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Summary

The journal is the framework's memory and the evidence base for every rule amendment. Three append-only logs, each in a machine-readable JSONL record-per-line form plus a daily markdown narrative. The JSONL schemas are frozen at v0 for the fields v0 defined: existing fields never change meaning. v1 is additive (new fields only, records carry their version); early v0 history stays processable forever. Canonical unit note: the term-structure variable is the VIX/VIX3M ratio (vix_term_ratio, >1 backwardation / <1 contango) — v0's vix_term_slope name is retired to avoid ratio/difference ambiguity.

Schema v0 — Regime Journal (regime.jsonl)

{"v":0, "date":"YYYY-MM-DD", "vix":20.1, "vix_term_ratio":0.89,
 "vrp_sign":"pos", "rv_percentile":62,
 "regime_label":"calm-contango-vrp+", "transition":false,
 "data_missing":false, "notes":"..."}

Schema v0 — Decision Log (decisions.jsonl)

{"v":1, "date":"YYYY-MM-DD", "candidate":"condor-4500/4400",
 "gates":{"fit":"pass","ev":"pass","risk":"pass","approval":"pending"},
 "verdict":"proposed|approved|rejected|watchlist|deferred|dismissed",
 "mapping_version":"v0", "risk_version":"v0",
 "precedent_refs":["2026-09-02:condor-..."],
 "amendment_id":null, "ev_receipt_ref":"references/receipts/YYYY-MM-DD-condor.json",
 "inbox_resolutions":["2026-09-09-cpi-preview"],
 "reason":"..."}
Schema v0 records (day-1) remain valid history; **v1 is additive**: `mapping_version`/`risk_version` tie each decision to the exact rule version, `precedent_refs` make the consistency check machine-checkable, `verdict` gains the watchlist/deferred/dismissed states, and amendment records carry `amendment_id`. v0 records lack these fields by definition.

Schema v0 — Outcome Log (outcomes.jsonl)

{"v":1, "date":"YYYY-MM-DD", "playbook_id":"2026-09-09-<slug>",
 "realized_pnl": -120.0, "ev_predicted": -95.0, "edge_predicted": -5.75,
 "predicted_direction":"short-vol-loss", "realized_direction":"short-vol-loss",
 "slippage_note":"...", "regime_label_at_entry":"calm-contango",
 "mapping_version":"v0", "lesson":"..." }
The outcome log — not the playbook — is the append-only source of truth for results. Filed playbooks are immutable; they link to outcome records.

Rules

  1. Append-only: records are never edited; corrections are new records with corrects: <date+key>, filed in decisions.jsonl whichever log they correct. Key forms: YYYY-MM-DD:<candidate> for a decision record, YYYY-MM-DD:regime for a regime record. A correction MAY carry corrected: {field: value} — the replacement values in machine-readable form (additive v1 field), so that precedent lookups can overlay corrections instead of reading them out of prose.
  2. Every inbox item resolves into the decision log (including "no action, because X") — the anti-hoarding rule from the learning function.
  3. EV receipts are filed under references/receipts/YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.json and referenced, never inlined.
  4. Amendments to the regime→strategy mapping and risk posture tables cite ≥3 concordant records (the concordance quorum); the mapping concept carries a version table linking the amendment notes.
  5. Regime records (additive v1, 2026-09-17) carry raw_label (today's computed label), confirmed_label (after hysteresis) and transition_reason (pending-confirmation | cooling-off day k/N | null) beside regime_label, so no consumer has to parse the transition string, and forecast_window_end (the last close in the HAR input) so each input's as-of is auditable. The snapshot is idempotent: a record identical to one already journaled for its date is not appended again; a changed observation (e.g. a fail-closed run followed by a successful re-run) is. For any date, the last record is authoritative.
  6. No stale_after on journal records — they are history, not claims. (Inbox items keep their staleness discipline.)

Directory Layout

  • YYYY-MM-DD.md — the day's narrative (one file per day, the human-readable journal)
  • regime.jsonl, decisions.jsonl, outcomes.jsonl — the machine-readable logs
  • references/receipts/ (in the wiki references/ tree) — filed EV receipts

Links

References