keep-the-why

Repo-native project memory for humans and coding agents, as Markdown in Git.

Keep the Why is repo-native project memory for humans and coding agents. It captures the reasoning behind a codebase, including decisions, rejected alternatives, constraints and workarounds, as plain Markdown in a context/ directory that Git versions and distributes with the code. A structural linter checks the format in CI; humans judge whether the content is true.

oliver-zehentleitner/keep-the-why · v0.20.0 · Development & Workflow

oliver-zehentleitnerOwner verifiedcaution

Install Source

69 Follow0

Trust Score

Security

Surfaces

latest Live launch

Repo-native project memory for humans and coding agents, as Markdown in Git.

Launched: Sep 10, 2026
Pricing: open source
Availability: beta

What is keep-the-why?

keep-the-why is a published development & workflow plugin for AI coding agents in the codex ecosystem, developed by oliver-zehentleitner and distributed through the HOL AI plugin registry. Preserves the reasoning behind a codebase as project memory — decisions, rejected alternatives, workarounds, incident learnings, constraints

Canonical slug: oliver-zehentleitner/keep-the-why
Version: v0.20.0 · updated Oct 7, 2026
Open data: entity.json (JSON-LD)

Trust & Reputation

HOL Trust Score

Factor Analysis

Per-metric points (0–100 each) combined via a weighted average into the overall score.

Installability

64pts

Maintenance

80pts

MCP Posture

100pts

Plugin Security

59pts

Provenance

70pts

Publisher Quality

75pts

Registry Snapshot

Repository: https://github.com/oliver-zehentleitner/keep-the-why
Homepage: https://keepthewhy.com
Canonical profile: https://hol.org/registry/plugins/oliver-zehentleitner%2Fkeep-the-why
Publisher verification: No
Marketplace source: Unknown
Scanner: Broker fallback
Safety label: caution
Digest verified: Yes

1 bundled skill — copy or download SKILL.mdOpen skills

Trust & reputation

Trust & Reputation

HOL Trust Score

Factor Analysis

Per-metric points (0–100 each) combined via a weighted average into the overall score.

Installability

64pts

Maintenance

80pts

MCP Posture

100pts

Plugin Security

59pts

Provenance

70pts

Publisher Quality

75pts

Provenance

Plugin root: .
Source repo: https://github.com/oliver-zehentleitner/keep-the-why
Source commit: 556d7cd8b98f…
Publisher verified: No
Owner verified: @oliver-zehentleitner

Scanner CI check is still running

No action is required. This listing will update after the catalog rechecks scanner CI.

Verified badge detected

This listing scores +2% trust because the HOL verified badge is present in the source repository README.

Security Posture

caution

Safety label

Security score

High findings

Provider: registry-broker-fallback
Grade: F · caution
Version: Unknown

cisco-skill-scanner: unknown

Findings

mediumpublishabilitypublishability.link.missing.websiteURL

websiteURL should be present for marketplace readiness.

mediumpublishabilitypublishability.link.missing.privacyPolicyURL

privacyPolicyURL should be present for marketplace readiness.

mediumpublishabilitypublishability.link.missing.termsOfServiceURL

termsOfServiceURL should be present for marketplace readiness.

lowoperational-securitysupply-chain.lockfile-missing

Repository snapshot does not include a lockfile.

infoskill-securityskill-scan.unavailable

Cisco skill scanner timed out after 60000 ms

keep-the-why — Frequently asked questions

What is keep-the-why?: keep-the-why is an AI plugin in the HOL registry. Keep the Why is repo-native project memory for humans and coding agents. It captures the reasoning behind a codebase, including decisions, rejected alternatives, constraints and workarounds, as plain Markdown in a context/ directory that Git versions and distributes…
How do I install keep-the-why?: Install keep-the-why in your harness: Codex — codex plugin marketplace add oliver-zehentleitner/keep-the-why; Claude Code — /plugin marketplace add oliver-zehentleitner/keep-the-why; Cursor — npx skills add oliver-zehentleitner/keep-the-why. Full step-by-step guidance is on the HOL plugin page.
How do I install keep-the-why in Codex?: To install keep-the-why in Codex, start with codex plugin marketplace add oliver-zehentleitner/keep-the-why. The complete step-by-step install guide for Codex is on the HOL plugin page.
How do I install keep-the-why in Claude Code?: To install keep-the-why in Claude Code, start with /plugin marketplace add oliver-zehentleitner/keep-the-why. The complete step-by-step install guide for Claude Code is on the HOL plugin page.
How do I install keep-the-why in Cursor?: To install keep-the-why in Cursor, start with npx skills add oliver-zehentleitner/keep-the-why. The complete step-by-step install guide for Cursor is on the HOL plugin page.
Is keep-the-why free?: keep-the-why is listed as open source on HOL.
Who publishes keep-the-why?: keep-the-why is published by oliver-zehentleitner and listed on HOL.
Is keep-the-why available now?: keep-the-why is currently beta according to its latest public launch.

Install Guidance

Install in Claude Code

Install through the Claude Code plugin marketplace.

Claude Code plugin docs

1
Add the marketplace
Run this inside a Claude Code session.
claude code
2
Install the plugin
Use the plugin name and the marketplace name shown by the previous command.
claude code
3
Scripted alternative
Non-interactive equivalent for scripts and CI pipelines. Add --scope project to pin the install to one repository.
shell

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Plugin Manifest

{
  "name": "keep-the-why",
  "version": "0.20.0",
  "description": "Project memory for coding agents and humans: the reasoning behind a codebase as Markdown in the repo, versioned by Git, so nothing rejected is proposed twice.",
  "author": {
    "name": "Oliver Zehentleitner",
    "url": "https://github.com/oliver-zehentleitner"
  },
  "homepage": "https://keepthewhy.com",
  "repository": "https://github.com/oliver-zehentleitner/keep-the-why.git",
  "license": "MIT",
  "keywords": [
    "documentation",
    "context",
    "decision-log",
    "knowledge-management",
    "onboarding",
    "agents"
  ],
  "skills": "./",
  "interface": {
    "displayName": "keep-the-why",
    "developerName": "oliver-zehentleitner"
  },
  "holManifestOrigin": "repository",
  "registryIndexVersion": 5
}

Marketplace Source

Repo URL: https://github.com/oliver-zehentleitner/keep-the-why
Marketplace path: Unknown
Source path: .
Install policy: Unspecified

Skills

1 SKILL.md file ship with this plugin. Preview, copy, or download each one, then install them with the Skills CLI.

skills-cli

keep-the-why
skills/keep-the-why/SKILL.md
In a project with a .keep-the-why, or asked about it or to set one up (never offered or named otherwise) - extract and preserve the reasoning code cannot explain - decisions, rejected alternatives, workarounds, incidents, constraints - plus project setup and maintainer interviews. Not for what changed (see Keep a Changelog) - only why. Also the place for questions about how this skill works, complaints, feedback and settings changes about it.
Raw SKILL.md
SKILL.md content is not in this snapshot. Open the raw file to copy it from the source repository.

File Inventory

.claude-plugin/plugin.json

file

611 bytes

84ae176f1f42bbf5…

.codex-plugin/plugin.json

plugin-manifest

683 bytes

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.cursor-plugin/plugin.json

file

611 bytes

84ae176f1f42bbf5…

AGENTS.md

file

995 bytes

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package.json

file

894 bytes

9ad7c043937c24c5…

plugin.json

file

466 bytes

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README.md

file

47,993 bytes

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SECURITY.md

file

2,212 bytes

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skills/keep-the-why/examples/abandoned-change.md

skill

2,757 bytes

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skills/keep-the-why/examples/continuous-development.md

skill

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skills/keep-the-why/examples/developer-handover.md

skill

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skills/keep-the-why/examples/first-time-setup.md

skill

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skills/keep-the-why/examples/legacy-project.md

skill

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skills/keep-the-why/references/autostart.md

skill

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skills/keep-the-why/references/ci-linting.md

skill

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skills/keep-the-why/references/continuous-capture.md

skill

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skills/keep-the-why/references/help.md

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skills/keep-the-why/references/interview-playbook.md

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skills/keep-the-why/references/methodology.md

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skills/keep-the-why/references/migrations.md

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skills/keep-the-why/references/repository-structure.md

skill

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skills/keep-the-why/references/retrospective-analysis.md

skill

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skills/keep-the-why/references/setup.md

skill

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skills/keep-the-why/references/specification.md

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skills/keep-the-why/references/trust-model.md

skill

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skills/keep-the-why/SKILL.md

skill

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History, reviews, and alternatives

Latest launch

Launch history

keep-the-why latestlive · 0 points · 1 comments

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Milestones and alternatives

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keep-the-why

latest Live launch

What is keep-the-why?

Trust & Reputation

Factor Analysis

Registry Snapshot

Trust & reputation

Trust & Reputation

Factor Analysis

Provenance

Security Posture

Findings

keep-the-why — Frequently asked questions

Install Guidance

Install in Claude Code

Plugin Manifest

Marketplace Source

Skills

File Inventory

History, reviews, and alternatives

Launch history

User reviews

Milestones and alternatives