INTO Consulting / Operating Layer

Update Ledger And Closeout

A human-readable and machine-addressable protocol for tracking brand-system updates, checking cross-area changes, and closing every work session with durable state.

Stale Context Is A Design Risk

The update system records rule changes so future agents can see what changed since a work area last left off.

Use the ledger before editing decks, docs, color, typography, buttons, metrics, cards, media specs, templates, or operating files. The goal is not project management theater. The goal is to prevent a later task from missing a rule that was decided elsewhere.

example-update-agent-rule

Agent Rule

Before changing a work area, run the update check for that area. Before claiming done, append a closed ledger entry and update only the cursors that incorporated the work.

The Ledger Is Append-Only

updates/update-log.json is the machine-readable history of closed brand-system changes.

Field	Rule
`id`	Stable update identifier. Use it in cursors, handoffs, and targeted feedback.
`status`	Use `closed` for completed work. Paused entries can exist, but do not count as done.
`areasChanged`	Areas directly modified by the work.
`appliesTo`	Areas that must review the update before future work, even if their files were not edited.
`filesChanged`	Concrete files to inspect when checking the update.
`decisions`, `checks`, `next`	Durable decisions, validation evidence, and next baton notes.

Cursors Mark Where Areas Left Off

updates/area-cursors.json records the last ledger entry each work area has incorporated.

Area, Not Person

A cursor belongs to a workstream such as google-slides, buttons, or tokens-color, not to one agent.

No Premature Advance

Advance a cursor only after that area has incorporated the update. Do not move every cursor just because a session closed.

Cross-Area Awareness

An update can apply to areas it did not edit. Color, delta, and containment rules apply across decks, docs, social, newsletter, and templates.

Stable Area IDs

Use the IDs listed in updates/update-protocol.md. Add new area IDs only with a decision entry.

Start By Checking Unseen Updates

The first step for any focused work area is a ledger check.

python3 scripts/check-updates.py --area google-slides

Read every returned entry, inspect the changed files, and carry forward any rule that applies to the target work. If no entries return, continue with the normal canonical read order.

Closed Means Durable

A conversation is not closed until the update log and operating files explain what changed, what passed, and where the next agent starts.

Append a closed entry to updates/update-log.json.
Advance only the area cursors that incorporated the work.
Update decisions.md for durable decisions.
Update tasks.md for remaining work.
Update handoff.md with the current baton.
Update evals.md with checks run and gaps.
Confirm routing in the manifest and context index for any new file.

Use Scripts To Avoid Drift

The helper scripts keep the ledger and cursor files structurally valid.

Validate

python3 scripts/close-session.py --validate-only

List Updates

python3 scripts/check-updates.py --area buttons

Draft Closeout

python3 scripts/close-session.py --dry-run ...

Advance Cursor

python3 scripts/check-updates.py --area google-slides --mark-read only after the area incorporates the update.