Implementation Notes

SkillDocs & knowledge

Capture implementation notes after code implementation and review/fix. Records design decisions, deviations, tradeoffs, and open questions to docs/issue#XXXX.html. Triggers on: /note-it, 记录笔记, implementation notes.

Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.

No other account needed.

Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.

Then ask your AI: use the Implementation Notes skill

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by smallnest/goal-workflow in skills/note-it/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.

After completing implementation and review/fix for an Issue, capture a running implementation notes file that documents how the implementation diverges from or interprets the spec.

Triggers

Use when:

After /goal implementation and /review-it are both complete
User says "记录笔记", "implementation notes", "note-it", "/note-it"
Before /ship-it (as a final checkpoint)
Any time the user wants to capture design rationale

The Job

Determine the Issue number from context (branch name, /goal target, or user input)
Review the implementation against the Issue spec / PRD
Generate an HTML notes file at docs/issue#XXXX.html
Present a summary to the user

Notes Structure

The HTML file must cover these four categories. If a category has nothing to report, write "None" with a brief explanation.

1. Design Decisions

Choices made where the spec was ambiguous or silent:

What was the ambiguity?
What choice did you make?
What was the rationale?

2. Deviations

Places where you intentionally departed from the spec:

What did the spec say?
What did you implement instead?
Why was the deviation necessary or better?

3. Tradeoffs

Alternatives you considered and why you picked what you did:

What were the viable alternatives?
What were the pros/cons of each?
Why did the chosen approach win?

4. Open Questions

Anything you'd want confirmed or revised:

What assumption are you unsure about?
What should the user verify?
What might need follow-up?

Output

Format: HTML
Location: docs/
Filename: issue#XXXX.html (where XXXX is the zero-padded Issue number, e.g., issue#0042.html)

HTML Template

Use this exact HTML structure:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Implementation Notes — Issue #XXXX</title>
  <style>
    * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; }
    body {
      font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;
      background: #FAF9F6;
      color: #1a1a1a;
      padding: 2.5rem 2rem;
      line-height: 1.7;
    }
    .container { max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; }
    h1 { font-size: 1.375rem; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 0.25rem; }
    .meta { color: #8B8680; font-size: 0.8125rem; margin-bottom: 2rem; }
    h2 {
      font-size: 1rem;
      font-weight: 600;
      margin-top: 2rem;
      margin-bottom: 0.75rem;
      padding-bottom: 0.375rem;
      border-bottom: 1px solid #E8E4DE;
      display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.5rem;
    }
    .dot {
      width: 8px; height: 8px; border-radius: 50%; display: inline-block;
    }
    .dot.design { background: #5B8A72; }
    .dot.deviation { background: #D97757; }
    .dot.tradeoff { background: #4A6FA5; }
    .dot.question { background: #D4A843; }
    .item {
      background: #FFFFFF;
      border: 1px solid #E8E4DE;
      border-radius: 8px;
      padding: 1rem 1.25rem;
      margin-bottom: 0.75rem;
      box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.03);
    }
    .item h3 { font-size: 0.875rem; font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 0.375rem; }
    .item p { font-size: 0.8125rem; color: #4A4540; margin-bottom: 0.375rem; }
    .label {
      display: inline-block;
      font-size: 0.6875rem;
      font-weight: 500;
      padding: 0.125rem 0.5rem;
      border-radius: 4px;
      margin-right: 0.375rem;
    }
    .label-design { background: #F5F8F6; color: #5B8A72; border: 1px solid #5B8A72; }
    .label-deviation { background: #FFF5F0; color: #D97757; border: 1px solid #D97757; }
    .label-tradeoff { background: #F0F4F8; color: #4A6FA5; border: 1px solid #4A6FA5; }
    .label-question { background: #FDF8F0; color: #D4A843; border: 1px solid #D4A843; }
    .none { color: #B0AAA4; font-style: italic; font-size: 0.8125rem; }
    .footer {
      text-align: center; margin-top: 2.5rem; color: #B0AAA4;
      font-size: 0.6875rem;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <div class="container">
    <h1>Implementation Notes</h1>
    <p class="meta">Issue <a href="{{ISSUE_URL}}">#{{ISSUE_NUMBER}}</a> &mdash; {{ISSUE_TITLE}} &mdash; {{DATE}}</p>

    <h2><span class="dot design"></span> Design Decisions</h2>
    <!-- One .item per decision, or .none if none -->

    <h2><span class="dot deviation"></span> Deviations</h2>
    <!-- One .item per deviation, or .none if none -->

    <h2><span class="dot tradeoff"></span> Tradeoffs</h2>
    <!-- One .item per tradeoff, or .none if none -->

    <h2><span class="dot question"></span> Open Questions</h2>
    <!-- One .item per question, or .none if none -->

    <p class="footer">Generated by goal-workflow /note-it</p>
  </div>
</body>
</html>

Example Item

<div class="item">
  <h3><span class="label label-design">Decision</span> Used interface-based polymorphism instead of switch</h3>
  <p><strong>Ambiguity:</strong> The spec said "handle different types" without specifying how.</p>
  <p><strong>Choice:</strong> Defined a <code>Handler</code> interface with per-type implementations.</p>
  <p><strong>Rationale:</strong> Adding new types requires no changes to existing code (Open/Closed Principle). A switch would grow unboundedly.</p>
</div>

How to Determine the Issue Number

If the user provides it directly (e.g., /note-it #42), use it
If on a branch named feat/issue-42-* or fix/issue-42-*, extract 42
If the last /goal target was #42, use 42
Otherwise, ask the user: "Which Issue number should I use for the notes file?"

Edge Cases

Scenario	Handling
No Issue number found	Ask the user to specify
`docs/` directory does not exist	Auto-create it
Notes file already exists for this Issue	Ask: "Update existing notes or overwrite?" — default to update (append new items)
No deviations or open questions	Write "None — implementation followed the spec as written."
Spec/PRD file not found	Note in Open Questions: "No PRD found at tasks/prd-*.md — verify against original requirements."

Checklist

Before saving:

Issue number identified
All four categories reviewed (even if some are "None")
Design decisions explain rationale, not just what was done
Deviations clearly contrast spec vs implementation
Tradeoffs mention specific alternatives considered
Open questions are actionable (user can answer yes/no or give direction)
HTML is well-formed and renders correctly

Signals

GitHub stars: 277
Forks: 42
Last commit: Sep 2026

Advanced

Catalog kind: skill
Gateway key: note-it
Source: github.com/smallnest/goal-workflow

github.com/smallnest/goal-workflow

More in Docs & knowledge

canvas-design
Skill · anthropics doc-coauthoring
Skill · anthropics theme-factory
Skill · anthropics agent-architecture-audit
Skill · affaan-m brand-voice
Skill · affaan-m ck
Skill · affaan-m