chronometric-mark-start

Quick wrapper for the mark_session_start tool on the local NeuroDock chronometric server (neurodock-chronometric). Captures the user's plain-language framing of what they are about to do, so later nudges (hyperfocus warnings, end-of-session reflection) can quote it back unchanged.

Authoritative schema $id: https://schemas.neurodock.org/mcp-chronometric/v0.1.0/mark_session_start.schema.json (source).

When to use

• When the user announces a piece of focused work ("right, I'm going to

finish the RFC reply now").

• At the top of a planning skill that wants to anchor the rest of the

session against a stated intent.

• At the start of a pomodoro or timeboxed block.

What it does

Calls mcp__neurodock-chronometric__mark_session_start with a single intent string. The server:

1. Generates a UUIDv4 session_id.
2. Records started_at (ISO 8601 with offset).
3. Stores the intent verbatim — no paraphrase, no summarisation.
4. If a prior session was still open, may auto-close it; the response

includes auto_closed_prior_session with the prior id and closed_at.

How to invoke

Input shape:

{
  "intent": "finish draft RFC reply"
}

Constraints:

• intent is required, 1–500 chars, plain language.
• Long intents (>200 chars) are themselves a hyperfocus signal — split

before calling, or accept the warning.

Example response:

{
  "session_id": "6f9f4f5e-3b1c-4e2a-9f7d-2b3c4d5e6f70",
  "started_at": "2026-05-23T09:14:22+01:00",
  "intent": "finish draft RFC reply",
  "auto_closed_prior_session": null
}

What to do with the session_id

The session_id is opaque. Callers do NOT need to track it across calls — mark_session_end always closes the most-recent open session for the user by design (see ADR 0001 — avoids the LLM having to maintain state).

The id is useful for:

• Logging which session a piece of work belongs to.
• Cross-referencing in the cognitive graph (source: "session://<id>").

Errors

• INTENT_REQUIRED — empty/missing intent. Ask the user to state one.
• INTENT_TOO_LONG — over 500 chars. Truncate or split.
• SESSION_ALREADY_OPEN — only when the server is configured to reject

overlaps. The default policy auto-closes.

Limitations

• The tool is local-only; there is no remote sync of sessions in v0.1.0.
• Intent is stored verbatim including any PII the user types. Redaction

is upstream; this server analyses what it is given.

• Auto-close behaviour is policy-dependent.

Voice

Quote the intent back to the user in the confirmation. They said it; show that you heard it. Do not add encouragement ("great goal!") — that is exactly the sycophancy the project's manifesto rejects.