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+# 2026-02-27 Session Notes
+
+## Onboarding Overhaul Implementation Planning
+
+Nicholai began session to implement the onboarding overhaul (roadmap sections 2.1-2.4), the next priority tier after completing four "on fire" items (defaults, npm gate, hook isolation, non-interactive CLI).
+
+### Problem Context
+
+The current `/onboarding` skill works but suffers from structural issues: no step indicators, no upfront outline, redundant timezone questions, and misleading guidance about manual memory workflows. The `remember` and `recall` skills encourage users to manually capture memories, which duplicates the automatic pipeline and distorts importance scoring.
+
+### Implementation Plan
+
+Five files require modification:
+
+1. **SKILL.md (onboarding)** — Major structural rewrite with new sections:
+   - Expanded frontmatter describing scope (what it does/doesn't do)
+   - "What This Skill Does" transparency section
+   - "Guiding Voice" tone guide (warm, patient, refined; emphasizes "we" language; avoids roleplay to prevent prompt injection warnings)
+   - "Starting the Interview" section with full 6-step outline before questions
+   - Step indicators at each phase transition
+   - Relaxation cues at phase ends ("we can revisit anytime")
+   - Removed timezone question from Phase 3
+   - Updated Quick Mode to write "one rule your agent should always follow" instead of memory entries
+
+2. **Remember skill** — Set `user_invocable: false` to hide from users and prevent hook-based auto-remembering that doubles token usage
+
+3. **Recall skill** — Add disclaimer section explaining automatic injection at session start and when manual recall is appropriate (targeted searches, old decisions, debugging)
+
+4. **USER.md.template** — Remove timezone from line 13
+
+5. **AGENTS.md.template** — Remove timezone from line 60
+
+### Key Design Decisions
+
+- Persona guidance framed as tone guidance ("adopt a warm tone") rather than character roleplay to avoid triggering host agent safety heuristics
+- "Black wall gateway" aesthetic conveyed through quiet confidence rather than cyberpunk keywords
+- Transparency declarations satisfy safety requirements without separate "trust me" blocks
+- Remember skill fully hidden; recall remains user-accessible since it's read-only and useful for debugging
+
+### Verification Strategy
+
+After implementation: build packages, verify skill sync, test all three skills in Claude Code, confirm timezone removed from interview flow and templates.
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