atomic-note

name	atomic-note
description	Use when creating or improving a Networked Thinking atomic note in DAE format.

Atomic Note

Use this skill to create or improve one Networked Thinking atomic note.

For authoring plus vault audit and remediation, install atomic-note-audit as well. This skill stands alone for create/improve work.

Before writing or editing an Obsidian vault file, load the official Obsidian Markdown and file-management skills when available. For note creates, file moves, renames, deletes, Anki syncs, and link-sensitive operations, require Obsidian-aware tooling and verify the actual Obsidian CLI binary before mutating the vault. If a sandboxed agent cannot attach to the running Obsidian app, request approved unsandboxed CLI execution instead of falling back to raw filesystem writes. When working from an installed skill, prefer python3 scripts/obsidian_cli.py for app-context CLI commands.

Required References

These paths ship with the install so the skill stands alone. Do not hand-edit them in an installed skill; contributors regenerate skill-local copies from the repo's shared references (see project AGENTS and install docs).

• references/doctrine.md
• references/remediation-context.md

Workflow

1. Read the relevant source material or existing note.
2. Scan nearby notes and topics before writing: exact duplicates, overlapping aliases, parent structure notes, sibling notes, prerequisites, and connective gaps. Identify whether the learner wants conceptual navigation, factual recall, trivia review, or a mix, and preserve that purpose in the parent structure note. A broad parent is a navigation hub, not itself a DAE atomic note; apply the one-concept and DAE rules to each atomic child instead of narrowing or splitting the hub merely because it spans a topic.
3. Draft one DAE note: Definition paragraph, Analogy paragraph, Example paragraph. For non-Anki notes, write the DAE as plain prose after the H1 without ## Definition, ## Analogy, or ## Example headings. If a formula completes the definition, put it in the Definition with variable labels after a prose-first sentence (filename source). Doctrine owns placement, labels, and Anki visibility.
4. Apply the two naming pairs. The timestamp-prefixed filename uses the reader-visible wording of the applicable Definition source without its final period. The timestamp, .md extension, Markdown wrappers, and Anki cloze syntax are excluded; compare cloze text as a reader sees it. All other visible words, capitalization, punctuation, and word order must match. Keep the YAML title and H1 aligned to the same short concept name; that name does not need to repeat the full Definition sentence. If the derived text is not valid as one filename component in the target vault and platform, redraft the Definition source with the learner instead of silently changing characters.
5. When a learner or governing template explicitly declares that a pre-existing user vault uses a different filename scheme, preserve it as a compatibility exception unless the learner approves a migration. Do not describe it as another Networked Thinking naming style or use nearby inconsistencies to weaken the canonical rule.
6. Add useful aliases and links. Follow doctrine for optional Reference: (Obsidian-only extras; primary formula stays in Definition when it completes the concept) and numbered Sources: (external provenance), plus agent-access dates.
7. Add Anki only when memorization serves the learner's stated goal. Factual recall and trivia are valid uses when the learner explicitly wants to practice them; still apply the learner-specific Anki-YAGNI check rather than adding every available fact. For Basic, Front is a retrieval question for the central claim; title, H1, and Definition sentence are not the Front. Put DAE (and any primary formula with labels) on Back, even when the same DAE also appears before START. For Cloze, keep unclozed formulas off the question side when they would reveal the deletion. For synced Cloze notes, preserve useful cloze ordinals and put the Analogy plus Example behind Extra:; the Example must be a separate paragraph beginning For example,.
8. For Anki-intended notes, create the file through Obsidian app-context APIs and follow the doctrine's first-sync ID verification after writing. For existing synced notes, reducing or renumbering cloze deletions or changing between Basic and Cloze requires the remediation-context delete-sync-recreate flow so stale Anki cards or fields are not retained.
9. Preview the note and both naming pairs before writing in a user's vault. If an existing filename/Definition mismatch is detected or a proposed change to the applicable Definition source would introduce one, preview the corresponding filename and follow the remediation context's explicit approval, automatic-link-update preflight, and official CLI rename or move workflow. If approval is denied, do not write a Definition change that would introduce filename drift; report an unchanged pre-existing mismatch.
10. Write through Obsidian-aware tooling when modifying vault files; never create atomic notes or rename them through direct filesystem path writes. Use quote-safe content transport for app-context writes.
11. After writing, verify the filename against the applicable Definition source, the YAML title against the H1 short concept name, and any path or link changes caused by a rename.

Choose the applicable Definition source by note shape. Visible DAE takes precedence over optional Anki card text:

Note shape	Applicable Definition source	Matching rule
Plain-prose DAE, with or without Anki	First visible DAE sentence after the H1	Exact reader-visible wording without the final period
Legacy headed DAE, with or without Anki	First sentence under ## Definition	Exact reader-visible wording without the final period
Anki Basic with DAE stored only in Back:	First Definition sentence in Back:	Exact reader-visible wording without the final period
Anki Cloze with DAE stored only in the card body	Rendered cloze-bearing Definition sentence	Exact reader-visible wording without the final period

Quality Bar

The note should explain one concept clearly enough to stand alone while remaining connected to the surrounding knowledge network. Judge quality from the learner's purpose and the DAE, connection, and sourcing requirements, not from whether the purpose favors conceptual synthesis over factual recall.

Nearby-Topic Scan

Do not treat duplicate review as an exact-title search. Search likely aliases, neighboring topic sections, backlinks, parent structure notes, and adjacent concept families before creating or splitting a note.

Use the scan to decide whether to:

• improve an existing note instead of creating a duplicate;
• link to sibling or prerequisite notes already present;
• create a missing connective note when the current note is carrying a related concept that has no atomic home;
• update the relevant structure note so the new or improved note is findable without narrowing a broad, learner-chosen topic to analytical use alone. For example, a Mythology structure note can support comparison of figures and motifs alongside names, stories, and other facts selected for trivia review.

Structure Note entries are index links, so whenever this skill adds one, use the complete note filename stem, including its timestamp, as an unaliased wikilink: [[full note filename]]. Do not shorten Structure Note entries to [[full note filename|display alias]] unless the learner explicitly requests an alias. This convention is specific to Structure Note entries; wikilinks in ordinary prose may use display aliases when shorter text improves readability.