| name | create-area |
| description | Create PARA area notes for ongoing life responsibilities. Validates that the concept is truly an area (ongoing, no end date) rather than a project. Use when establishing new life domains or responsibilities to track. |
| user-invocable | true |
| allowed-tools | AskUserQuestion, mcp__plugin_para-obsidian_para-obsidian__para_create, mcp__plugin_para-obsidian_para-obsidian__para_list_areas, mcp__plugin_para-obsidian_para-obsidian__para_template_fields, mcp__plugin_para-obsidian_para-obsidian__para_config |
Create Area
Create PARA-compliant area notes for ongoing life responsibilities through collaborative dialogue.
Core Philosophy
From Tiago Forte's PARA Method:
- Area = Standard to maintain over time. Continuous, no end date.
- Areas map to roles you play in life (parent, homeowner, professional).
- Areas generate projects - they're the "why" behind your projects.
- Never "done" - you maintain standards, not complete tasks.
Critical Rules
- ALWAYS load existing areas first - Prevent duplicates
- Validate it's truly an area - If it has an end state, it's a project
- Areas have standards, not goals - "Maintain health" vs "Lose 10kg"
- Keep areas broad - 5-10 areas cover most of life
- Areas need routines - What recurring activities maintain this area?
Workflow Overview
Phase 0: Load Existing Areas (prevent duplicates)
↓
Phase 1: Gather Intent
├── What responsibility/domain?
└── Validate it's ongoing (no end date)
↓
Phase 2: Define Standards (optional but recommended)
├── What standards to maintain?
└── What routines support this area?
↓
Phase 3: Confirm & Create
Phase 0: Load Existing Areas
ALWAYS fetch existing areas first:
para_list_areas({ response_format: "json" })
Use this to:
- Prevent creating duplicate areas
- Suggest if similar area already exists
- Show user their current life structure
Phase 1: Gather Intent
1.1 Understand the Responsibility
If not provided in initial message, ask:
I'll help you create a new area. Areas are ongoing responsibilities - the
"departments" of your life that need continuous attention.
**What life responsibility or domain is this?**
Examples:
- 🏡 Home - Household maintenance and improvements
- 🏃 Health - Physical and mental wellness
- 💼 Career - Professional growth and work
- 👨👩👧 Family - Family relationships and care
- 💰 Finance - Money management and planning
1.2 Validate It's an Area (Not a Project)
Key test: Does it have an end state?
| User Says | Type | Action |
|---|
| "Manage my health" | Area ✅ | Continue |
| "Lose 10kg" | Project ❌ | Suggest project instead |
| "Home maintenance" | Area ✅ | Continue |
| "Renovate kitchen" | Project ❌ | Suggest project instead |
| "Learn Spanish" | Ambiguous | Ask: ongoing skill or specific goal? |
If user describes something with an end state:
That sounds more like a **Project** (specific goal with end state) than an
**Area** (ongoing responsibility).
Would you like to:
1. **Create a project instead** - For "Lose 10kg" with a target date
2. **Reframe as an area** - "Health" is the area, weight loss is a project within it
3. **Continue as area** - If you see this as truly ongoing
1.3 Check for Duplicates
If similar area exists:
I notice you already have [[🏡 Home]] as an area.
Is this new area:
1. **Different enough** to be separate? (tell me how)
2. **Should merge** into the existing area?
3. **A project** within that area instead?
Phase 2: Define Standards (Optional)
This phase helps create meaningful areas, but can be skipped for quick creation.
2.1 Standards to Maintain
Areas are defined by the standards you want to maintain.
**What standards matter for this area?**
Examples for "Health":
- [ ] Exercise 3x per week
- [ ] Annual checkup completed
- [ ] Sleep 7+ hours most nights
(Type your standards, or "skip" to add later)
2.2 Supporting Routines
**What routines help maintain this area?**
| Frequency | Example |
|-----------|---------|
| Daily | Morning walk, medication |
| Weekly | Meal prep, gym sessions |
| Monthly | Budget review, date night |
(Type your routines, or "skip" to add later)
Phase 3: Confirm & Create
3.1 Present Proposal
## Area Proposal
**Title:** 🌱 [Area Name]
**Type:** Ongoing responsibility
**Status:** active
### Standards to Maintain
- [ ] [Standard 1]
- [ ] [Standard 2]
- [ ] [Standard 3]
(or "To be defined" if skipped)
### Routines
- **Daily:** [routine or "—"]
- **Weekly:** [routine or "—"]
- **Monthly:** [routine or "—"]
---
**Ready to create?** (yes / tell me what to change)
3.2 Discover Template Metadata
Before creating, query the area template for its current structure:
para_template_fields({ template: "area", response_format: "json" })
Extract from response:
validArgs → which args to pass (e.g., status field name)
creation_meta.dest → destination folder
creation_meta.sections → body section headings
creation_meta.titlePrefix → emoji prefix (auto-applied)
3.3 Create Area Note
Use discovered values from Step 3.2 (creation_meta.dest for dest, creation_meta.sections for section headings, validArgs for field names):
para_create({
template: "area",
title: "[Area name without emoji - template adds prefix]",
dest: "<discovered-dest>",
args: {
"<discovered-status-field>": "active"
},
content: {
"<discovered-description-section>": "[What this area encompasses]",
"<discovered-standards-section>": "[Checklist from Phase 2.1]",
"<discovered-routines-section>": "[Routines from Phase 2.2]"
},
response_format: "json"
})
3.4 Confirm Creation
Created: 🌱 [Area Name].md → [discovered-dest]
This area is now ready to:
- Track projects that serve this responsibility
- Hold resources related to this domain
- Guide your weekly reviews
Would you like to:
1. **Create a project** within this area
2. **Add more standards** to maintain
3. **Done** - Area is ready
Error Handling
| Error | Recovery |
|---|
| Duplicate area name | Suggest merge or differentiate |
| Sounds like a project | Offer to create project instead |
| Too narrow scope | Suggest broader area name |
| Area creation fails | Show error, preserve user input |
Example Interaction
User: /para-obsidian:create-area
AI: I'll help you create a new area. Let me check your existing areas first.
Your current areas:
- 🎹 Movie Love
- 🏠 Property
- 🏡 Home
- 🐶 Pet - Muffin
- 📝 Note Taking
- 🔧 Dotfiles
- 🤖 AI Practice
What life responsibility or domain do you want to track?
User: I want to manage my career development and professional growth
AI: Great! "Career" is a classic area - ongoing professional responsibility.
What standards do you want to maintain? Examples:
- [ ] Stay current with industry trends
- [ ] Attend 2+ conferences per year
- [ ] Maintain professional network
(Type yours, or "skip" to add later)
User: skip for now
AI: No problem. Any routines that support your career?
- Daily: Learning time?
- Weekly: Networking?
- Monthly: Skill review?
(Type yours, or "skip")
User: Weekly learning - 2 hours on Fridays
AI: ## Area Proposal
**Title:** 🌱 Career
**Type:** Ongoing responsibility
**Status:** active
### Standards to Maintain
- To be defined
### Routines
- **Weekly:** 2 hours learning on Fridays
---
**Ready to create?** (yes / tell me what to change)
User: yes
AI: Created: 🌱 Career.md → 02 Areas
Would you like to create a project within this area?
Area Examples (Reference)
Common areas that cover most of life:
| Area | Covers |
|---|
| 🏡 Home | Household, maintenance, improvements |
| 🏃 Health | Physical, mental, medical |
| 💼 Career | Work, professional development |
| 💰 Finance | Budget, investments, taxes |
| 👨👩👧 Family | Relationships, parenting, care |
| 🎓 Learning | Education, skills, growth |
| 🎨 Hobbies | Creative pursuits, recreation |
| 🤝 Social | Friendships, community, networking |
Guideline: Most people need 5-10 areas. More than 15 suggests over-categorization.
Completion Signal
After creating the area, emit a structured completion signal so the brain orchestrator can parse the outcome:
- Success:
SKILL_RESULT:{"status":"ok","skill":"create-area","summary":"Created area: [name]"}
- Redirected to project:
SKILL_RESULT:{"status":"ok","skill":"create-area","summary":"Redirected to create-project"}
- Cancelled:
SKILL_RESULT:{"status":"ok","skill":"create-area","summary":"Cancelled by user"}
- Error:
SKILL_RESULT:{"status":"error","skill":"create-area","error":"[error description]"}