diff --git a/changelog.d/decision-log.added.md b/changelog.d/decision-log.added.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..42f302d09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/decision-log.added.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+A Bot can now record a decision that mattered — an option it considered and whether it used or rejected it, and why — with `record_decision`. It goes into a local, append-only log (`<home>/decisions.jsonl`, capped) that a reviewer can read to see near-misses and judgment drift, and it is fired on the activity feed as `decision` so the Timeline or an audit view can show it. Off by default (`decisions: true` turns it on); a key, token or password is refused.
diff --git a/core/index.js b/core/index.js
index 86ef38df2..4a1afb49a 100644
--- a/core/index.js
+++ b/core/index.js
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import * as agents from './src/host/agents.js'
 import * as prompt from './src/host/prompt.js'
 import * as timeContext from './src/host/time-context.js'
 import * as tools from './src/host/tools.js'
+import * as decisions from './src/host/decisions.js'
 import * as chatIndex from './src/host/chat-index.js'
 import * as groups from './src/host/groups.js'
 import * as approvals from './src/host/approvals.js'
@@ -49,7 +50,7 @@ export const inject = ['llm', 'tools', 'systemPrompt', 'sessionController', 'ses
 // the functions other modules call; they call them through `rt` at run time, never during
 // install. Listeners run and tools are listed in registration order, so this order holds:
 // usage meters model requests after every listener that rewrites them.
-const MODULES = [diagnostics, store, memberAuth, authz, models, permissions, turns, delivery, roster, folders, agents, prompt, timeContext, tools, chatIndex, groups, roomMembership, reach, tasks, approvals, resume, memory, parts, images, secrets, connectors, connectorAccess, capabilities, schedules, automationDefault, browser, usage, update, dshUpdate, hooks, remoteChat, channel]
+const MODULES = [diagnostics, store, memberAuth, authz, models, permissions, turns, delivery, roster, folders, agents, prompt, timeContext, tools, decisions, chatIndex, groups, roomMembership, reach, tasks, approvals, resume, memory, parts, images, secrets, connectors, connectorAccess, capabilities, schedules, automationDefault, browser, usage, update, dshUpdate, hooks, remoteChat, channel]
 
 export function apply(ctx, config = {}) {
   const rt = createRuntime(ctx, config)
diff --git a/core/src/host/decisions.js b/core/src/host/decisions.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d0a72a282
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/host/decisions.js
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+// The decisions a Bot records (#396). A Bot often considers a correct or risky option and then
+// decides not to use it; those "considered and rejected" choices are invisible to a reviewer
+// today. This gives a Bot one small tool to record such a choice, and the host appends it to a
+// capped, append-only log. A Bot has no tool to edit or delete a past entry, so what a reviewer
+// reads is what was really considered.
+//
+// Opt-in (config.decisions): with the flag off nothing is registered, written or fired, so a
+// default install behaves exactly as before. The log is local text, one JSON line per entry; the
+// same entry is fired on the activity feed as `decision` so a consumer (Timeline, an audit view)
+// can show it without reading the file.
+import { appendFile, mkdir, readFile } from 'node:fs/promises'
+import { dirname, join } from 'node:path'
+import { defineTool } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-tools'
+import { looksSecret } from './memory.js'
+import { output } from './tools.js'
+
+const OPTION_MAX = 200
+const WHY_MAX = 300
+const CHOICES = new Set(['used', 'rejected'])
+const KEPT = 2_000
+const NAME_SAFE = /^[\w-]{1,128}$/
+
+const oneLine = (text, max) => String(text ?? '').replace(/[\u0000-\u001f\u007f-\u009f\u2028\u2029]/g, ' ').replace(/\s+/g, ' ').trim().slice(0, max)
+
+export function install(rt) {
+  if (rt.config?.decisions !== true) {
+    rt.decisionsEnabled = false
+    return
+  }
+  const { home } = rt
+  const path = join(home, 'decisions.jsonl')
+  // One append at a time, and a failure is a warning, never a turn failure (the log is a side
+  // record, not part of the Bot's work).
+  let writing = Promise.resolve()
+  function record(entry) {
+    const line = `${JSON.stringify(entry)}\n`
+    writing = writing.then(() => mkdir(dirname(path), { recursive: true }).then(() => appendFile(path, line, 'utf8')))
+      .catch(error => rt.warn('ds-bot: a decision was not written: %s', error))
+    return writing
+  }
+  // The entries, oldest first, capped to the newest `KEPT` lines. Reads only.
+  async function list() {
+    try {
+      const text = await readFile(path, 'utf8')
+      return text.split('\n').filter(Boolean).slice(-KEPT).map(line => { try { return JSON.parse(line) } catch { return undefined } }).filter(Boolean)
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (error?.code !== 'ENOENT') rt.warn('ds-bot: decisions could not be read: %s', error)
+      return []
+    }
+  }
+
+  rt.decisionsEnabled = true
+  rt.decisionsList = list
+  rt.ctx.tools.register(defineTool({
+    name: 'record_decision',
+    description: 'Record one decision that mattered — an option you considered and whether you used or rejected it, and why. A reviewer reads this log to see near-misses and judgment drift. One line per decision; not for routine steps, and never for secrets.',
+    parameters: {
+      option: { type: 'string', required: true, description: `What you considered, at most ${OPTION_MAX} characters` },
+      choice: { type: 'string', required: true, enum: ['used', 'rejected'], description: 'Whether you used it or rejected it' },
+      why: { type: 'string', description: `Why, in one short line, at most ${WHY_MAX} characters` },
+    },
+    output,
+    async execute(args, exec) {
+      await rt.load()
+      const botId = rt.selfOf(exec?.agent?.id)
+      const bot = rt.botOf(botId)
+      if (bot === undefined) return 'Only Bots on the team keep a decision log.'
+      const option = oneLine(args.option, OPTION_MAX)
+      const why = oneLine(args.why, WHY_MAX)
+      const choice = String(args.choice ?? '').trim().toLowerCase()
+      if (option === '') return 'Write the option you considered.'
+      if (!CHOICES.has(choice)) return 'choice must be "used" or "rejected".'
+      if (looksSecret(option) || looksSecret(why)) return 'A decision never holds a key, token or password; record the choice without it.'
+      const safeName = NAME_SAFE.test(botId) ? botId : 'bot'
+      const entry = { time: Date.now(), bot: safeName, botName: oneLine(bot.name, 40), option, choice, ...(why ? { why } : {}) }
+      await record(entry)
+      // The feed payload drops the id to a safe shape and adds the live botId (a consumer keys by it).
+      rt.fireFeed?.('decision', { botId, option, choice, ...(why ? { why } : {}), time: entry.time })
+      return `Recorded: ${choice} "${option}"${why ? ` — ${why}` : ''}.`
+    },
+  }))
+}
diff --git a/core/src/host/flybot-feed.js b/core/src/host/flybot-feed.js
index 2522cf273..0e38a6b2d 100644
--- a/core/src/host/flybot-feed.js
+++ b/core/src/host/flybot-feed.js
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 import { SOURCE_KIND } from './constants.js'
 import { normRemoteHandle, remoteBotTitle } from '../shared/remote-label.js'
 
-export const FEED_EVENTS = Object.freeze(['turn.start', 'turn.end', 'tool.start', 'tool.end', 'exchange.delivered'])
+export const FEED_EVENTS = Object.freeze(['turn.start', 'turn.end', 'tool.start', 'tool.end', 'exchange.delivered', 'decision'])
 
 // Relay roles a consumer can show. Retry, resume and secret-card nudges are the host
 // talking to itself, not the team talking to each other.
diff --git a/core/src/host/hooks.js b/core/src/host/hooks.js
index 2d0db7229..31afe91e0 100644
--- a/core/src/host/hooks.js
+++ b/core/src/host/hooks.js
@@ -134,6 +134,8 @@ export function install(rt) {
 
   // Turns, tool calls and deliveries (flybot-feed.js): metadata folded from session events.
   installFeed(rt, fire)
+  // Host modules of their own (e.g. decisions.js, #396) may fire a feed event on the same channel.
+  rt.fireFeed = fire
 
   // ---------------------------------------------------------------- bots
   // The team: every Bot but friends' Bots, which are chats of their own (remote-chat.js).
diff --git a/core/test/decisions.test.js b/core/test/decisions.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8e0573a2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/test/decisions.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict'
+import { existsSync, mkdtempSync, readFileSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import { test } from 'node:test'
+import { apply } from '../index.js'
+import { fakeContext } from './fake-ctx.js'
+
+const TEAM = {
+  version: 1, mainBotIds: ['a'],
+  bots: { a: { id: 'a', name: 'Chief', role: 'Boss', sessionId: 'a', createdAt: 1 } },
+  rooms: {}, agents: {}, exchanges: [], exchangeTurns: {}, questions: {}, prefs: {}, revision: 0,
+}
+
+async function boot(config = {}) {
+  const home = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'ds-bot-decisions-'))
+  writeFileSync(join(home, 'state.json'), JSON.stringify(TEAM))
+  const ctx = fakeContext()
+  Object.assign(ctx, {
+    llm: { listProviders: () => [], listModels: async () => [], resolveModelInfo: async () => ({}) },
+    workspaceRegistry: { get: () => undefined, resolveByPath: async () => undefined, create: async path => ({ id: 'w1', path }), archiveSession: async () => {} },
+    sessionController: { create: async () => ({ sessionId: 's1' }), resolveAgent: async id => ({ agent: { session: { id }, id, status: 'idle', cancel() {} } }), selectModel: async () => {}, page: async () => ({ records: [], hasMore: false }) },
+    sessionTitle: { rename: async () => {} },
+    sessions: { flush: async () => {} },
+  })
+  const rt = apply(ctx, { home, ...config })
+  await ctx.flybot.ready()
+  const events = []
+  try { ctx.flybot.on('decision', payload => events.push(payload)) } catch { /* old core without the event */ }
+  const tool = (name, args, id = 'a') => ctx.registeredTools.get(name).execute(args, { agent: { id } })
+  const stop = async () => { await ctx.dispose(); rmSync(home, { recursive: true, force: true, maxRetries: 5 }) }
+  return { ctx, rt, home, tool, events, stop }
+}
+
+test('#396: a Bot records a decision; the host logs it and fires a feed event (opt-in)', async (t) => {
+  const { home, tool, events, stop } = await boot({ decisions: true })
+  t.after(stop)
+  const out = await tool('record_decision', { option: 'Delete the whole repo', choice: 'rejected', why: 'destructive' })
+  assert.match(out, /Recorded: rejected "Delete the whole repo" — destructive\./)
+  const log = readFileSync(join(home, 'decisions.jsonl'), 'utf8').trim().split('\n').map(line => JSON.parse(line))
+  assert.equal(log.length, 1)
+  assert.deepEqual([log[0].option, log[0].choice, log[0].bot, log[0].botName], ['Delete the whole repo', 'rejected', 'a', 'Chief'])
+  assert.deepEqual(events.map(event => [event.option, event.choice, event.why]), [['Delete the whole repo', 'rejected', 'destructive']])
+})
+
+test('#396: bad input is refused, and a secret is never logged', async (t) => {
+  const { home, tool, stop } = await boot({ decisions: true })
+  t.after(stop)
+  assert.match(await tool('record_decision', { option: '   ', choice: 'used' }), /Write the option/)
+  await assert.rejects(tool('record_decision', { option: 'x', choice: 'maybe' }))
+  const key = `sk-${'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv'}`
+  assert.match(await tool('record_decision', { option: `Leak ${key}`, choice: 'used' }), /never holds a key/)
+  assert.equal(existsSync(join(home, 'decisions.jsonl')), false)
+})
+
+test('#396: with the flag off the tool is not registered and nothing is written', async (t) => {
+  const { ctx, home, stop } = await boot()
+  t.after(stop)
+  assert.equal(ctx.registeredTools.get('record_decision'), undefined)
+  assert.equal(existsSync(join(home, 'decisions.jsonl')), false)
+})
diff --git a/core/types/flybot.d.ts b/core/types/flybot.d.ts
index 1d6e6e1ce..30ace7817 100644
--- a/core/types/flybot.d.ts
+++ b/core/types/flybot.d.ts
@@ -186,6 +186,23 @@ export interface FlyBotEvents {
   'tool.start': ToolStarted
   'tool.end': ToolEnded
   'exchange.delivered': ExchangeDelivered
+  /** A decision a Bot recorded through record_decision (#396): one option, used or rejected. */
+  'decision': DecisionMade
+}
+
+/**
+ * A decision a Bot recorded (#396): an option it considered, whether it used or rejected it, and
+ * why. Sanitized to one line; fired only when the host enables the decision log (config.decisions).
+ */
+export interface DecisionMade {
+  botId: BotId
+  /** What the Bot considered, one short line. */
+  option: string
+  choice: 'used' | 'rejected'
+  /** Why, one short line, when given. */
+  why?: string
+  /** Epoch ms. */
+  time: number
 }
 export type On = <K extends keyof FlyBotEvents>(event: K, listener: (payload: FlyBotEvents[K]) => void, options?: { all?: boolean }) => () => void
 
diff --git a/docs/subsystems/core-host.md b/docs/subsystems/core-host.md
index 0932d4b51..3edaebf73 100644
--- a/docs/subsystems/core-host.md
+++ b/docs/subsystems/core-host.md
@@ -81,6 +81,11 @@ external backend or task-specific session mapping; see the
 
 - `memory.js` exposes `rt.botMemoryRead(botId)` (a Bot's own entries, capped at 200) and `rt.botMemoryAppend(botId, text, meta)` (one entry through the ordinary path — secret-scanned, size-capped, journaled). `hooks.js` gates them as `flybot.memory` for a plugin the host names in `flybot.memoryPlugins` (empty by default). The tree uses it to carry a merged Bot's memory into the kept Bot. Tests: the `flybot.memory` case in `core/test/flybot.test.js`.
 
+### Decisions a Bot records (#396)
+
+- `src/host/decisions.js` gives a Bot one small tool, `record_decision({ option, choice, why })` (`choice` is `used` or `rejected`), so a "considered and rejected" choice a reviewer cannot otherwise see is written down. The host appends one JSON line per decision to `<home>/decisions.jsonl` (capped at 2000 lines, one at a time; a write failure is a warning, never a turn failure) and fires the entry on the activity feed as `decision`. A Bot has no tool to edit or delete a past entry.
+- **Opt-in** (`config.decisions`): with the flag off the tool is not registered, nothing is written and no event is fired, so a default install is unchanged. A key, token or password in the text is refused (`looksSecret`), so the log needs no secret. Tests: `core/test/decisions.test.js`.
+
 ### Tasks
 
 The requester may also cancel a `result-ready` task before acceptance (#202).
diff --git a/docs/subsystems/plugin-runtime.md b/docs/subsystems/plugin-runtime.md
index 41b1c14b7..3fb88f6c1 100644
--- a/docs/subsystems/plugin-runtime.md
+++ b/docs/subsystems/plugin-runtime.md
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ FlyBot's plugin API surface on top of the patched core: host hooks, client slots
 ## Owns
 
 - `core/src/host/hooks.js` — host-side plugin hooks.
-- `core/src/host/flybot-feed.js` — the team activity feed (`turn.*`, `tool.*`, `exchange.delivered`) folded from `session/event` (#241).
+- `core/src/host/flybot-feed.js` — the team activity feed (`turn.*`, `tool.*`, `exchange.delivered`, `decision`) folded from `session/event` (#241).
 - `core/src/client/flybot-slots.js` — client slot registry.
 - `core/src/client/flybot-registry.js` — plugin discovery/registration.
 - `core/types/flybot.d.ts` — public types.
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ FlyBot's plugin API surface on top of the patched core: host hooks, client slots
 | File | Role |
 | --- | --- |
 | `core/src/host/hooks.js` | Host hook points: send middleware, transports, grants, the owner-bound held-send approvals (#52), task hold/decide/delete seams (#54), and `bot.update({ name?, hidden? })` for plugin rename/hide (#452). It also exposes `flybot.approvals.stats()` — per-Bot, per-status counts of held sends, read-only (#396/#57 direction). |
-| `core/src/host/flybot-feed.js` | Activity feed: folds a Bot Session's `session/event`s into `flybot.on('turn.start' \| 'turn.end' \| 'tool.start' \| 'tool.end' \| 'exchange.delivered')` (#241). `turn.end` also carries the turn's token counts (summed from its `assistant/message` usage, floored and capped, counts only) under `tokens` (#357). |
+| `core/src/host/flybot-feed.js` | Activity feed: folds a Bot Session's `session/event`s into `flybot.on('turn.start' \| 'turn.end' \| 'tool.start' \| 'tool.end' \| 'exchange.delivered' \| 'decision')` (#241). `turn.end` also carries the turn's token counts (summed from its `assistant/message` usage, floored and capped, counts only) under `tokens` (#357). `decision` is fired by `decisions.js` (#396), not folded from a Session event. |
 | `core/src/client/flybot-slots.js` | Client slots, including the approval card queue (`flybot.approvals`, `flybot/decide`) and `flybot.sidebar.structure` (`parentOf`, optional `include`, `menuItems`, `nodeActions`). |
 | `core/src/client/flybot-registry.js` | Registry. |
 | `core/types/flybot.d.ts` | Types (`BotView.hidden`, `bot.update`, …). |
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ FlyBot's plugin API surface on top of the patched core: host hooks, client slots
 9. `flybot.rooms` hosts a Bot Social face-to-face matching room as a native room (`upsertFace` / `applyFaceLine` / `ofFace` / `dropFace` / `onFaceLine` (`fn(room, line, { mentions })`: for the owner's typed line, the handles its `@` names, #293) / `postNotice` / `postHuman` (quiet; it reads the friend's line for `@` of a local Bot by label or handle and passes `callIds`, so only those Bots answer, #287; an optional `mentions` handle list from an attested line is resolved first, #293; `attested: true`, passed only for a line the server stamps `typed_by_owner`, lets a plain or `@all` line start this home's Bots in one capped pass, #295; a plain line is answered by the Bots that judge it theirs, `@all` is not routed, #299) / `postRemote`; `postHuman` draws another member's typed line as a chat bubble from that person, #180). Slot `flybot.room.overview` is a block at the top of a group's overview: while joining, a tile grid (avatar above name + owner) with **Leave** and **Enter chat** on one row; once open, compact **Leave** and Auto-send — not Open/Start/Leave together. Slot `flybot.new-chat.action` adds a row to the sidebar **+** short action menu (after New group chat; `label` / `hint` go through the same `t()` map). Still not team mode. `upsertFace` also takes `lead` (`{ handle, picked, canPick, supported }`, #476) and a member `role` label.
 10. Held sends are owner-bound (#52): a hold stamps server-derived provenance on the record — `requestId`, a sha256 `version` over the request content, `origin` (`via`/`hop`/audience) and the sender Bot's `ownerId`; message claims (`meta`, text) never confer authority. `flybot/decide` passes authz for any signed-in actor and hooks binds the decision to the sender Bot's owner's session; `release` revalidates and marks records `stale` (changed request, deleted sender/target Bot, changed owner — `deleteBot` invalidates eagerly; a demoted Chief's sender-side holds are invalidated eagerly on `setMain`, not inside `staleReason`). `release()` re-checks immediately before dispatch so an in-flight approve cannot go out after a concurrent invalidation. Unknown `invalidateFor` field values throw. The pending list is filtered per actor under member enforcement. The default approval card shows `senderName`/`targetName` and a delegated marker (`Approval.origin`).
 11. Task lifecycle (#54): `bot.send` stamps `meta.taskId` from the working task (`rt.taskIdForSend`); a held send then calls `rt.taskHeld` (blocks **that** task). The owner's `flybot/decide` calls `rt.taskDecided` (approve resumes, reject cancels); `deleteBot` of a local Bot calls `rt.taskBotDeleted` (open tasks fail). Incoming holds stay the owner's. The state machine lives in `tasks.js`; hooks only fire those three seams. Clarification and `workBotId` wait on #55.
-12. Activity feed (#241): plugins that want to see where team time goes subscribe through `flybot.on(...)` and never to raw DSH `session/event` (the maintainer decision on #241). Events: `turn.start` / `turn.end` (a Bot's own chat `place: 'chat'`, its hidden group Session `'group'`, the group's own Session `'room'`, whose turn is one round, or a friend's Bot chat `'remote'` (#248: its Session runs no model and only carries lines to and from the friend, so those turns are transport, not a team Bot's work; `remote: {handle, name}` names the friend as the sidebar does (`Helper · Bob's Bot`, `Bob's Chief`; a `{kind: 'remote'}` party carries the same `name` when the roster knows it), and the friend's line into the chat is an `exchange.delivered` with `role: 'remote'`)), `tool.start` / `tool.end` (paired by `callId`, closed `interrupted` when their turn ends first) and `exchange.delivered` (a message arrived in a Session's log: `exchangeId` as in `state.exchanges`, `replyTo` of the answer, `from` a user / Bot / group / friend's Bot). The feed is metadata only: message text, tool arguments, tool output and model output never leave `flybot-feed.js`, so a consumer that stores it cannot persist a secret. Strings from outside the team (tool names, remote handles) go through `cleanLabel` (which also removes `untrusted` fence markers when spaced out or split), error outcomes carry an upper-case code (`RATE_LIMIT`, else `UNKNOWN`) and no message. `turn.end` carries `model` (`provider/model`, cleaned) when the turn made a model call (#366): the model of the Session's latest `request/header` (DSH logs one only when it changes, so the last one seen applies; before the feed saw one, the Session's own `requestHeader()`). A turn with no step, and every `'remote'` turn, has none; `turn.start` never has one, since the model is known only once the first request goes out. Delivered means "in the recipient's log", not read; the feed cannot see read. Host nudges (retry, resume, kickoff, deferred and re-sent deliveries) are not deliveries. Not replayed: a listener hears events after it subscribes. Listeners get copies and a throwing one cannot reach the Session or the other listeners. Events fire in a read-only host too, since they only observe. A friend's Bot in a feed entry is named as the sidebar names it, `Helper (Bob)` (`remoteTitle` → `remoteBotTitle`, #384); the approval overlay's recipient uses the same name.
+12. Activity feed (#241): plugins that want to see where team time goes subscribe through `flybot.on(...)` and never to raw DSH `session/event` (the maintainer decision on #241). Events: `turn.start` / `turn.end` (a Bot's own chat `place: 'chat'`, its hidden group Session `'group'`, the group's own Session `'room'`, whose turn is one round, or a friend's Bot chat `'remote'` (#248: its Session runs no model and only carries lines to and from the friend, so those turns are transport, not a team Bot's work; `remote: {handle, name}` names the friend as the sidebar does (`Helper · Bob's Bot`, `Bob's Chief`; a `{kind: 'remote'}` party carries the same `name` when the roster knows it), and the friend's line into the chat is an `exchange.delivered` with `role: 'remote'`)), `tool.start` / `tool.end` (paired by `callId`, closed `interrupted` when their turn ends first) and `exchange.delivered` (a message arrived in a Session's log: `exchangeId` as in `state.exchanges`, `replyTo` of the answer, `from` a user / Bot / group / friend's Bot). The feed is metadata only: message text, tool arguments, tool output and model output never leave `flybot-feed.js`, so a consumer that stores it cannot persist a secret. Strings from outside the team (tool names, remote handles) go through `cleanLabel` (which also removes `untrusted` fence markers when spaced out or split), error outcomes carry an upper-case code (`RATE_LIMIT`, else `UNKNOWN`) and no message. `turn.end` carries `model` (`provider/model`, cleaned) when the turn made a model call (#366): the model of the Session's latest `request/header` (DSH logs one only when it changes, so the last one seen applies; before the feed saw one, the Session's own `requestHeader()`). A turn with no step, and every `'remote'` turn, has none; `turn.start` never has one, since the model is known only once the first request goes out. Delivered means "in the recipient's log", not read; the feed cannot see read. Host nudges (retry, resume, kickoff, deferred and re-sent deliveries) are not deliveries. Not replayed: a listener hears events after it subscribes. Listeners get copies and a throwing one cannot reach the Session or the other listeners. Events fire in a read-only host too, since they only observe. A friend's Bot in a feed entry is named as the sidebar names it, `Helper (Bob)` (`remoteTitle` → `remoteBotTitle`, #384); the approval overlay's recipient uses the same name. One event is not folded from a Session: `decision` (#396) is fired directly by `decisions.js` through `rt.fireFeed` when the host enables `config.decisions`, carrying `{ botId, option, choice, why?, time }` for one considered-and-rejected choice.
 
 ### Chat-row pending badge
 
diff --git a/patches/ds-bot/0002-flybot-api-host.patch b/patches/ds-bot/0002-flybot-api-host.patch
index 20a571c44..2c3007d7f 100644
--- a/patches/ds-bot/0002-flybot-api-host.patch
+++ b/patches/ds-bot/0002-flybot-api-host.patch
@@ -15,6 +15,14 @@ diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
  import * as models from './src/host/models.js'
  import * as permissions from './src/host/permissions.js'
  import * as turns from './src/host/turns.js'
+@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import * as agents from './src/host/agents.js'
+ import * as prompt from './src/host/prompt.js'
+ import * as timeContext from './src/host/time-context.js'
+ import * as tools from './src/host/tools.js'
++import * as decisions from './src/host/decisions.js'
+ import * as chatIndex from './src/host/chat-index.js'
+ import * as groups from './src/host/groups.js'
+ import * as approvals from './src/host/approvals.js'
 @@ -24,11 +24,15 @@ import * as images from './src/host/images.js'
  import * as browser from './src/host/browser.js'
  import * as secrets from './src/host/secrets.js'
@@ -36,7 +44,7 @@ diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
  // install. Listeners run and tools are listed in registration order, so this order holds:
  // usage meters model requests after every listener that rewrites them.
 -const MODULES = [diagnostics, store, models, permissions, turns, delivery, roster, folders, agents, prompt, timeContext, tools, chatIndex, groups, approvals, resume, memory, parts, images, secrets, connectors, capabilities, schedules, browser, usage, update, dshUpdate, channel]
-+const MODULES = [diagnostics, store, memberAuth, authz, models, permissions, turns, delivery, roster, folders, agents, prompt, timeContext, tools, chatIndex, groups, roomMembership, reach, tasks, approvals, resume, memory, parts, images, secrets, connectors, connectorAccess, capabilities, schedules, automationDefault, browser, usage, update, dshUpdate, hooks, remoteChat, channel]
++const MODULES = [diagnostics, store, memberAuth, authz, models, permissions, turns, delivery, roster, folders, agents, prompt, timeContext, tools, decisions, chatIndex, groups, roomMembership, reach, tasks, approvals, resume, memory, parts, images, secrets, connectors, connectorAccess, capabilities, schedules, automationDefault, browser, usage, update, dshUpdate, hooks, remoteChat, channel]
  
  export function apply(ctx, config = {}) {
 -  createRuntime(ctx, config)
diff --git a/patches/ds-bot/files/src/host/decisions.js b/patches/ds-bot/files/src/host/decisions.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d0a72a282
--- /dev/null
+++ b/patches/ds-bot/files/src/host/decisions.js
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+// The decisions a Bot records (#396). A Bot often considers a correct or risky option and then
+// decides not to use it; those "considered and rejected" choices are invisible to a reviewer
+// today. This gives a Bot one small tool to record such a choice, and the host appends it to a
+// capped, append-only log. A Bot has no tool to edit or delete a past entry, so what a reviewer
+// reads is what was really considered.
+//
+// Opt-in (config.decisions): with the flag off nothing is registered, written or fired, so a
+// default install behaves exactly as before. The log is local text, one JSON line per entry; the
+// same entry is fired on the activity feed as `decision` so a consumer (Timeline, an audit view)
+// can show it without reading the file.
+import { appendFile, mkdir, readFile } from 'node:fs/promises'
+import { dirname, join } from 'node:path'
+import { defineTool } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-tools'
+import { looksSecret } from './memory.js'
+import { output } from './tools.js'
+
+const OPTION_MAX = 200
+const WHY_MAX = 300
+const CHOICES = new Set(['used', 'rejected'])
+const KEPT = 2_000
+const NAME_SAFE = /^[\w-]{1,128}$/
+
+const oneLine = (text, max) => String(text ?? '').replace(/[\u0000-\u001f\u007f-\u009f\u2028\u2029]/g, ' ').replace(/\s+/g, ' ').trim().slice(0, max)
+
+export function install(rt) {
+  if (rt.config?.decisions !== true) {
+    rt.decisionsEnabled = false
+    return
+  }
+  const { home } = rt
+  const path = join(home, 'decisions.jsonl')
+  // One append at a time, and a failure is a warning, never a turn failure (the log is a side
+  // record, not part of the Bot's work).
+  let writing = Promise.resolve()
+  function record(entry) {
+    const line = `${JSON.stringify(entry)}\n`
+    writing = writing.then(() => mkdir(dirname(path), { recursive: true }).then(() => appendFile(path, line, 'utf8')))
+      .catch(error => rt.warn('ds-bot: a decision was not written: %s', error))
+    return writing
+  }
+  // The entries, oldest first, capped to the newest `KEPT` lines. Reads only.
+  async function list() {
+    try {
+      const text = await readFile(path, 'utf8')
+      return text.split('\n').filter(Boolean).slice(-KEPT).map(line => { try { return JSON.parse(line) } catch { return undefined } }).filter(Boolean)
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (error?.code !== 'ENOENT') rt.warn('ds-bot: decisions could not be read: %s', error)
+      return []
+    }
+  }
+
+  rt.decisionsEnabled = true
+  rt.decisionsList = list
+  rt.ctx.tools.register(defineTool({
+    name: 'record_decision',
+    description: 'Record one decision that mattered — an option you considered and whether you used or rejected it, and why. A reviewer reads this log to see near-misses and judgment drift. One line per decision; not for routine steps, and never for secrets.',
+    parameters: {
+      option: { type: 'string', required: true, description: `What you considered, at most ${OPTION_MAX} characters` },
+      choice: { type: 'string', required: true, enum: ['used', 'rejected'], description: 'Whether you used it or rejected it' },
+      why: { type: 'string', description: `Why, in one short line, at most ${WHY_MAX} characters` },
+    },
+    output,
+    async execute(args, exec) {
+      await rt.load()
+      const botId = rt.selfOf(exec?.agent?.id)
+      const bot = rt.botOf(botId)
+      if (bot === undefined) return 'Only Bots on the team keep a decision log.'
+      const option = oneLine(args.option, OPTION_MAX)
+      const why = oneLine(args.why, WHY_MAX)
+      const choice = String(args.choice ?? '').trim().toLowerCase()
+      if (option === '') return 'Write the option you considered.'
+      if (!CHOICES.has(choice)) return 'choice must be "used" or "rejected".'
+      if (looksSecret(option) || looksSecret(why)) return 'A decision never holds a key, token or password; record the choice without it.'
+      const safeName = NAME_SAFE.test(botId) ? botId : 'bot'
+      const entry = { time: Date.now(), bot: safeName, botName: oneLine(bot.name, 40), option, choice, ...(why ? { why } : {}) }
+      await record(entry)
+      // The feed payload drops the id to a safe shape and adds the live botId (a consumer keys by it).
+      rt.fireFeed?.('decision', { botId, option, choice, ...(why ? { why } : {}), time: entry.time })
+      return `Recorded: ${choice} "${option}"${why ? ` — ${why}` : ''}.`
+    },
+  }))
+}
diff --git a/patches/ds-bot/files/src/host/flybot-feed.js b/patches/ds-bot/files/src/host/flybot-feed.js
index 2522cf273..0e38a6b2d 100644
--- a/patches/ds-bot/files/src/host/flybot-feed.js
+++ b/patches/ds-bot/files/src/host/flybot-feed.js
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 import { SOURCE_KIND } from './constants.js'
 import { normRemoteHandle, remoteBotTitle } from '../shared/remote-label.js'
 
-export const FEED_EVENTS = Object.freeze(['turn.start', 'turn.end', 'tool.start', 'tool.end', 'exchange.delivered'])
+export const FEED_EVENTS = Object.freeze(['turn.start', 'turn.end', 'tool.start', 'tool.end', 'exchange.delivered', 'decision'])
 
 // Relay roles a consumer can show. Retry, resume and secret-card nudges are the host
 // talking to itself, not the team talking to each other.
diff --git a/patches/ds-bot/files/src/host/hooks.js b/patches/ds-bot/files/src/host/hooks.js
index 2d0db7229..31afe91e0 100644
--- a/patches/ds-bot/files/src/host/hooks.js
+++ b/patches/ds-bot/files/src/host/hooks.js
@@ -134,6 +134,8 @@ export function install(rt) {
 
   // Turns, tool calls and deliveries (flybot-feed.js): metadata folded from session events.
   installFeed(rt, fire)
+  // Host modules of their own (e.g. decisions.js, #396) may fire a feed event on the same channel.
+  rt.fireFeed = fire
 
   // ---------------------------------------------------------------- bots
   // The team: every Bot but friends' Bots, which are chats of their own (remote-chat.js).
diff --git a/patches/ds-bot/files/test/decisions.test.js b/patches/ds-bot/files/test/decisions.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8e0573a2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/patches/ds-bot/files/test/decisions.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict'
+import { existsSync, mkdtempSync, readFileSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import { test } from 'node:test'
+import { apply } from '../index.js'
+import { fakeContext } from './fake-ctx.js'
+
+const TEAM = {
+  version: 1, mainBotIds: ['a'],
+  bots: { a: { id: 'a', name: 'Chief', role: 'Boss', sessionId: 'a', createdAt: 1 } },
+  rooms: {}, agents: {}, exchanges: [], exchangeTurns: {}, questions: {}, prefs: {}, revision: 0,
+}
+
+async function boot(config = {}) {
+  const home = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'ds-bot-decisions-'))
+  writeFileSync(join(home, 'state.json'), JSON.stringify(TEAM))
+  const ctx = fakeContext()
+  Object.assign(ctx, {
+    llm: { listProviders: () => [], listModels: async () => [], resolveModelInfo: async () => ({}) },
+    workspaceRegistry: { get: () => undefined, resolveByPath: async () => undefined, create: async path => ({ id: 'w1', path }), archiveSession: async () => {} },
+    sessionController: { create: async () => ({ sessionId: 's1' }), resolveAgent: async id => ({ agent: { session: { id }, id, status: 'idle', cancel() {} } }), selectModel: async () => {}, page: async () => ({ records: [], hasMore: false }) },
+    sessionTitle: { rename: async () => {} },
+    sessions: { flush: async () => {} },
+  })
+  const rt = apply(ctx, { home, ...config })
+  await ctx.flybot.ready()
+  const events = []
+  try { ctx.flybot.on('decision', payload => events.push(payload)) } catch { /* old core without the event */ }
+  const tool = (name, args, id = 'a') => ctx.registeredTools.get(name).execute(args, { agent: { id } })
+  const stop = async () => { await ctx.dispose(); rmSync(home, { recursive: true, force: true, maxRetries: 5 }) }
+  return { ctx, rt, home, tool, events, stop }
+}
+
+test('#396: a Bot records a decision; the host logs it and fires a feed event (opt-in)', async (t) => {
+  const { home, tool, events, stop } = await boot({ decisions: true })
+  t.after(stop)
+  const out = await tool('record_decision', { option: 'Delete the whole repo', choice: 'rejected', why: 'destructive' })
+  assert.match(out, /Recorded: rejected "Delete the whole repo" — destructive\./)
+  const log = readFileSync(join(home, 'decisions.jsonl'), 'utf8').trim().split('\n').map(line => JSON.parse(line))
+  assert.equal(log.length, 1)
+  assert.deepEqual([log[0].option, log[0].choice, log[0].bot, log[0].botName], ['Delete the whole repo', 'rejected', 'a', 'Chief'])
+  assert.deepEqual(events.map(event => [event.option, event.choice, event.why]), [['Delete the whole repo', 'rejected', 'destructive']])
+})
+
+test('#396: bad input is refused, and a secret is never logged', async (t) => {
+  const { home, tool, stop } = await boot({ decisions: true })
+  t.after(stop)
+  assert.match(await tool('record_decision', { option: '   ', choice: 'used' }), /Write the option/)
+  await assert.rejects(tool('record_decision', { option: 'x', choice: 'maybe' }))
+  const key = `sk-${'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv'}`
+  assert.match(await tool('record_decision', { option: `Leak ${key}`, choice: 'used' }), /never holds a key/)
+  assert.equal(existsSync(join(home, 'decisions.jsonl')), false)
+})
+
+test('#396: with the flag off the tool is not registered and nothing is written', async (t) => {
+  const { ctx, home, stop } = await boot()
+  t.after(stop)
+  assert.equal(ctx.registeredTools.get('record_decision'), undefined)
+  assert.equal(existsSync(join(home, 'decisions.jsonl')), false)
+})
diff --git a/patches/ds-bot/files/types/flybot.d.ts b/patches/ds-bot/files/types/flybot.d.ts
index 1d6e6e1ce..30ace7817 100644
--- a/patches/ds-bot/files/types/flybot.d.ts
+++ b/patches/ds-bot/files/types/flybot.d.ts
@@ -186,6 +186,23 @@ export interface FlyBotEvents {
   'tool.start': ToolStarted
   'tool.end': ToolEnded
   'exchange.delivered': ExchangeDelivered
+  /** A decision a Bot recorded through record_decision (#396): one option, used or rejected. */
+  'decision': DecisionMade
+}
+
+/**
+ * A decision a Bot recorded (#396): an option it considered, whether it used or rejected it, and
+ * why. Sanitized to one line; fired only when the host enables the decision log (config.decisions).
+ */
+export interface DecisionMade {
+  botId: BotId
+  /** What the Bot considered, one short line. */
+  option: string
+  choice: 'used' | 'rejected'
+  /** Why, one short line, when given. */
+  why?: string
+  /** Epoch ms. */
+  time: number
 }
 export type On = <K extends keyof FlyBotEvents>(event: K, listener: (payload: FlyBotEvents[K]) => void, options?: { all?: boolean }) => () => void