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Structured Note-Taking

Keeps a running scratchpad of decisions, extracted values and open questions so the agent doesn't lose them when context is pruned.

Source Download skill
Repository
aden-hive/hive
Stars
11,132
Licence
Apache-2.0
Files
1 file

What it does

This skill tells an AI agent to keep a free-form working notebook in a shared memory slot called _working_notes. The agent writes down key decisions and the reasons behind them, useful values such as URLs or IDs, open questions to verify, and blockers. It updates the notes incrementally at set checkpoints, so that important details survive when older tool-call history is trimmed to save space. It is meant for the agent's internal bookkeeping, not for the task queue, which the skill says belongs in a separate progress tracker.

Great for

  • Developers building long-running multi-step agents in the Hive framework who hit context limits
  • Teams who want agents to explain later why a decision was made
  • Agents that run many tool calls and need to keep track of extracted IDs or URLs

Skip it if

  • Simple one-shot chats where context pruning never happens, since the notes add overhead with no benefit
  • Anyone expecting a general-purpose note app for personal use; this only writes to the agent's shared buffer inside Hive
  • Sensitive data handling: the file gives no guidance on excluding secrets or personal data from the notes, so writing credentials there would expose them to anything reading the buffer

Try asking

  • “Keep track of the key decisions made so far in this multi-step research run and why each was chosen”
  • “Save the URLs and record IDs extracted from these search results so I can reference them later”
  • “List open questions I still need to verify before finalising the report”
Step-by-step guide: how to use Structured Note-TakingInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Install in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Download the skill

    The ZIP contains the 1 original files, the Apache-2.0 licence and an attribution note.

    note-taking.zip
  2. 2

    Add it to your agent

    Claude Code (all projects)

    mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip note-taking.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

    Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)

    mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip note-taking.zip -d .claude/skills/

    Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.

  3. 3

    Ask for the task

    No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.

Get better results

  • Let the agent update the notes incrementally rather than rewriting them, as the skill instructs, to keep history intact
  • Keep the notes to summaries and extracted values, not full web pages, to save space
  • Avoid storing passwords or API keys in the notes, since the skill does not address secret handling

What's inside

  • SKILL.md

Redistributed unmodified from aden-hive/hive under the Apache-2.0 licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.