---
name: task-and-input-logging
description: Task lifecycle logging with start/end/status tracking, and user input logging
trigger: "On every user message, log input. On every task start, create task log. On task end, update status."
---

# Task & Input Logging

## Input Logging
- Every user message must be appended to ~/input-logs/YYYY-MM-DD.log
- Format: `[HH:MM:SS] USER: <message_preview_first_200_chars>`
- Create the daily log file if it doesn't exist
- Append, never overwrite

## Task Logging
- Every task (including subtasks from delegate_task, cron jobs, or multi-step workflows) gets a log entry
- Task log files live in ~/task-logs/
- Naming: ~/task-logs/YYYY-MM-DD_HHMMSS_<short_task_name>.log
- Each task log contains:
  ```
  Task: <task description>
  Started: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS
  Status: running -> completed | failed | cancelled
  Ended: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS (when done)
  ---
  [Progress notes, key decisions, file paths, errors]
  ```

## Non-Negotiable Rules

1. **Log EVERY user input** — no exceptions, even if you're in the middle of a task. Append to `~/input-logs/YYYYMMDD_inputs.log` before doing anything else.
2. **Never let user input interrupt a running task** — if a background process, delegate_task, or long-running command is active, the user's new message does NOT cancel it. Log the input, note the task switch, and decide whether to interleave or queue the new request.
3. **Every task gets a log file** — start time, end time, and status must be visible. If the logging capability is missing, create it first (write the script, create the directories) before proceeding with the primary task.

## Workflow

## Helper Script
Use `~/.hermes/scripts/log_helper.py` for programmatic logging:
```bash
python3 ~/.hermes/scripts/log_helper.py input "user message text"
python3 ~/.hermes/scripts/log_helper.py start "task description"
python3 ~/.hermes/scripts/log_helper.py end <logfile_name> completed "summary"
python3 ~/.hermes/scripts/log_helper.py update <logfile_name> status "message"
python3 ~/.hermes/scripts/log_helper.py list
```

## Summary Index
- Maintain ~/task-logs/INDEX.md with a table of all tasks:
  | Date | Task | Started | Ended | Status |
  |------|------|---------|-------|--------|

## Verification
- After logging, verify the file was written (cat last 3 lines)
- If logging fails, note it in memory but continue with the primary task