scratchpadlisted

# Scratchpad ## Overview The scratchpad is ephemeral working memory for agents during a single workflow execution. It captures decisions, errors, observations, and intermediate results that later steps may need. It is append-only during a workflow and reset between workflows. ## The Iron Law ``` WRITE DECISIONS AND OBSERVATIONS WHEN THEY HAPPEN — NOT LATER ``` Multi-agent workflows pass context through artifacts, not shared memory. A decision made during implementation but not written down is invisible to the tester, reviewer, and verifier that follow. Real-time capture also prevents hindsight bias — recording observations as they happen produces more accurate context than reconstructing them later. A decision not recorded at the moment it is made will be lost, misremembered, or reconstructed incorrectly by the next agent in the workflow. ## The Process ### Step 1: Write to Scratchpad Append entries to `.devt/state/scratchpad.md` with a timestamp and category: ```markdown ## [HH:MM] Decision Chose Option B for the repository pattern because... ## [HH:MM] Error Type checker reported error in service module:45 — incompatible return type... ## [HH:MM] Observation The existing codebase uses sync sessions everywhere despite async routes... ## [HH:MM] Blocker Cannot proceed with integration test — database migration missing... ``` ### Step 2: Reference in Later Steps When a later step needs context from an earlier step, read the scratchpad. This is the handoff m