second-brain

name	second-brain
description	Personal knowledge base using the LLM Wiki pattern (Karpathy). Activates on explicit /second-brain invocation. Supports: 'ingest', 'query', 'lint', 'health check', 'weekly summary', 'monthly report'.

Second Brain — LLM Wiki

Personal knowledge base following Karpathy's LLM Wiki pattern.

Setup

At session start, locate and read the schema:

Vault path discovery (in order):

1. Config file ~/.claude/second-brain.json → read vault_path key
2. Environment variable SECOND_BRAIN_PATH if set
3. Default: ~/second-brain/

Read CLAUDE.md from the vault root — this is the schema with all conventions, workflows, and protocols. Follow its instructions exactly.

Operations

The schema defines three operations:

• Ingest — capture a source into raw/, update wiki pages, update index, log it
• Query — read index, find relevant pages, synthesize answer, file back good answers as wiki pages
• Lint — health check the wiki, mark done items, flag undone items, find gaps

Activation Rules

This skill activates ONLY on explicit /second-brain invocation. Generic phrases like "look up", "todo", or "weekly summary" in normal conversation should NOT trigger this skill — only when prefixed with /second-brain.

Mutating operations (ingest, lint) require explicit invocation. Read-only queries may activate on /second-brain query or /second-brain what do I know about.

Tools

Use whatever tools are available on this device. Check CLAUDE.md § Tools Available.

Primary: Claude Code's native Read/Write/Edit tools work with any local folder. Optional enhancement: Obsidian vault MCP if the user has Obsidian installed.

If no specialized tools are available, the user pastes content and the LLM processes it with file system Read/Write.

That's It

The schema (CLAUDE.md) in the vault is the single source of truth. It travels with the vault across devices. This skill file just points to it.