Configuration

Run pwd and get the {curDir}

• Notes directory: {curDir}/slipbox/
• Graph index: {curDir}/slipbox/.graph/graph.json
• Timezone: User's local timezone (check USER.md or system)

Note Patterns & Types

Prefixes

• > {content} → quote, contains attributed text.
• ! {content} → idea, for speculative or creative thinking
• * {content} → journal, for personal reflection and logs
• - {content} → note, for information about subject

Delimiters

• ~ {content} → source (appended after prefix+content combination)
• Example note with source: - Content here ~ Source Type, Source Title by Source Author
• Example quote with source: > Content here ~ Source Type, Source Author

Workflow

1. Capture

When a note is recognized:

1. Extract content and metadata
• Note content
• Type (quote/idea/journal/note)
• Source information (if provided)

1. Generate filename
• Format: YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS-slug.md
• Slug: lowercase, hyphenated, from content passed in (max 4-5 words)
• Example: 20260131-143022-compound-interest.md

1. Check for existing source
• If source is not provided set source: null.
• If source provided, search existing notes for matching source title (case insensitive)
• Use existing source if found
• Otherwise, use provided source as-is
• No external API calls - trust user input

1. Generate tags
• Extract specific objects concepts (nouns)
• Focus on: people, tools, techniques, systems, specific topics
• Avoid broad categories like "productivity" or "ideas"
• Consistency: Check existing tags before creating new ones
• 2 or 3 tags per note
• Examples: [pomodoro-technique, Cal-Newport, deep-work]

1. Create markdown file

---
title: "Generated Note Title from Content"
date: 2026-01-31T14:30:22-05:00
type: note
tags: [specific, object, based, tags]
source:
  title: "Source Title"
  type: "book"
  author: "Author Name"
links: []
---

Note content here in markdown.

Note Titles

• Descriptive but concise: 3-8 words
• Avoid generic: Not "Thoughts" or "Notes", be specific
• Question format works: "Why does X happen?" or "How to Y?"

2. Link

After creating a note, find connections:

1. Search existing notes
• Look for related concepts, people, topics
• Check for overlapping tags

1. Determine connection type
• related - Similar topic or theme
• extends - Builds on or expands another note
• contradicts - Opposing viewpoint
• references - Mentions same person/book/concept
• supports - Provides evidence for another note

1. Add bidirectional links
• Update both notes' frontmatter
• Include reason for connection

Quality over quantity: Only link when genuinely related

links:
  - id: "20260120-093045-compound-interest"
    type: related
    reason: "Both discuss exponential growth concepts"

3. Note Validations

3.1: Validate frontmatter - Ensure the note has the required fields

• title
• date
• type
• tags

3.2: Remove broken links

• Check if notes that the new note links to still exist
• If any files are missing save them to {curDir}/slipbox/missing.md

4. Update Graph

After capture and linking:

4.1: Load graph index

• Read {curDir}/slipbox/.graph/graph.json

4.2: Add/update note entry

{
  "notes": {
    "20260131-143022-note-title.md": {
      "title": "Your Note Title",
      "source": {
        "title": "Source Title",
        "type": "book",
        "author": "Author Name"
      },
      "type": "note",
      "tags": ["tag1", "tag2"],
      "links": [
          "20260120-093045-other-note.md",
      ]
    }
  },
  "last_updated": "2026-01-31T14:35:00-05:00"
}

4.3: Remove any entries from graph

• Read {curDir}/slipbox/missing.md
• If any notes are found missing remove the entry from the graph.
• Then remove them from {curDir}/slipbox/missing.md

4.4: Rebuild graph

• If corrupted beyond simple note removals, rebuild from the current note files.

4.5: Write updated graph

• Save back to {curDir}/slipbox/.graph/graph.json

Querying

Respond to natural queries like: "Show me notes about X"

Approach:

1. Search graph index first (fast); only fall back to file search if needed.
2. Present results with titles, dates, snippets
3. Offer to show full content if relevant

User Feedback

Keep responses minimal:

• ❌ Don't narrate every step unless debugging

Example Interaction

User: "- The Feynman Technique is about teaching concepts to identify gaps in understanding"

You:

1. Create 20260131-163500-feynman-technique.md
2. Tag: [Feynman-technique, learning, teaching]
3. Search for related notes (study techniques, learning methods)
4. Link to any relevant note about learning
5. Update graph index
6. Reply: "Note captured: Feynman Technique"

When to apply this skill: Whenever user shares content that starts with the defined prefixes the content which follows should be captured for later reference.