Thin local founder assistant for an HP lab workflow.
Design goals:
- Python CLI project.
- File-based memory first (no SQLite).
- Markdown for durable records, JSONL for append-only logs.
- Advisory only; no external write actions.
- Startup founder workflow focus (initiatives, commitments, decisions, execution rhythm).
- Simple architecture that is easy to inspect from terminal.
- Entities:
initiatives,people,decisions,commitments,artifacts,daily_notes,weekly_reviews - Note capture normalization from messy founder notes into structured updates
- Daily brief generation
- Weekly review generation
- CLI commands:
add-noteadd-decisionshow-prioritiesshow-commitmentsaskclose-commitmentdefer-commitmentredate-commitmentset-initiative-statusdaily-briefweekly-review
From project root:
python -m founder_assistant.cli --helpOptional editable install:
pip install -e .
founder-assistant --helpCapture messy founder notes:
python -m founder_assistant.cli \
--memory-root ./memory \
add-note \
--date 2026-03-27 \
--text "initiative: Growth Engine
Met with @sara
TODO call 5 design partners by Friday
Decision: we chose narrower onboarding
Updated PRD draft in Notion"Record a concrete decision:
python -m founder_assistant.cli \
--memory-root ./memory \
add-decision \
--title "Pilot pricing for design partners" \
--context "Need faster signal on willingness to pay" \
--decision "Run one paid pilot tier at $1,500/mo" \
--rationale "Better qualification and clearer ROI conversations" \
--initiative "Growth Engine"Show priorities and commitments:
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory show-priorities
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory show-commitmentsAdvisory fast-lane ask:
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory ask "What matters this week?"
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory ask "What commitments are open?"
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory ask "What decisions are still unresolved?"
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory ask "Summarize initiative Growth Engine"
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory ask "What am I likely forgetting?"Commitment and initiative lifecycle:
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory show-commitments
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory close-commitment --id 20260327T120000-call-users.md --note "done"
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory defer-commitment --id 20260327T120000-call-users.md --until 2026-04-02 --reason "waiting for input"
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory redate-commitment --id 20260327T120000-call-users.md --due-date 2026-04-03
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory set-initiative-status --initiative "Growth Engine" --status pausedGenerate daily brief and weekly review:
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory daily-brief --date 2026-03-27
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory weekly-review --week-ending 2026-03-27Print-only generation (no new files):
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory daily-brief --no-write
python -m founder_assistant.cli --memory-root ./memory weekly-review --no-writememory/
initiatives/
people/
decisions/
commitments/
artifacts/
daily_notes/
weekly_reviews/
logs/events.jsonl
Schema details: docs/memory_schema.md
founder_assistant/storage.py: filesystem schema, markdown persistence, append-only JSONL events.founder_assistant/normalize.py: messy founder note normalization heuristics.founder_assistant/query.py: founder-centric query views (active initiatives, open commitments, unresolved decisions, stale gaps).founder_assistant/service.py: workflow orchestration (add_note,add_decision,ask, lifecycle updates, brief/review generators).founder_assistant/cli.py:argparsecommand interface.
Run:
python -m unittest discover -s tests -p "test_*.py"- No email/calendar integrations in v0.1.
- No web UI in v0.1.
- No autonomous agent loops in v0.1.