ver 1.5.0 — six-improvement pass: retention, routing, self-firing memory

1. capture-update keeps the whole body (was truncating to first line)
2. frontmatter completeness: kind-default status + kind-seeded tags at
   capture, fm create-or-replace, incomplete-frontmatter lint, sweep
   backfill (one data source: KIND_STATUS/KIND_REQUIRED_FM)
3. pre-write duplicate gate (exit 76, --merge-into/--force)
4. recall corpus + ranking: sessions/journal indexed (down-weighted),
   BM25 x freshness x status fusion, recall --json, index schema 2
5. session hooks: SessionStart auto-load, Stop reflection nudge
6. one-tap triage verb with processing-log audit; --json on read verbs

+22 mock end-to-end tests; all suites green. Docs current (README,
CHANGELOG, SKILL.md, commands, references, MAINTENANCE, eval README).
Drops tracked .DS_Store (gitignored); retires README-gretchen.md
(moved to gitignored dist/); adds the field report that drove item 2.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

echo-memory.plugin.src/skills/echo-memory/SKILL.md

@@ -80,16 +80,18 @@ python3 "$ECHO" lock   <session-id>  ;  python3 "$ECHO" unlock <session-id>
 These collapse the multi-step write/recall discipline into one call each, backed by the **entity index** (`_agent/index/entities.json`, a slug→{path,kind,title,aliases} registry). **Default to them** — they are how this skill reduces the input needed to route and cross-link memory:
 
 ```bash
-python3 "$ECHO" capture "<title>" <bodyfile> --kind <kind> [--aliases a,b] [--source p1,p2] [--status s] [--date YYYY-MM-DD] [--domain business]
+python3 "$ECHO" capture "<title>" <bodyfile> --kind <kind> [--aliases a,b] [--tags t1,t2] [--source p1,p2] [--status s] [--date YYYY-MM-DD] [--domain business]
 python3 "$ECHO" capture "<title>" --inbox            # unknown home -> idempotent inbox line
 python3 "$ECHO" resolve "<mention>"                  # mention -> canonical path (or where to create)
-python3 "$ECHO" recall  "<query>"                    # search + 1-hop link/source expansion -> connected context
-python3 "$ECHO" link    <pathA> <pathB>              # add reciprocal [[Related]] links A<->B
+python3 "$ECHO" recall  "<query>" [--json]           # ranked search + 1-hop expansion -> connected context
+python3 "$ECHO" link    <pathA> <pathB> [--json]     # add reciprocal [[Related]] links A<->B
+python3 "$ECHO" triage  --list --json                # structured inbox listing (see Inbox Triage)
 ```
 
-- **`capture` is the default write.** Given a title + `--kind`, it: resolves the entity via the index (create-vs-update, no manual search-first), derives the canonical path, stamps canonical frontmatter (`type/created/updated/aliases/agent_written/source_notes`), updates the index, **auto-links** any known entity mentioned in the body (bidirectionally), and appends today's Agent Log line — one call instead of search→put→bump→log. It also **auto-derives aliases** from the title, **learns the mention as an alias** when updating an entity under a different name, and **warns if the new note resembles an existing entity** (so a shortened name can't silently spawn a duplicate). `--kind` ∈ `person, company, concept, reference, meeting, project, area, semantic, episodic, working, skill, decision`. Use `--inbox` (or omit `--kind`) only when the home is genuinely unknown.
+- **`capture` is the default write.** Given a title + `--kind`, it: resolves the entity via the index (create-vs-update, no manual search-first), derives the canonical path, stamps **complete** canonical frontmatter (`type/status/created/updated/tags/aliases/agent_written/source_notes` — a kind-appropriate default `status` and the kind seeded as a baseline tag, enriched by `--tags`), updates the index, **auto-links** any known entity mentioned in the body (bidirectionally), and appends today's Agent Log line — one call instead of search→put→bump→log. It also **auto-derives aliases** from the title and **learns the mention as an alias** when updating an entity under a different name. Updating an existing entity appends the **whole body** as a dated block (first line on the bullet, the rest indented under it) — nothing is truncated. `--kind` ∈ `person, company, concept, reference, meeting, project, area, semantic, episodic, working, skill, decision`. Use `--inbox` (or omit `--kind`) only when the home is genuinely unknown.
+- **Duplicate gate (create path).** When a new title strongly resembles an existing entity (fuzzy score ≥ 0.6, env `ECHO_DUP_GATE`), `capture` **stops before writing** and exits `76` with the candidate list, instead of creating a near-duplicate and warning afterwards. Resolve it deliberately: `--merge-into <slug>` routes the capture as an update to the existing entity (the new name is learned as an alias), or `--force` creates anyway after you've confirmed they're genuinely distinct. Weak resemblances still create + warn as before.
 - **`resolve` before constructing any path by hand** — it returns the canonical note (matching slug/title/alias, so *Bob/Robert/RS* converge) or, when nothing matches exactly, a ranked list of **`candidates`** (entities sharing a distinctive token — e.g. "echo memory" surfaces the project `echo`). Always check candidates before creating a new note; a shortened name not matching exactly is the classic way a duplicate gets made. This replaces the two-search "search-first" dance for slug-addressed notes.
-- **`recall` for "what do we know about X"** — it returns the matching notes *and* their one-hop neighbourhood (Related links, `source_notes`), so recall surfaces the web around a topic, not an isolated note.
+- **`recall` for "what do we know about X"** — it returns the matching notes *and* their one-hop neighbourhood (Related links, `source_notes`), so recall surfaces the web around a topic, not an isolated note. The corpus covers the entity graph **plus session logs and journal notes** (down-weighted, so entity notes win ties) — past discussions and decisions are findable even when nobody promoted them into an entity note. Ranking fuses BM25 with **freshness** (`updated:` half-life decay) and **status** (`active` boosted, `archived` demoted), and each hit prints its `updated:`/`status:` so staleness is visible. `--json` emits structured hits (`path/score/type/updated/status/excerpt`) instead of prose.
 - **`link`** when two existing notes are related but not yet connected; `capture` already auto-links what it detects.
 
 The index is maintained automatically by `capture`; `sweep.py` rebuilds it and back-fills links for an existing vault (see **Vault Maintenance**).
@@ -112,6 +114,15 @@ Use a stable `<session-id>` for both calls (any unique string for this session).
 
 `/echo-load` (cold-start read), `/echo-save <text>` (route + persist via `capture`), `/echo-recall <query>` (recall a topic's neighbourhood), `/echo-triage` (drain the inbox), `/echo-health` (run the linter), `/echo-sweep` (bring the vault up to current spec), `/echo-reflect` (extract→preview→apply durable items from the session), `/echo-doctor` (readiness check: config, reachability, auth, bootstrap/schema). These are explicit entry points to the procedures below.
 
+### Session hooks (self-firing load & reflect)
+
+The plugin ships `hooks/hooks.json`, so the two most drift-prone behaviors no longer depend on remembering them:
+
+- **SessionStart** runs `echo.py load` and injects the output as context — cold-start loading is deterministic. Still do the **reconcile** (inbox depth, scope confirm) on that injected context before working.
+- **Stop** fires **once per substantive session** when nothing has been reflected or session-logged yet: it blocks with a reminder to run the `/echo-reflect` flow and write the session log + heartbeat. Reflection still previews and asks the operator before writing — the hook only ensures the question gets asked. If nothing durable emerged, just finish; never invent memories to satisfy the nudge.
+
+If the hooks are disabled or unavailable, the manual procedures below are unchanged and still authoritative.
+
 ## Operating Contract & Safety
 
 The vault is the **system of record** for long-term memory, not a scratchpad. Default to **additive updates, explicit status changes, and traceable summaries**. Keep agent-managed content (`agent_written: true` + `source_notes`) separable from human-authored content. Non-negotiable safety rules:
@@ -159,22 +170,25 @@ python3 "$ECHO" recall "<topic or title>"   # the matching notes AND their one-h
 
 Do NOT narrate this loading. Reading memory is expected behavior.
 
-## Inbox Triage
+## Inbox Triage (one-tap: `echo.py triage`)
 
 `inbox/captures/inbox.md` is the catch-all for "save this somewhere — figure out where later." Without triage it grows forever and durable facts get stranded there.
 
-At the start of a substantive session, GET `inbox/captures/inbox.md`. If it contains lines older than ~7 days that haven't been routed elsewhere, surface them once:
+At the start of a substantive session, check the inbox. If it holds lines older than ~7 days that haven't been routed elsewhere, surface them once:
 
 > "Three captures from last week are still in the inbox — want to route them now or leave them?"
 
-When routing accepted items, send each to its proper home:
+**The triage verb does the mechanical work** — it reuses the reflect pipeline (classify against the entity index → preview → apply via `capture`) and writes the processing-log audit line for every move:
 
-- Preference / pattern → PATCH-append under `operator-preferences.md::Observations`
-- Project idea → PUT `projects/incubating/<slug>.md`
-- Durable fact → PUT `_agent/memory/semantic/<slug>.md`
-- Person fact → PUT/PATCH `resources/people/<name>.md`
+```bash
+python3 "$ECHO" triage --list --json      # structured captures: {line, date, text, age_days}
+# decide a kind/title per accepted item, write a proposals JSON (reflect schema +
+# optional "line": the original inbox line, echoed into the audit log), then:
+python3 "$ECHO" triage proposals.json             # dry-run: classify + preview, writes nothing
+python3 "$ECHO" triage proposals.json --apply     # route via capture + log each move
+```
 
-Then record the move in `inbox/processing-log/YYYY-MM-DD.md` (one line per item: `- <original line> → <destination path>`). Don't delete the original capture unless the operator explicitly asks — the processing log is the audit trail.
+Routing targets are the usual homes (preference/pattern → `operator-preferences.md::Observations` via a `semantic` proposal or a direct PATCH; project idea → `project` with `--status incubating`; durable fact → `semantic`; person fact → `person`). `--apply` records each move in `inbox/processing-log/YYYY-MM-DD.md` (`- <original line> → <destination path>`) automatically. Originals are **never deleted** unless the operator explicitly asks — the processing log is the audit trail.
 
 ## Project Lifecycle
 
@@ -247,6 +261,9 @@ python3 "$ECHO" put projects/active/<slug>.md <bodyfile>
 
 # frontmatter freshness after a SUBSTANTIVE change (status/decision/scope) — NOT routine log appends
 ECHO_TODAY=<currentDate> python3 "$ECHO" bump projects/active/<slug>.md   # sets updated: to today
+# fm is CREATE-or-replace: a key the note lacks is inserted surgically (nothing else
+# in the file is touched), so repairing a note missing `status:` is one call:
+python3 "$ECHO" fm <path> status active
 
 # search (run before creating any slug-addressed note — see the search-first rule above)
 python3 "$ECHO" search <terms...>
@@ -311,10 +328,11 @@ Exit codes: `0` clean · `1` violations · `2` unreachable · `3` not bootstrapp
 7. **Unknown / retired paths** — any vault file that matches no route in `scripts/routing.json` (or sits at a retired path).
 8. **Frontmatter integrity** — missing required fields, `updated` < `created`, future `updated`, and `[[wikilinks]]` leaking into `source_notes`.
 9. **Graph health** — **broken wikilinks** (`[[X]]` resolving to no note), **orphans** (an entity note with no inbound links and an empty `## Related`), and **index drift** (entity-index entries whose file is gone, or indexable notes missing from `entities.json` — fix with `sweep.py`).
+10. **Incomplete entity frontmatter** — entity notes missing or empty `status:`/`tags:` per the kind-scoped requirement map (`KIND_REQUIRED_FM` in `echo_index.py`; journal/session notes are exempt). `capture` now stamps these at write time; `sweep.py --apply` backfills older notes (kind-default status + the kind as a baseline tag).
 
 ## Vault Maintenance — `sweep.py` (bring the vault up to spec)
 
-After a plugin upgrade, run the sweep once to back-fill what older vaults lack — it (1) creates `_agent/index/`, (2) **rebuilds the entity index** from the notes already present, (3) **symmetrizes cross-links** (for every `## Related` A→B, adds the missing B→A; it never invents new links from body text), and (4) stamps the marker `schema_version` to current. Dry-run by default:
+After a plugin upgrade, run the sweep once to back-fill what older vaults lack — it (1) creates `_agent/index/`, (2) **rebuilds the entity index** from the notes already present (and the recall index, now spanning entities + sessions/journal), (3) **backfills incomplete entity frontmatter** (kind-default `status`, the kind as a baseline tag — what `/echo-health` flags as `incomplete-frontmatter`), (4) **symmetrizes cross-links** (for every `## Related` A→B, adds the missing B→A; it never invents new links from body text), and (5) stamps the marker `schema_version` to current. Dry-run by default:
 
 ```bash
 SWEEP="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/echo-memory/scripts/sweep.py"