workflow-modes.md

Workflow Modes

Detailed workflow preset comparison moved from README.md.

Presets

Preset	triggerMode	captureMode	autoApproveSafeCandidates
ultra-safe-manual	manual	direct	false
recommended-semi-auto	detect	candidate	false
automation-first	detect	candidate	true

Axis Definitions

• triggerMode
  • manual: extraction only via explicit CLI calls
  • detect: hooks and brain capture auto-detect extraction opportunities
• captureMode
  • direct: accepted memory becomes active immediately
  • candidate: new memory starts reviewable as candidate
  • reviewable: candidate-like mode that also defers merge/supersede decisions
• autoApproveSafeCandidates
  • enables strict safe auto-promotion path when true

Recommended Default Loop

recommended-semi-auto is the default for most repositories:

1. first conversation in session: brain start (or brain inject as fallback)
2. fresh conversation later in same session: brain conversation-start
3. session end: extract to candidate queue
4. review: brain review
5. quick pass: brain approve --safe
6. edge cases: brain approve <id>
7. hygiene: brain score and brain sweep --dry-run

Safe Auto-Approve Rules

Auto-promotion applies only when all checks pass:

• reviewer decision is accept with reason novel_memory
• type is not working
• content is not temporary/noise
• no merge/supersede/reject signals

Otherwise, the item remains for manual review.

Mode Selection Guidance

• Choose ultra-safe-manual for strict human-controlled repos
• Choose recommended-semi-auto for balanced everyday usage
• Choose automation-first only when team quality gates and review discipline are stable

Useful Commands

brain init --workflow recommended-semi-auto
brain setup --workflow recommended-semi-auto
brain setup --workflow ultra-safe-manual
brain setup --workflow automation-first
brain promote-candidates --dry-run