episode: Fix: ScorecardTracker stale data - load_data() on every read

episodes/2026-02-20.md

@@ -226,3 +226,7 @@ Files
 - **Summary:** Commits made: 1
   - fix: batch quick-wins — 4 issues resolved (closes #37, #27, #25, #38)
 Files
+
+## 14:06 - Fix: ScorecardTracker stale data - load_data() on every read
+- **Type:** fix
+- **Tags:** major-domo, scorebug, scorecard-tracker, fix, stale-data, discord-bot

graph/fixes/fix-scorecardtracker-stale-data-load-data-on-every-read-fbc3a7.md

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+---
+id: fbc3a7f4-f50a-4556-bcca-fd49a268a82f
+type: fix
+title: "Fix: ScorecardTracker stale data - load_data() on every read"
+tags: [major-domo, scorebug, scorecard-tracker, fix, stale-data, discord-bot]
+importance: 0.7
+confidence: 0.8
+created: "2026-02-20T20:06:02.824409+00:00"
+updated: "2026-02-20T20:06:02.824409+00:00"
+---
+
+# Fix: ScorecardTracker Stale Data
+
+## Problem
+The background task (`LiveScorebugTracker`) and the `/publish-scorecard` command each create their own `ScorecardTracker` instance. Publishing writes to `data/scorecards.json` through the command's instance, but the background task's instance had stale in-memory data and never saw the updates.
+
+## Root Cause
+`ScorecardTracker` loaded data once at construction time and kept it in memory. Multiple instances do not share state, so one instance's writes were invisible to others.
+
+## Fix
+Added `self.load_data()` at the start of `get_scorecard()` and `get_all_scorecards()` in `commands/gameplay/scorecard_tracker.py` so they always read fresh data from disk on every call.
+
+## Why It's Safe
+The JSON file (`data/scorecards.json`) is small, so the disk read overhead is negligible. This is a simple, correct fix without needing to introduce shared state or a singleton.
+
+## File
+`commands/gameplay/scorecard_tracker.py`
+
+## Related
+Closes issue #40. Branch: `fix/scorebug-bugs`.