Knowledge Markers

Markers are special syntax that Claude uses in responses to explicitly flag knowledge for capture. When you see these markers in Claude's output, they indicate information being saved to Tenax.

How Markers Work

When Claude makes a decision or identifies a pattern, it includes markers in its response. The extraction system recognizes these and saves them with guaranteed capture. This is more reliable than heuristic extraction alone.

Compact Marker Format

Markers use a compact format to minimize token usage while remaining human-readable. Each marker must appear on its own line.

Type Format Example
Decision [D] topic: text [D] api: Using REST over GraphQL
Pattern [P] name: description [P] naming: Use camelCase for variables
Task [T] title [T] Add input validation
Insight [I] observation [I] API returns 200 even on errors

Decision Markers [D]

Claude uses these when making architecture choices, technology selections, and design decisions.

Decision Syntax
[D] database: Using PostgreSQL for relational data because of team expertise
When Claude uses this: After confirming a technology or architecture choice with you. The topic categorizes the decision for future searching.
Decision Multiple Examples
[D] runtime: Using Node.js 18+ with tsx for TypeScript execution [D] auth: JWT tokens with 15-minute expiry and HttpOnly refresh cookies [D] styling: Tailwind CSS with custom design tokens for consistency

Pattern Markers [P]

Claude uses these when establishing coding conventions, architectural patterns, and best practices.

Pattern Syntax
[P] error-handler: Wrap all async route handlers in try-catch with logging
When Claude uses this: When establishing a convention that should be followed throughout the codebase.
Pattern Multiple Examples
[P] barrel-exports: Use index.ts files to re-export from feature directories [P] naming: Use kebab-case for files, PascalCase for components [P] testing: Write unit tests alongside source files with .test.ts suffix

Task Markers [T]

Claude uses these to track work items, TODOs, and follow-up actions identified during the conversation.

Task Syntax
[T] Add unit tests for the authentication module
When Claude uses this: When identifying follow-up work or TODOs that emerged during development.
Task Multiple Examples
[T] Add input validation to the registration form [T] Update documentation with new API endpoints [T] Fix timezone handling in date picker component

Insight Markers [I]

Claude uses these for discoveries, learnings, gotchas, and important observations made during the conversation.

Insight Syntax
[I] Rate limiting is per-user not per-app, which affects our caching strategy
When Claude uses this: When discovering something important that doesn't fit other categories.
Insight Multiple Examples
[I] Safari handles date parsing differently than Chrome causing timezone issues [I] The ORM auto-commits transactions so manual rollback is needed [I] process.stdin requires explicit end() when piping data in Node.js subprocesses

Quick Reference

All Marker Types 
[D] topic: decision text
[P] name: pattern description
[T] task description
[I] insight observation

Each marker must be on its own line. The extraction system will automatically parse these markers and store them in Tenax for future reference.