show - Display the current thinking log location and recent entries

Options

• --project - Store in project directory (default: outside project in ~/.claude/projects/)
• --title "Entry title" - Specify the entry title

Examples

# Initialize a new thinking log
/thinking-log init

# Add an entry about a decision
/thinking-log add --title "Chose PostgreSQL over MongoDB"

# Add session summary
/thinking-log summary

# Show current log status
/thinking-log show

Behavior

When invoked:

1. init: Creates THINKING_LOG.md using the starter template. Asks user for preferred location (project vs ~/.claude/).

2. add: Appends a new entry with:

   • Current timestamp
   • Mermaid flow diagram placeholder
   • Thinking section
   • Decision/Action/Result fields

3. summary: Adds end-of-session summary including:

   • Completed tasks
   • Key decisions made
   • Files changed
   • Lessons learned

4. show: Displays:

   • Current log file path
   • Last 3 entries (titles only)
   • Total entry count

Default Behavior (no action)

If called without an action, Claude will:

1. Check if THINKING_LOG.md exists for current project
2. If not, offer to create one
3. If yes, show status and ask what to add

File Location Logic

Default: ~/.claude/projects/{project-name}/docs/THINKING_LOG.md

If --project flag:
  {project-root}/docs/THINKING_LOG.md

The default location keeps AI-related files outside the project source code, which is useful when:

• Project has policies against committing AI-generated files
• Multiple developers work on the same project
• You want to keep thinking logs private