tethr
Personal Analysis System — Claude Code as Cognitive Infrastructure
| Metric | Value | Significance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| L2 Insights | 229 | Compressed insights across 11 domains, actively growing | L2 Insights 229 Compressed insights across 11 domains, actively growing |
| Knowledge Graph | 60 nodes, 135 edges | People, patterns, and decisions mapped as relational data | Knowledge Graph 60 nodes, 135 edges People, patterns, and decisions mapped as relational data |
| Skills | 16 | Custom skills for session management, reflection, planning, and more | Skills 16 Custom skills for session management, reflection, planning, and more |
Challenge
Claude Code is stateless — every session starts from zero. Building a system that maintains context across sessions, tracks decisions over months, manages daily protocols, and evolves its understanding of one person's life requires infrastructure that Claude Code doesn't provide out of the box.
Solution
Three bash hooks (SessionStart, UserPromptSubmit, Stop) that query Cognitive Memory directly via psql — no MCP round-trip on the critical path. 16 custom skills for session management, reflection, journaling, decision support, and daily planning. Keyword-triggered context injection that pulls relevant insights based on what the user is talking about.
Hook-based architecture: SessionStart loads working memory and self-correction insights via direct PostgreSQL queries. UserPromptSubmit monitors for topic keywords (people, domains, patterns) and injects matching CM context. Stop buffers memory candidates for deferred persistence. 16 skills define the operational grammar — from /tethr-start (session init) through /tethr-reflect (pattern detection) to /tethr-end (session synthesis with quality gates). All data in markdown files with bi-directional sync to Cognitive Memory.
tethr: Personal Analysis System — Claude Code as Cognitive Infrastructure
What Happens When You Build a Stateful System on a Stateless LLM?
tethr is a personal analysis and companion system built entirely on Claude Code's hook and skill architecture. No custom server, no Python wrapper — pure bash hooks, MCP integration, and markdown skills that turn Claude Code into a stateful analytical system. Built for one person. Running in production daily since March 2026.
The Problem: Claude Code Starts from Zero Every Session
Claude Code is stateless. Every session starts fresh. Building a system that maintains context across sessions, tracks decisions over months, manages daily protocols, and evolves its understanding of one person's life requires infrastructure that Claude Code doesn't provide out of the box.
The Solution: Three Hooks and Sixteen Skills
Three bash hooks (SessionStart, UserPromptSubmit, Stop) query Cognitive Memory directly via psql — no MCP round-trip on the critical path. 16 custom skills define the operational grammar: session management, reflection, journaling, decision support, daily planning. Keyword-triggered context injection pulls relevant insights based on what the user is talking about.
Architecture
- SessionStart Hook: Loads working memory and self-correction insights via direct PostgreSQL queries
- UserPromptSubmit Hook: Monitors topic keywords (people, domains, patterns) and injects matching context from Cognitive Memory
- Stop Hook: Buffers memory candidates for deferred persistence
- 16 Skills: From /tethr-start (session init) through /tethr-reflect (pattern detection) to /tethr-end (session synthesis with quality gates)
- Bi-directional Sync: All data in markdown files with automatic sync to Cognitive Memory
What It Tracks
229 compressed insights across 11 domains. A knowledge graph with 60 nodes and 135 edges mapping people, patterns, and decisions. Daily protocols, journal entries, training tracking, financial planning, decision logs — all maintained and evolved through the system.
Technologies & Skills Demonstrated: Claude Code Architecture, Bash Hooks, MCP Integration, PostgreSQL, Skill Design, Session Management, Knowledge Graphs
Timeline: March 2026 — ongoing | Role: Architect
Screenshots
Backend
Tools & Services
AI Stack Connections
Impact
Running daily since March 2026 for one user. 229 compressed insights across 11 domains. A knowledge graph with 60 nodes and 135 edges mapping people, patterns, and decisions. Persistent identity across sessions. Daily protocols, journal entries, training tracking, financial planning, decision logs — all maintained and evolved through the system.
Key Learnings
- Claude Code's hook system is more powerful than most people realize — three bash scripts turned a stateless LLM into a stateful analytical system with persistent identity.
- Direct psql in hooks keeps the critical path simple — no server startup, no connection negotiation, just a query. Reliability over cleverness.
- Building a system for one person forces honesty — there's no hiding behind "users" or "scalability". Either it works for this specific human or it doesn't.