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name
health
description
Run condition-based vault health diagnostics. 8 categories — schema compliance, orphan detection, link health, description quality, three-space boundaries, processing throughput, stale notes, MOC coherence. 3 modes — quick (schema+orphans+links), full (all 8), three-space (boundary violations only). Returns actionable FAIL/WARN/PASS report with specific fixes ranked by impact. Triggers on "/health", "check vault health", "maintenance report", "what needs fixing".
version
1.0
generated_from
arscontexta-v1.6
context
fork
model
opus
allowed-tools
Read, Grep, Glob, Bash, mcp__qmd__vector_search
argument-hint
[optional: 'quick', 'full', or 'three-space']
Runtime Configuration (Step 0 — before any processing)
Read these files to configure domain-specific behavior:
What it checks: Every {vocabulary.note} has at least one incoming wiki link from another file.
How to check:
# For each note file, check if ANY other file links to itfor f in {vocabulary.notes}/*.md; do
[[ -f "$f" ]] || continuebasename=$(basename"$f" .md)
# Search for [[basename]] in all other files
count=$(rg -l "\[\[$basename\]\]" --glob '*.md' | grep -v "$f" | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
if [[ "$count" -eq 0 ]]; thenecho"WARN: $f — no incoming links (orphan)"fidone
Nuance: Orphans are not automatically failures. A note created today that hasn't been through /{vocabulary.cmd_reflect} yet is expected to be orphaned temporarily. Check file age:
Condition
Level
Orphan note created < 24 hours ago
INFO (expected — awaiting reflect phase)
Orphan note created 1-7 days ago
WARN
Orphan note older than 7 days
FAIL (persistent orphan needs attention)
No orphans detected
PASS
Output format:
[2] Orphan Detection ............. WARN
3 orphan notes detected:
- notes/new-claim.md (created 2h ago — awaiting reflect) [INFO]
- notes/old-observation.md (created 5d ago) [WARN]
- notes/forgotten-insight.md (created 14d ago) [FAIL]
Recommendation: run /reflect on forgotten-insight.md and old-observation.md
Category 3: Link Health (quick, full)
What it checks: Every wiki link [[target]] in every file resolves to an existing file.
How to check:
# Extract all wiki links from all markdown files# For each unique link target, verify a file with that name exists
rg -oN '\[\[([^\]]+)\]\]' --glob '*.md' -r '$1' | sort -u | whileread target; do# Search for file matching this name
found=$(find . -name "$target.md" -not -path "./.git/*" 2>/dev/null | head -1)
if [[ -z "$found" ]]; thenecho"FAIL: dangling link [[${target}]] — no file found"# Show which files contain this dangling link
rg -l "\[\[$target\]\]" --glob '*.md'fidone
Thresholds:
Condition
Level
Any dangling link (target does not exist)
FAIL
All links resolve
PASS
Why FAIL not WARN: Dangling links are broken promises. Every [[link]] a reader follows that leads nowhere erodes trust in the graph. Fix these immediately.
What it checks: Every {vocabulary.note}'s description adds genuine information beyond the title — not just a restatement.
How to check:
For each {vocabulary.note}:
Read the title (filename without extension)
Read the description field from YAML frontmatter
Evaluate: does the description add scope, mechanism, or implication that the title does not cover?
Quality heuristics:
Check
Threshold
Description length
50-200 chars ideal. < 30 chars = too terse. > 250 chars = too verbose
Restatement detection
If description uses >70% of the same words as the title = restatement
Information added
Description should mention mechanism, scope, or implication not in title
Thresholds:
Condition
Level
Description is a clear restatement of the title
WARN
Description is < 30 characters
WARN
Description is missing entirely
WARN (also caught by Category 1)
Description adds genuine new information
PASS
This check requires judgment. Use semantic understanding, not just string matching. A description that uses different words but says the same thing as the title is still a restatement.
Output format:
[4] Description Quality .......... WARN
2 descriptions are restatements:
- notes/quality-matters.md
Title: "quality matters more than quantity"
Description: "quality is more important than quantity in knowledge work"
Issue: restates title without adding mechanism or implication
- notes/structure-helps.md
Title: "structure without processing provides no value"
Description: "having structure without processing it is not valuable"
Issue: exact restatement
Recommendation: rewrite descriptions to add scope, mechanism, or implication
What it checks: Content respects the boundaries between self/, {vocabulary.notes}/, and ops/. Each space has a purpose — conflating them degrades search quality, navigation, and trust.
Before running this check: Read ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/three-spaces.md for the full boundary specification.
Six conflation patterns to detect:
5a. Ops into Notes (Infrastructure Creep)
Queue state, health metrics, task files, or processing artifacts appearing in {vocabulary.notes}/ directory.
Detection:
# Check for ops-pattern YAML fields in notes
rg '^(current_phase|completed_phases|batch|source_task|queue_id):' {vocabulary.notes}/ --glob '*.md'# Check for task file patterns in notes
rg '## (Create|Reflect|Reweave|Verify|Enrich)$' {vocabulary.notes}/ --glob '*.md'
Found
Level
Any ops-pattern content in {vocabulary.notes}/
WARN
5b. Self into Notes (Identity Pollution)
Agent identity or methodology content mixed into user's knowledge graph. Agent's operational observations appearing in user's {vocabulary.notes}/ space.
Any agent-reflection content in {vocabulary.notes}/
WARN
5c. Notes into Ops (Trapped Knowledge)
Genuine insights trapped in session logs, observations, or ops files that should be promoted to {vocabulary.notes}/.
Detection:
# Check for claim-like content in ops that could be notes# Look for files with description fields in ops/observations/ or ops/methodology/
rg '^description:' ops/observations/*.md ops/methodology/*.md 2>/dev/null
Found
Level
Content in ops/ with note-like schema (description + topics)
INFO (may be intentional, flag for review)
5d. Self into Ops / Ops into Self
Temporal state stored in self/ (should be in ops/), or identity content stored in ops/ (should be in self/).
Detection:
# Check for temporal/queue content in self/
rg '^(current_phase|status|queue):' self/ --glob '*.md' 2>/dev/null
# Check for identity content in ops/
rg -i '(my identity|I am|who I am|my personality)' ops/ --glob '*.md' 2>/dev/null
5e. Notes into Self
Domain knowledge stored in self/ instead of {vocabulary.notes}/.
Detection:
# Check self/memory/ for notes that have topics linking to notes-space topic maps
rg '^topics:.*\[\[' self/memory/*.md 2>/dev/null | grep -v 'identity\|methodology\|goals\|relationships'
5f. Self Space Absence Effects (when self/ is disabled)
When self/ is disabled, verify ops/ absorbs self-space content correctly. Check that goals and handoffs are in ops/, not floating in {vocabulary.notes}/.
Detection:
# If self/ doesn't exist, check that goals/handoffs are in ops/if [[ ! -d "self/" ]]; then# Check for goals or handoff content in notes/
rg -i '(my goals|current goals|handoff|session handoff)' {vocabulary.notes}/ --glob '*.md'fi
Thresholds:
Condition
Level
Any boundary violation (5a, 5b, 5d, 5e)
WARN
Trapped knowledge in ops (5c)
INFO
Self-absence effects (5f)
WARN
All boundaries intact
PASS
Output format:
[5] Three-Space Boundaries ....... WARN
1 boundary violation detected:
Ops into Notes (infrastructure creep):
- notes/task-tracking.md contains queue state fields (current_phase, batch)
- Should be in ops/queue/ not notes/
1 potential trapped knowledge:
- ops/observations/interesting-pattern.md has note-like schema
Consider promoting to notes/ via /reduce or direct creation
Recommendation: move task-tracking.md to ops/queue/
Category 6: Processing Throughput (full only)
What it checks: The inbox-to-knowledge ratio. High ratios indicate collector's fallacy — capturing more than processing.
[6] Processing Throughput ........ WARN
inbox: 12 | notes: 8 | in-progress: 3 | ratio: 60%
Inbox items outnumber processed notes — collector's fallacy risk
Recommendation: run /reduce on oldest inbox items or /pipeline for end-to-end processing
Category 7: Stale Note Detection (full only)
What it checks: Notes not modified recently AND with low link density. Staleness is condition-based (low link density + no activity since N new notes were added), not purely calendar-based.
How to check:
For each {vocabulary.note}:
Check last modified date (stat or git log)
Count incoming links (same as orphan detection, but counting instead of boolean)
Flag notes with: modified > 30 days ago AND < 2 incoming links
for f in {vocabulary.notes}/*.md; do
[[ -f "$f" ]] || continuebasename=$(basename"$f" .md)
# Last modified (days ago)
mod_days=$(( ($(date +%s) - $(stat -f %m "$f" 2>/dev/null || stat -c %Y "$f" 2>/dev/null)) / 86400 ))
# Incoming link count
incoming=$(rg -l "\[\[$basename\]\]" --glob '*.md' | grep -v "$f" | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
if [[ $mod_days -gt 30 ]] && [[ $incoming -lt 2 ]]; thenecho"STALE: $f — $mod_days days old, $incoming incoming links"fidone
Thresholds:
Condition
Level
Any note > 30 days old with < 2 incoming links
WARN
Any note > 90 days old with 0 incoming links
FAIL
All notes either recent or well-connected
PASS
Prioritization: Sort stale notes by:
Age (oldest first)
Link density (least connected first)
Topic relevance (notes in active topic areas are higher priority)
Output format:
[7] Stale Notes .................. WARN
4 stale notes detected (>30d old, <2 incoming links):
- notes/old-observation.md (92d, 0 links) [FAIL — consider archiving or reweaving]
- notes/early-claim.md (45d, 1 link) [WARN]
- notes/setupial-thought.md (38d, 1 link) [WARN]
- notes/first-draft.md (31d, 0 links) [WARN]
Recommendation: run /reweave on these notes to find connections, or archive if no longer relevant
What it checks: Each {vocabulary.topic_map} has a healthy number of linked notes, and notes in the same topic area are actually linked.
How to check:
For each {vocabulary.topic_map} file:
Count notes that link TO this {vocabulary.topic_map} (notes with this in their topics footer/field)
Check if there are notes in the same topic area NOT linked to the {vocabulary.topic_map} (coverage gaps)
Verify context phrases exist on Core Ideas links (not bare links)
# For each topic mapfor moc in {vocabulary.notes}/*.md; do
[[ -f "$moc" ]] || continue# Check if this is a topic map (has type: moc in frontmatter)
rg -q '^type: moc'"$moc" || continue
moc_name=$(basename"$moc" .md)
# Count notes linking to this topic map
note_count=$(rg -l "\[\[$moc_name\]\]" {vocabulary.notes}/ --glob '*.md' | grep -v "$moc" | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
echo"$moc_name: $note_count notes"done
Thresholds:
Condition
Level
{vocabulary.topic_map} with < 5 notes
WARN (underdeveloped — consider merging into parent)
{vocabulary.topic_map} with > 50 notes
WARN (oversized — consider splitting into sub-{vocabulary.topic_maps})
{vocabulary.topic_map} with > 40 notes
INFO (approaching threshold)
Notes exist in topic area but not linked to {vocabulary.topic_map}
WARN (coverage gap)
All {vocabulary.topic_maps} in 5-50 range with good coverage
PASS
Context phrase check:
# Check for bare links in topic map Core Ideas (links without context phrases)for moc in {vocabulary.notes}/*.md; do
rg -q '^type: moc'"$moc" || continue# Look for "- [[note]]" without " — " context
rg '^\s*- \[\['"$moc" | grep -v ' — ' | grep -v '^\s*- \[\[.*\]\].*—'done
Bare links without context phrases are address book entries, not navigation. Every link in a {vocabulary.topic_map} should explain WHY to follow it.
Output format:
[8] MOC Coherence ................ WARN
3 topic maps checked:
- knowledge-work: 28 notes [PASS]
- graph-structure: 52 notes [WARN — oversized, consider splitting]
3 bare links without context phrases
- agent-cognition: 3 notes [WARN — underdeveloped, consider merging]
Recommendation: split graph-structure into sub-topic-maps; add context phrases to bare links
Condition-Based Maintenance Signals
After running all applicable diagnostic categories, check these condition-based triggers. These are NOT the 8 categories above — they are cross-cutting signals that suggest specific skill invocations.
Condition
Threshold
Recommendation
Pending observations
>= 10 files in ops/observations/
Consider running /rethink
Open tensions
>= 5 files in ops/tensions/
Consider running /rethink
Inbox items
>= 3 items
Consider /reduce or /pipeline
Unprocessed sessions
>= 5 files in ops/sessions/
Consider /remember --mine-sessions
Orphan notes
Any persistent (> 7d)
Run /reflect on orphaned notes
Dangling links
Any
Fix broken references immediately
Stale notes
Low links + old
Consider /reweave
{vocabulary.topic_map} oversized
> 40 notes
Consider splitting
Queue stalled
Tasks pending > 2 sessions without progress
Surface as blocked
Trigger coverage gap
Known maintenance condition has no configured trigger
The meta-trigger: Include a "trigger coverage" check. Compare known maintenance conditions against what is actually being checked. If a maintenance condition has no corresponding check or trigger configured, that gap itself is a finding. This prevents the failure mode where maintenance debt accumulates undetected.
Output Format
The complete health report follows this structure. Every report, regardless of mode, uses this format.
=== HEALTH REPORT ===
Mode: [quick | full | three-space]
Date: YYYY-MM-DD
Notes scanned: N | Topic maps: N | Inbox items: N
Summary: N FAIL, N WARN, N PASS
FAIL:
- [Category N]: [brief description of failure]
[specific files and details]
WARN:
- [Category N]: [brief description of warning]
[specific files and details]
PASS:
- [Category N]: [confirmation]
---
[1] Schema Compliance ............ PASS | WARN | FAIL
[details — specific files, specific issues]
[2] Orphan Detection ............. PASS | WARN | FAIL
[details — specific files, age, link count]
[3] Link Health .................. PASS | WARN | FAIL
[details — specific dangling links, where referenced]
[4] Description Quality .......... PASS | WARN | FAIL (full mode only)
[details — specific files, title vs description comparison]
[5] Three-Space Boundaries ....... PASS | WARN | FAIL (full/three-space mode)
[details — specific boundary violations by type]
[6] Processing Throughput ........ PASS | WARN | FAIL (full mode only)
inbox: N | notes: N | in-progress: N | ratio: N%
[7] Stale Notes .................. PASS | WARN | FAIL (full mode only)
[N notes older than 30d with <2 incoming links, sorted by priority]
[8] MOC Coherence ................ PASS | WARN | FAIL (full mode only)
[details — note count per topic map, coverage gaps, bare links]
---
Maintenance Signals:
[condition-based triggers from table above, if any thresholds met]
- observations: N pending (threshold: 10) [TRIGGERED | OK]
- tensions: N pending (threshold: 5) [TRIGGERED | OK]
- inbox: N items (threshold: 3) [TRIGGERED | OK]
- sessions: N unprocessed (threshold: 5) [TRIGGERED | OK]
---
Recommended Actions (top 3, ranked by impact):
1. [Most impactful action — specific command + specific file]
2. [Second priority — specific command + specific file]
3. [Third priority — specific command + specific file]
=== END REPORT ===
Report Storage
Write every health report to ops/health/YYYY-MM-DD-report.md. If multiple reports are run on the same day, append a counter: YYYY-MM-DD-report-2.md.
This creates a health history that /architect can reference when proposing evolution. Trends across reports reveal systemic patterns that individual reports miss.
Quality Standards
Be Specific
Every finding MUST name the specific file(s) involved.
Bad: "some notes lack descriptions"
Good: "notes/example-note.md and notes/another-note.md are missing the description field"
Bad: "there are dangling links"
Good: "[[nonexistent-claim]] is referenced in notes/old-note.md (line 14) and notes/related.md (line 22) but no file with that name exists"
Prioritize by Impact
Not all issues are equal. The recommended actions section ranks by impact:
Impact Tier
Examples
Why
Highest
Dangling links, persistent orphans
Broken promises in the graph — readers hit dead ends
High
Schema violations, boundary violations
Structural integrity — compounds into larger problems
Medium
Description quality, stale notes
Retrieval quality — degraded but not broken
Low
{vocabulary.topic_map} size warnings, throughput ratio
Maintenance debt — matters at scale
Don't Overwhelm
Focus on the top 5-10 issues in the recommended actions
Group related issues (3 notes missing descriptions = 1 finding, not 3)
For large vaults, cap per-category detail at 10 specific files, then summarize: "...and 15 more"
WARN is for everything else that is suboptimal but not broken.
Mode-Specific Behavior
Quick Mode (default)
Runs categories 1-3 only: Schema, Orphans, Links.
Use when:
Session start health check
Quick pulse on vault integrity
After a batch of note creation
Runtime: Should complete in < 30 seconds for vaults up to 200 notes.
Full Mode
Runs all 8 categories plus maintenance signals.
Use when:
Periodic comprehensive health review
After significant vault changes (large batch processing, restructuring)
When something "feels wrong" about the vault
Before a /architect or /reseed session
Runtime: May take 1-3 minutes for larger vaults due to description quality analysis and {vocabulary.topic_map} coherence checks.
Three-Space Mode
Runs category 5 only: boundary violation checks.
Use when:
After /reseed to verify boundaries are intact
When search results seem contaminated (ops content in knowledge queries)
When self/ is being enabled or disabled
Debugging "why does my search return weird results?"
Runtime: Should complete in < 30 seconds.
Edge Cases
Empty Vault
A vault with 0 notes is not unhealthy — it is new. Report:
Notes scanned: 0 | Topic maps: 0 | Inbox items: N
All categories PASS (no notes to check)
Maintenance Signal: inbox has N items — consider /reduce to start building knowledge
Self Space Disabled
When self/ does not exist:
Skip self-space boundary checks (5b, 5d, 5e inbound)
But DO check that ops/ correctly absorbs self-space content (5f)
Note in the report: "self/ is disabled — boundary checks adapted accordingly"
No Semantic Search
When qmd/MCP tools are unavailable:
Skip any checks that depend on semantic search
Note in the report: "Semantic search unavailable — some checks skipped"
All file-based checks (schema, orphans, links, boundaries) still run
Large Vaults (500+ notes)
Cap per-category file listings at 10, then summarize
Consider running checks in batches if performance degrades
Focus recommended actions on highest-impact items
Integration with Other Skills
Health report findings feed into other skills:
Finding
Feeds Into
How
Orphan notes
/reflect
Run reflect to find connections for orphaned notes
Stale notes
/reweave
Run reweave to update old notes with new connections
Description quality issues
/verify or manual rewrite
Fix descriptions to improve retrieval
Schema violations
/validate
Run validation to fix specific schema issues
Boundary violations
Manual restructuring
Move files to correct space
Processing throughput
/reduce or /pipeline
Process inbox items to improve ratio
{vocabulary.topic_map} oversized
Manual split or /architect
Split oversized {vocabulary.topic_maps} into sub-{vocabulary.topic_maps}
Accumulated observations
/rethink
Review and triage observations
Accumulated tensions
/rethink
Resolve or dissolve tensions
The health-to-action loop:
/health (diagnose) -> specific findings -> specific skill invocation -> /health (verify fix)
Health is diagnostic only — it measures state without prescribing changes. /architect reads health reports and proposes changes with research backing. The separation matters: health tells you WHAT is wrong, architect tells you WHY and HOW to fix it.
