# Tincan
Tincan keeps important development memory in repository-local Markdown. It
helps developers and agents preserve context across sessions without recording
every action.
- **Journal:** meaningful progress, open questions, and next steps.
- **Decision:** an accepted choice that should guide future work.
- **Learning:** an evidence-supported conclusion worth reusing.
## Install
Tincan requires Git and Rust 1.85 or newer.
```powershell
cargo install tincan-cli
tincan skill install
```
The skill installer detects supported user-wide agent harnesses and asks where
to install the bundled skill. Use `--path <skills-directory>` for another
location and `--force` to update an existing installation.
From a source checkout, use `cargo install --path .`.
## Quick start
```powershell
tincan init C:\path\to\project
cd C:\path\to\project
tincan journal `
--done "Implemented the compact gallery read model" `
--question "Should adjacent details be preloaded?" `
--next "Add the stale-response regression test"
tincan decide "Load full media details on demand" --file app/page.tsx
tincan learn "Paging did not reduce rendering work" `
--file app/page.tsx `
--evidence "Release-build trace"
tincan resume
tincan search "gallery"
tincan show 019c4ea8-7e42-7b31-a211-8df9357d747c
tincan summary
tincan check
```
Commands use the current directory by default. Pass `-d <path>` or
`--directory <path>` to target another directory.
## Storage
```text
.tincan/
├── config.toml
├── decisions/
├── learnings/
├── journal/
└── AGENT_GUIDE.md
```
Tincan keeps `.tincan/` out of normal Git tracking through the repository's
local exclude file. Markdown is canonical. `decide` and `learn` create
UUID-named files with validated frontmatter; developers and agents can add
detail directly to their Markdown bodies.
See [the user guide](docs/USER_GUIDE.md) or run `tincan --help` for command
details.