vault-knowledge-retrieval

name	vault-knowledge-retrieval
description	Search and retrieve knowledge from the PARA knowledge base (Areas, Techniques, Resources). Use when the user asks about a technology, concept, process, or domain, or when you need background context from their Second Brain to support another task.

Obsidian Vault Knowledge Retrieval

Search and synthesize information from the user's PARA-organized knowledge base, spanning Areas (knowledge domains), Techniques (distilled actionable knowledge), and Resources (reference material). This skill supports the Organize and Distill stages of the CODE workflow by helping the user find and connect what they already know.

Inputs

Vault Structure (PARA)

The knowledge base is organized using the PARA system:

• Areas: Areas/<Area Name>.md for ongoing knowledge domains, technologies, and responsibilities. May contain subfolders for logical domain grouping (e.g., Areas/AI/). Frontmatter properties: acronym, tags: [Area], last updated. Sections include Overview, Key Concepts, and auto-populated Techniques/Resources tables via base queries.
• Techniques: Techniques/<Technique Name>.md for distilled, actionable knowledge synthesized from Areas and Resources. Frontmatter properties: tags: [Technique], last updated. Sections include Context, Approach, Process, Insights, Outputs, and auto-populated Linked Areas/Resources tables.
• Resources: Resources/ organized in subfolders by type (e.g. Articles/, Blueprints/, etc.). Frontmatter properties: source, tags: [Resource], last updated. Sections include Summary and Key Takeaways.
• Projects: Projects/<Project Name>.md for active tasks with goals and deadlines. Frontmatter properties: priority, date_from, date_to, tags: [Project], last updated.
• Archive: Archive/ mirrors the PARA structure for completed or inactive items.

Base Files

Base files at the vault root provide structured views across content types. These are useful for discovery and navigation:

• Knowledge.base — Unified view across Areas, Techniques, and Resources with type filtering.
• Projects.base — Active project tracking with status and priority.
• Techniques.base — All techniques with linked Areas.

Key Conventions

• Areas are linked as wikilinks: [[Area Name]] (e.g., [[Kubernetes]], [[TypeScript]]).
• Techniques link to their parent Areas via the areas frontmatter property: areas: ["[[Kubernetes]]"].
• Resources link to related Areas and Techniques via inline wikilinks in content.
• The last updated frontmatter property tracks when content was last revised.

Instructions

Your task is to:

1. Parse the user's query to identify the retrieval intent. Determine which combination of filters applies:

   • Content type - Area, Technique, Resource, Project, or all types.
   • Topic or keyword — a technology, concept, domain, or theme (e.g., "second brain", "knowledge management", "AI").
   • Relationship — what connects to what (e.g., "What exist for this domain?", "What resources support this area?").
   • Recency — recent additions or updates vs. the full knowledge base.

2. Locate matching files using workspace tools:

   • Use glob patterns to find candidate files by folder and name (e.g., Areas/**/*.md, Techniques/*AI*.md).
   • Use text search to scan frontmatter properties (tags, acronym, source) and body content for matching keywords.
   • When searching for a topic, search across all PARA folders - a query about "AI" may match an Area (Areas/Responsible AI.md), Techniques (Techniques/Deploying Multi-Agent AI Systems.md), and Resources (Resources/Articles/).

3. Read and extract relevant content from matching files:

   • For Areas: Overview and Key Concepts sections. Note which Techniques and Resources are linked.
   • For Techniques: Context, Approach, and Process sections. Note which Areas and Resources inform it, and what Outputs it produced (Express stage).
   • For Resources: Summary and Key Takeaways. Note the source.
   • For Projects: Objective, Key Results, and current Progress/Blockers.

4. Trace connections across the knowledge graph:

   • If an Area has linked Techniques (via the base query or inline wikilinks), mention them.
   • If a Technique references Areas it builds on, note those relationships.
   • If the user asks "what do I know about X?", search across all PARA folders for a complete picture.

5. Synthesize a coherent response that directly answers the user's question:

   • Lead with a concise summary of what the vault contains on the topic.
   • Support with specifics drawn from the vault, organized by type (Areas → Techniques → Resources) or by relevance.
   • Attribute each piece of information to its source file.
   • If the query spans multiple related notes, connect the dots — show how Areas, Techniques, and Resources relate to each other.

6. Identify gaps when relevant:

   • If an Area exists but has no linked Techniques, note that distillation hasn't happened yet.
   • If a topic appears in Journal entries but has no Area note, suggest creating one.
   • If a Technique has no Outputs section filled in, note the Express stage is incomplete.

Guidelines

• Read before responding. Always read and understand the retrieved content before generating any response.
• Vault-only sourcing. Only respond with information found in the vault files. Do not fabricate or supplement with outside knowledge. If no matching entries exist, say so clearly.
• Cite everything. Attribute every piece of information with its source file path in brackets, e.g., [Areas/Responsible AI.md] or [Techniques/Deploying Multi-Agent AI Systems.md].
• Cast a wide net for ambiguous queries. When a query is broad (e.g., "what do I know about AI?"), search across Areas, Techniques, and Resources, then organize the results by relevance.
• Preserve the user's language. Use their terminology and phrasing from the notes, not your own paraphrase.
• Organize by type. When listing multiple entries, order by type (Areas first, then Techniques, then Resources) unless the user requests otherwise.
• Check the Archive. If the user asks about historical or deprecated knowledge, search Archive/ folders — but note that these items are archived.