freeze

/cs:freeze — Cooldown Lock on a Decision

Command: /cs:freeze <decision-path> <days>

Locks a decision for a defined cooldown period. During the freeze, the chief-of-staff router refuses to re-litigate the decision unless a kill criterion explicitly triggers.

Inspired by gstack's /freeze and /guard safety primitives — adapted from code-scoping to strategic-scoping.

When to Use

Founders are pattern-matchers; pattern-matching after a tough decision often produces a reversal that's actually just decision fatigue. The freeze enforces a discipline:

• After any irreversible or high-cost-to-reverse decision (fundraise, layoff, market entry)
• After a split-vote boardroom (preserve the call against second-guessing)
• After a founder gut-feel override of unanimous advisor consensus (let it run)
• During a personnel transition (lock the strategy so the new exec can execute, not redebate)

Default Freeze Periods

Workflow

1. Read the decision record
2. Validate it has APPROVED status
3. Apply freeze: write freeze_until: YYYY-MM-DD to the decision record
4. Add to active-freezes index at ~/.claude/freezes/active.md
5. cs-chief-of-staff router now refuses to re-route this topic to the boardroom until:
   • The freeze period expires, OR
   • A kill criterion explicitly triggers

Output

The decision record is updated in place:

# Decision: <title>
...
**Status:** FROZEN
**Frozen until:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Reason for freeze:** <text>
**Override condition:** Kill criterion <name> triggers OR founder issues 

The active-freezes index is updated:

Override

To unfreeze before the period ends, the founder runs:

The unfreeze is logged in the decision history (preserved permanently). Forced overrides create a paper trail that surfaces at post-mortem.

Auto-Override

If a kill criterion in the decision triggers, the freeze auto-releases and the chief-of-staff routes immediately to /cs:post-mortem. The freeze does not protect against reality; it protects against impulse.

Why This Beats "Just Don't Re-Decide"

Founders have authority. Without an explicit lock + log, every wobble produces a "let's discuss this again" — which is exhausting for advisors and erodes the value of the boardroom. The freeze is a process, not a rule; it logs every override so the post-mortem can audit founder discipline.

Routing

• /cs:unfreeze — explicit early release
• /cs:post-mortem — auto-triggered if kill criterion fires
• /cs:boardroom — blocked until unfreeze or expiry

Related

• Skill: decision-logger
• Agent: cs-chief-of-staff — enforces freezes in routing

Version: 1.0.0