second-brain-metrics

1# Record metrics
2 
3A single reading tells you almost nothing. Direction over months is the
4information, and nobody remembers what last quarter's orphan rate was.
5 
6## Core rule
7 
8Four numbers, appended to a dated log, compared against the last entry. Never
9page count or word count.
10 
11## Workflow
12 
131. **Run** `scripts/vault_stats.py` and `scripts/link_check.py`.
142. **Record:** orphan rate, average degree, component count, stale-concept rate,
15   with the date and total pages for context.
163. **Append** to the metrics note. Never overwrite previous entries.
174. **Compare** against the last snapshot and name what moved.
185. **Interpret only what changed.** A stable number needs no commentary.
19 
20## Output format
21 
22```
23<date> | pages <n>
24orphan rate    <n>%   (<+/-n> since <date>)
25avg degree     <n>    (<+/-n>)
26components     <n>    (main <n>%)
27stale concepts <n>%   (<+/-n>)
28 
29Moved: <what changed and the likely cause>
30Watch: <the one number to fix, or none>
31```
32 
33## Calibration
34 
35A rising orphan rate with a rising page count means ingestion has stopped
36linking. That is the single most important pattern in this report and it should
37be called out explicitly, not left in the numbers.
38 
39Do not recommend more than one thing to fix. A metrics report with five action
40items gets ignored.