# ADR 0008: Meeting Storage Layout

## Status

Accepted

## Context

A meeting produces multiple related artifacts during its lifecycle, including recordings, transcripts, AI-generated analyses, exports and metadata.

The project requires a storage layout that is:

- human-readable
- portable
- independent of the storage backend
- suitable for long-term archival
- compatible with future database indexing

---

## Decision

Each meeting shall be stored in its own directory.

The directory represents the canonical container for all meeting artifacts.

Meeting directories shall be named using a stable Meeting ID rather than the meeting title.

Recommended format:

```text
YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_<short_uuid>
```

Example:

```text
20260711_154215_9d7a4c51
```

The meeting title is stored exclusively inside `meeting.json`.

A meeting shall follow the structure:

```text
meeting/
│
├── meeting.json
│
├── recording/
│   ├── source.wav
│   └── archive.flac
│
├── transcript/
│   ├── canonical.json
│   ├── working_v1.json
│   └── working_v2.json
│
├── artifacts/
│   ├── summary.md
│   ├── executive_summary.md
│   ├── action_items.json
│   ├── decisions.json
│   ├── risks.json
│   └── knowledge.json
│
├── export/
│   ├── protocol.md
│   ├── protocol.pdf
│   └── protocol.docx
│
└── metadata/
    ├── recording.json
    ├── transcription.json
    ├── diarization.json
    └── llm.json
```

The file system is considered the primary storage format.

Databases are optional secondary indexes.

File names describe their role rather than their file format.

Examples:

- `source.wav`
- `archive.flac`
- `canonical.json`
- `working_v1.json`

This allows processing and archive formats to evolve without changing the overall storage layout.

---

## Consequences

- Every meeting is self-contained.
- Meetings can be copied, archived and restored independently.
- Backup procedures remain simple.
- Future storage implementations remain compatible.
- Database implementations can be rebuilt from the meeting directories.
- Meeting titles may change without affecting directory names or references.
- The storage layout remains stable even if processing or archive formats evolve in the future.