---
id: AGENTIC-WP-0004
type: workplan
title: "Coding Session Memory — Phase 2 (Curate: review workflow + Pattern Catalog)"
domain: helix_forge
repo: agentic-resources
status: finished
owner: codex
topic_slug: helix-forge
created: "2026-06-06"
updated: "2026-06-07"
state_hub_workstream_id: "b3703684-f60e-42f3-b03e-dabe3e8ce3f4"
---

# Coding Session Memory — Phase 2 (Curate)

Implements the **Curate** phase (PRD §6.3, FR-U1–FR-U4) of
[PRD-helix-forge](../docs/PRD-helix-forge.md), continuing
[AGENTIC-WP-0003](AGENTIC-WP-0003-session-memory-phase1.md) (Detect).

Phase 1 surfaces ranked **candidate** problem/success patterns with evidence
(`python -m session_memory.detect --json`, persisted to the Tier 2 `patterns`
table by `detect/cluster.py::Pattern`). Phase 2 turns those candidates into
**reviewed, versioned Solution Patterns** held in an in-repo **Pattern Catalog**
— the source of truth that Phase 3 (Distribute) renders into per-flavor artifacts.

Design boundary (ADR-001 / PRD §9): the catalog is **files-first** — solution
patterns originate as versioned files in this repo; the State Hub indexes them and
records each promote/reject as an auditable decision. The agnostic core stays
flavor-neutral; per-flavor knowledge lives only in **rendering hints** consumed
later by distributor adapters (PRD §6.4 / FR-A2). New code lands under a new
`session_memory/curate/` package, mirroring the `detect/` layout from Phase 1.

Relevant design open questions this phase resolves: **OQ4** (one agnostic
representation that still gives distributors enough to render natively), **OQ5**
(minimum trustworthy evidence bar before a pattern is distribution-eligible),
**OQ6** (preventing pattern bloat / context-budget degradation).

## Solution Pattern Schema + Per-Flavor Rendering Hints

```task
id: AGENTIC-WP-0004-T01
status: done
priority: high
state_hub_task_id: "c6d20bb6-7b6c-48fd-bd25-30a349514f41"
```

Define the agnostic **Solution Pattern** artifact (FR-U2, OQ4) in
`session_memory/curate/schema.py`: stable id, name, semantic `version`, problem
description, one or more recommended resolutions, applicability scope
(repos/domains/flavors), provenance (source candidate `key` + an evidence
snapshot copied from the detect `Pattern`), and **per-flavor rendering hints**
kept in a separate sub-structure so the core stays flavor-agnostic while
distributors get enough to render high-quality native artifacts. Dataclass +
deterministic serialization (sorted keys), reusing the `Pattern.to_dict()`
contract for the embedded evidence. Unit-tested for round-trip stability.

## Versioned Pattern Catalog Store (files-first)

```task
id: AGENTIC-WP-0004-T02
status: done
priority: high
state_hub_task_id: "d40c7810-fd1e-4b14-8577-b8a64ddd337b"
```

Implement the in-repo **Pattern Catalog** as the source of truth (FR-U3, ADR-001)
in `session_memory/curate/catalog.py`: versioned solution-pattern files under a
catalog dir (e.g. `session_memory/catalog/<pattern-id>.json`), stable IDs, a
version bump on edit (supersede-in-place with history preserved), and
load/save/list with **dedup on pattern identity** (the source candidate key).
Files originate work; the hub indexes them. Verify save→load is lossless and
re-saving an unchanged pattern is a no-op (no spurious version bump).

## Review Workflow (discuss / approve / reject → promote)

```task
id: AGENTIC-WP-0004-T03
status: done
priority: high
state_hub_task_id: "e303d01f-564e-4499-9ce5-22cf959ed84c"
```

Implement the curation workflow (FR-U1/FR-U2) in
`session_memory/curate/review.py`: load Phase 1 detect candidates with their
evidence (cross-flavor first), present each candidate, accept a
**discuss/approve/reject** action, and on **approve** promote the candidate into
a Solution Pattern written to the catalog (T02) with default rendering-hint
stubs the reviewer can refine. Re-review is **idempotent**: candidates already
promoted are matched on source key and updated in place, never duplicated; a
prior reject is remembered so it is not re-surfaced unless evidence changed.

## Promotion Evidence-Bar + Bloat Guard

```task
id: AGENTIC-WP-0004-T04
status: done
priority: medium
state_hub_task_id: "d474425d-18af-48e4-8f5b-7716b2da0057"
```

Gate promotion on a **minimum trustworthy evidence threshold** (OQ5):
configurable floors on `frequency`, distinct supporting sessions, and — for
*distribution-eligible* patterns — `cross_flavor` and/or a `cost_impact` floor.
Candidates below the bar can be cataloged as `provisional` but not marked
distribution-ready. Add a **bloat guard** (OQ6): flag low-value or
near-duplicate patterns (same locus/signal-type already cataloged) so the
catalog stays lean and agent context budgets are protected. Knobs live in
`config.toml` alongside the existing retention/detect settings.

## State Hub Decision Integration

```task
id: AGENTIC-WP-0004-T05
status: done
priority: medium
state_hub_task_id: "449f12d4-fae0-450d-873f-143b3a570b5a"
```

Record every promote/reject as an **auditable hub decision** (FR-U4) via the
decision API (`record_decision` / `resolve_decision`), capturing rationale, the
source candidate key, and the evidence snapshot. **Degrade gracefully** when the
hub API is down — queue decisions locally and sync later (mirrors Phase 1's
after-the-fact status sync, recorded in the milestone for `055713a`). Keep the
hub a read model: the catalog file is the durable artifact; the decision is the
audit trail.

## Curate Entrypoint (`python -m session_memory.curate`)

```task
id: AGENTIC-WP-0004-T06
status: done
priority: medium
state_hub_task_id: "95d7747e-8407-41af-9a60-b919a4ee5e06"
```

Add a `session_memory/curate/__main__.py` entrypoint consuming detect candidates
(ranked cross-flavor first): an **interactive** review mode plus a
**batch/non-interactive** mode (e.g. `--auto-approve` above the evidence bar, for
kaizen-agent review). Emits a **catalog diff summary** (added / version-bumped /
rejected) and machine-readable JSON. Document usage in `session_memory/README.md`
next to the existing `detect` instructions, including the
detect → curate → (Phase 3) distribute flow.

## Tests + Verify Against Live Phase 1 Candidates

```task
id: AGENTIC-WP-0004-T07
status: done
priority: medium
state_hub_task_id: "20407007-0a8b-4999-a470-fa3c84e17eba"
```

Unit tests for schema/catalog/review/gating on synthetic candidates, plus an
**end-to-end** run that promotes at least one **real cross-flavor** candidate from
the live detect output (the Claude+Grok "clean pass" / "abandoned" patterns from
the WP-0003 verification) into the catalog and confirms a hub decision is logged
(or queued if the API is down). Confirm catalog round-trips and versioning is
idempotent on re-run. Refresh design open questions **OQ4/OQ5/OQ6** (PRD §12).
After workplan file updates, notify the custodian operator to run from
`~/state-hub`:

```bash
make fix-consistency REPO=agentic-resources
```

**Verification results (2026-06-07):** full suite 72/72 green (26 new curate
tests across schema/catalog/review/gating/decisions/entrypoint). Live pipeline
over real local sessions: fresh ingest 94→93 → 72 digests; detect surfaced 3
candidates, **2 cross-flavor** (Claude+Grok). `curate --auto-approve` promoted
all 3 into the files-first catalog — `sp-success-clean_pass-outcome` and
`sp-problem-abandoned-outcome` (both cross-flavor, `approved`/`distribution_ready`)
plus `sp-problem-budget_overrun-tokens` (Claude-only). 3 hub decisions queued
(API offline). Re-run was fully idempotent (3 skipped, 0 catalog writes, no
version bump). PRD §12 OQ4/OQ5/OQ6 resolved. The 3 catalog artifacts are
committed as the source of truth; operator runs `make fix-consistency` to index
them in the hub.