/track-estimate - Manual Estimate Capture

Append a time estimate to workspace/estimate-log/log.jsonl. Use this when:

• The auto-capture hook missed something (vague phrasing, deeply nested in a code block, etc.)
• You want to attach a structured task description to a freshly-captured estimate
• The estimate is being made conversationally before any assistant message has logged it

Input: $ARGUMENTS

The argument should be a free-form phrase containing both a task description and a duration. Examples:

• "port resolve-conflicts skill to hq-core-staging" "1-2h"
• "npm release of hq-cloud@5.7.1, including verification" "30m"
• "HQ Desktop App Tauri build + sign + notarize" "10-30m"

Steps

1. Parse arguments

   • Extract the duration token (30m, 1-2h, 2 days, ~5min, etc.)
   • Treat everything else as the task description
   • Fall back to interactive prompts if either is missing

2. Normalize duration Use the same logic as parse-estimates.pl:

   • m / min / minutes → minutes (1×)
   • h / hr / hours → minutes (60×)
   • d / day / days → minutes (480× — 8-hour workday)
   • s / sec → minutes (1/60×)
   • Ranges like 1-2h: min_minutes=60, max_minutes=120, expected_minutes=90

3. Categorize Run the same keyword classifier from parse-estimates.pl against the task description. If unclear, ask the user to confirm or pick from: release, pr, build, deploy, tauri, infra, script, refactor, docs, debug, cli, unknown.

4. Generate ID est_<sha1(session_id + iso_ts + task)[0..10]> — same format as auto-capture.

5. Append entry to log

   cat >> workspace/estimate-log/log.jsonl <<EOF
   {"id":"est_...","timestamp":"...","session_id":"manual","message_uuid":"manual-<short>","offset":0,"raw":"<duration token>","kind":"estimate","min_minutes":...,"max_minutes":...,"expected_minutes":...,"category":"...","surrounding":"<task>","status":"pending","task":"<task>"}
   EOF
   

   Field order should match canonical (alphabetical) so it sorts identically to auto-capture entries.

6. Report

   Tracked: <task>
   ID: est_...
   Estimate: <human-readable> (<expected_minutes> min, range <min>-<max>)
   Category: <category>
   
   When done, run: /finish-estimate <id> <actual-duration>
   

Notes

• This command is the escape hatch for the auto-capture hook. Most estimates should land via the Stop hook automatically; this is for the cases the hook misses.
• The session_id is set to "manual" to distinguish manual entries from auto-captured ones in /calibration-report.
• If the user provides only a duration with no task, prompt for the task — never log an estimate without context.

See also

• /finish-estimate — close it with the actual time
• /calibration-report — see estimate accuracy