Topics

A topic is a short thread of work: a launch, an investigation, a disputed question. It has a beginning and an end. That is what separates it from the files in context/, which are never closed.

Open a topic

1. Ask why the topic is being opened and how you will know it can be closed. Without the second answer, don't create it — otherwise it stays open forever.

2. Create topics/YYYY-MM-DD-name.md:

   ---
   type: topic
   date: 2026-09-19
   source: calls/2026-09-19-sync.md
   status: active
   ---

3. Fill in the sections:
   • Why it was opened — with a link to the source.
   • What closes it — a checkable condition.
   • Already decided — links to decisions/.
   • In progress — links to specs/.
   • Open questions — each with an owner.
   • Log — dates and what happened, oldest first.
4. Add a line to index.md, section "Current work".

Show what is in work

1. Read index.md and every file in topics/ with status: active.
2. For each topic show: why it was opened, what closes it, what is still open.
3. Name the topics whose last Log entry is older than a month. Ask whether they are still alive or ready to close.

Close a topic

1. Ask whether the condition under "What closes it" has been met.
2. Don't delete the file. Set status: done and update date to the closing date.
3. Write the "How it ended" section and the final Log line.
4. If anything was left out of scope, name it explicitly. Either open a new topic or mark it TBD.
5. In index.md, move the line from "Current work" to "Closed topics".

Rules

• Never open a topic without a closing condition.
• Never present a closed topic as current work.
• Whatever goes into a topic must cite a source.
• Don't write a long-lived fact into a topic. It belongs in context/.