# Report a decision

report_decision records a decision just made in the conversation, with why, the goal, the number that should move and when to judge the decision.

An agent calls `report_decision` once a person agrees to a choice that changes what people will do or see. ZeroWidth keeps the decision as reported.

The reply gives the decision's id. To add a goal, a number or a date the decision lacked, the agent calls again with that id and only what's new, never the whole decision again.

## Inputs

None are required on their own: a new decision needs at least `summary`, and an addition needs `id`.

| Input | What to send |
|---|---|
| `summary` | What was decided, in one plain sentence |
| `words` | The words the decision was made in |
| `why` | The reason the person gave |
| `goal` | What should be different because of the decision, in the person's words |
| `metric` | The number that should move, by the name the team uses, if the person named one |
| `direction` | Which way that number should go: `up` or `down` |
| `judge_by` | When to judge the decision: a date such as 2026-12-15, or "in 30 days", "in 6 weeks", "in 3 months" or "in 1 year". Kept only with a goal or a known metric. |
| `decided_by` | Who decided, when someone other than the person in the conversation made the call. On hosted ZeroWidth the decision is recorded as the signed-in person's, with "said to be decided by" and the name added to the words. |
| `id` | The id from an earlier reply, to add to that decision |

## Parts of a good report

- The choice and the person's own words.
- The reason, only if the person gave one.
- The goal, and the number and direction if the person named them.
- A deadline, as a date or a number of days, weeks, months or years.

A number the record doesn't have yet is kept in the goal's text, and the decision can be judged once someone links a number. A deadline that isn't a date, such as "after the March launch", or a date that has already passed, is kept in the goal's text too, with no deadline set.

## Choices not to report

- A choice nobody has agreed to yet ("maybe we should", "what if we").
- A small choice the agent made inside the work: a name, a library, a layout.
- A question, a plan nobody has agreed to, or a summary of the conversation.