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)

2. Generate filename

   • Format:

     YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS-slug.md

   • Slug: lowercase, hyphenated, from content passed in (max 4-5 words)
   • Example:

     20260131-143022-compound-interest.md

3. 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

4. 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]

5. 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

2. 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

3. 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.