Archive session learnings, debugging solutions, and deployment logs to .archive/yyyy-mm-dd/ as indexed markdown with searchable tags. Use when completing a significant task, resolving a tricky bug, deploying, or when the user says \"archive this\". Maintains .archive/MEMORY.md index for cross-session knowledge reuse.
Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.
Are you the author of Archive?
Add the live security badge to your README. It updates with every re-scan.
[](https://www.skillsdirectory.com/skills/resciencelab-archive)
---
name: archive
description: "Archive session learnings, debugging solutions, and deployment logs to .archive/yyyy-mm-dd/ as indexed markdown with searchable tags. Use when completing a significant task, resolving a tricky bug, deploying, or when the user says \"archive this\". Maintains .archive/MEMORY.md index for cross-session knowledge reuse."
---
# Archive Skill
Capture, index, and reuse project knowledge across sessions.
## When to Archive
- After completing a significant task (deploy, migration, major feature)
- After resolving a tricky debugging session
- When the user says "archive this"
- After any multi-step process with learnings worth preserving
## When to Consult Archives
- Before debugging infrastructure, deploy, or CI issues
- Before repeating a process done in a past session
- When encountering an error that may have been solved before
**Search**: `grep -ri "keyword" .archive/`
**Index**: `.archive/MEMORY.md`
## Archive Workflow
1. Read `.archive/MEMORY.md` — check for related existing archives
2. Create `.archive/YYYY-MM-DD/` directory if needed
3. Write markdown file with YAML frontmatter (see `references/TEMPLATE.md`)
4. **Update `.archive/MEMORY.md`**: add one-line entry under the right category
5. If related archives exist, add `related` field in frontmatter
## Lookup Workflow
1. Read `.archive/MEMORY.md` to find relevant entries
2. Read the specific archive file for detailed context
3. Apply learnings to current task
## Categories
- **infrastructure** — AWS, ECS, IAM, networking, secrets, CloudWatch
- **release** — TestFlight, versioning, Git Flow, CHANGELOG
- **debugging** — Bug fixes, error resolution, gotchas
- **feature** — Feature design, implementation notes
- **design** — UI/UX, icons, visual design
## Rules
- `.archive/` must be in `.gitignore` — local-only notes
- Keep entries concise but reproducible
- Focus on **problems, fixes, and exact commands**
- Always update MEMORY.md after creating an archive
- Use descriptive filenames (e.g., `cloudwatch-logging.md` not `session.md`)
- Include YAML frontmatter with `tags`, `category`, and optional `related`
