# 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.