Signal Capture (Kindling)
Kindling is the capture capability in the memory system. It records useful development observations at the moment they occur.
Why this capability matters
- Prevents knowledge loss between sessions
- Reduces repeated debugging and rediscovery
- Creates evidence for later review and promotion
What good capture looks like
Capture entries that can help someone else act faster later:
- Root causes and failure modes
- Constraints and non-obvious behaviour
- Architectural decisions with rationale
- Operational gotchas and workarounds
Capture quality rules
- Write what happened, not just that something was "broken"
- Include context (component, API, command, environment)
- Keep one observation per entry for easier reuse
Example
kindling observe "Webhook validation fails if request body is parsed before signature check"
This is high-signal because it includes the trigger and the consequence.
How it connects to the rest of the system
- Captured observations feed candidate review in Ember.
- Reviewed candidates become canonical memory in Edda.
- Provenance chain stays intact across layers.
Operating contract
- Inputs: Live development observations, debugging outcomes, non-obvious constraints
- Decision point: Is this worth preserving for future reuse?
- Outputs: Structured, searchable observations with context
- Evidence: Timestamped capture record linked to session context
Current role in adoption
If you adopt only one part of the system first, start here. Capture delivers immediate value with minimal process change.