capture-triage

name	capture-triage
description	Processes Drafts Pro captures from the Inbox folder. Classifies by intent, shows preview for approval, routes to Ready as tasks. Use when triaging captures, processing mobile notes, or as part of daily review. Triggers on "triage captures", "process captures", "check my captures".
allowed-tools	Read, Glob, Grep, Edit, Write, AskUserQuestion
skills	mission-context

Capture Triage

What This Does

Turns mobile captures into actionable tasks in your Ready queue. Everything captured has intent - this skill makes it explicit so task-clarity-scanner can decide what's important.

Who It's For

Ed - capturing quick thoughts in Drafts Pro throughout the day.

The Philosophy

Everything captured has intent. Route to Ready, let task-clarity-scanner decide what moves to Someday/Maybe.

No passive filing. Every capture becomes a decision point.

---

Paths

Inbox:      /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/Inbox/
Processed:  /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/Inbox/Processed/
Daily note: /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/YYYY-MM-DD.md
Projects:   /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/PROJECT - *.md
Contacts:   /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/CONTACT - *.md

---

Important: Naming Clarification

Term	What It Means
Inbox folder	/Zettelkasten/Inbox/ - where Drafts Pro sends mobile notes
Captures section	## Captures in daily note - links to docs created today
Ready destination	## Ready section in daily note - where triaged tasks go

Remember: This skill reads from the Inbox FOLDER and routes to the Ready SECTION. Tasks go to Ready section only - Captures section is for document links.

---

Instructions

Step 1: Check Inbox Folder (Root Only)

Important: Only check files directly in Inbox/, NOT subdirectories.

ls /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/Inbox/*.md 2>/dev/null

If no files found: Report "No captures waiting" and stop. If files found: Continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Load Context

Pull active project names from mission-context skill AND:

Glob: /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/PROJECT - *.md

Build a list of project names for matching.

Step 3: Read and Classify Each Capture (Background OK)

This step can run in background. Read and classify all captures before surfacing to user.

For each .md file in Inbox:

1. Read full content
2. Extract source URL from frontmatter (see Step 3b)
3. Detect if already-processed (see Step 3a)
4. Classify by intent (see Step 4)

Surface to user only after ALL files are read and classified.

Step 3b: Extract Source URLs

For x-bookmark files (filename starts with x-):

• Read tweet_url from YAML frontmatter
• This URL MUST be included when routing to Ready

For other captures with URLs:

• Check for url:, source_url:, or link: in frontmatter
• Check for markdown links [text](url) in body
• Preserve any URLs found for routing step

Step 3a: Detect Already-Processed Content

If capture content looks like a summary (has structure, headers, quotes sources):

• Flag as [PROCESSED]
• Will suggest routing as REFERENCE
• Won't offer research-swarm (already researched)

Signals of processed content:

• Has markdown headers (##, ###)
• Contains bullet lists with structured info
• Quotes or attributes other sources
• Looks like notes from a video/article

Step 4: Classify Each Capture

Priority Rule: Inline hints override auto-detection. Check for these FIRST:

• IDEA: or Idea: → IDEA
• Research: → RESEARCH (triggers swarm option)
• for [Project Name] → PROJECT_UPDATE
• Task: or TODO: → TASK

Auto-Detection (if no inline hint):

Signal	Classification
Starts with verb (call, email, buy, check, send, schedule)	TASK
Contains Research: hint or explicit question needing investigation	RESEARCH
"What if..." or speculative language	IDEA
Mentions active project name	PROJECT_UPDATE
Person's name + action context	CONTACT
Links, articles, saved content, observations	REFERENCE

Step 5: Show Classification Preview (Two-Step)

Two-Step Pattern: Show preview table first, then ask decision in a separate message. Let user absorb the information before asking what to do.

---

Step 5a: Present the Table

Show what you found. Let user absorb the information first:

## Capture Triage Preview

Found [N] captures. Here's how I've classified them:

| # | File | Preview | Classification | Suggested Routing |
|---|------|---------|----------------|-------------------|
| 1 | note1.md | "Call dentist..." | TASK | Ready: Call dentist (MM-DD) |
| 2 | note2.md | "What if we..." | IDEA | Ready: Consider: [idea] (MM-DD) |
| 3 | summary.md | [PROCESSED] "Article about..." | REFERENCE | Ready: Review: [title] (MM-DD) |
| 4 | question.md | "Research: how do..." | RESEARCH | Spawn research-swarm? |

Pause here. Let the user see and absorb the table before asking for a decision.

---

Step 5b: Ask for Decision

After showing the table, ask ONE question using AskUserQuestion:

How would you like to proceed?

1. **Approve all** - Route everything as shown
2. **Go one-by-one** - Review each item individually
3. **Modify** - Change specific classifications before routing
4. **Skip all** - Don't process any captures right now

Key points:

• Show [PROCESSED] flag for already-summarized content
• RESEARCH items present in preview table with spawn option - user approves before spawning
• Let user approve, modify, or skip before any changes

Step 6: Route by Classification

After approval, route each capture:

Classification	Destination	Format
TASK	Ready	- [ ] [action] (MM-DD)
IDEA	Ready	- [ ] Consider: [idea] (MM-DD)
REFERENCE	Ready	- [ ] Review: [linked title](URL) - brief context (MM-DD)
RESEARCH	If approved: spawn agent	See Step 7
PROJECT_UPDATE	Project file	Timestamped append to ## Context Gathered
CONTACT	Create note + Ready	- [ ] Follow up with [Name] (MM-DD)

IMPORTANT: Review tasks MUST include links.

For REFERENCE items, always include the source link so Ed can find it:

• X bookmarks: [Title](https://x.com/author/status/ID)
• Articles: [Article Title](URL)
• Obsidian docs: [[Document Name]]
• YouTube: [Video Title](URL)

If a capture has no URL but references external content, note this: (source needed)

---

Edit Instructions:

For each item routed to Ready:

1. Open today's daily note at: /Users/eddale/Documents/COPYobsidian/MAGI/Zettelkasten/YYYY-MM-DD.md
2. Find the ## Ready section
3. Use Edit tool to append the task in the format shown above
4. Do NOT add to ## Captures - that section is for document links only

Example Edit operation:

old_string: "## Ready\n- [ ] existing task"
new_string: "## Ready\n- [ ] existing task\n- [ ] [new task from capture] (01-06)"

If creating PROJECT or CONTACT files: Those files get created separately, and a LINK to them goes in Ready as a task (e.g., - [ ] [[PROJECT - Name]] - brief desc).

Step 7: Handle Research (Only When Requested)

Only spawn research-swarm if:

• User explicitly approved during Step 5 preview
• Capture has Research: inline hint AND user confirmed

For each approved RESEARCH item:

Task(
  description="Research: [Topic]",
  prompt="Research question: [Full capture content]

  Use research-swarm pattern to investigate. Save findings to Zettelkasten.
  When complete, add review task to Ready: '- [ ] Review: [[Research - Topic]] (MM-DD)'",
  subagent_type="research-swarm",
  run_in_background=true
)

Add placeholder to daily note:

- [RESEARCH] [Topic] - swarm running in background

Step 8: Handle Contacts

When a capture mentions a person with action context:

1. Check if CONTACT - [Name].md exists
2. If exists: Append to ## Interactions section
3. If new: Create contact note using template
4. Always add follow-up task to Ready

Contact Note Template:

---
type: contact
created: YYYY-MM-DD
source: capture-triage
---

# [Person Name]

## Context
[Original capture content]

## Interactions
- YYYY-MM-DD: Initial capture - [summary]

## Follow-up
[Any implied next steps]

Step 9: Move to Processed

After routing each capture:

mv "[Inbox file]" "[Processed folder]"

Move files to Inbox/Processed/ as safety net (preserves originals).

Step 10: Generate Triage Summary

## Capture Triage - YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM

**Processed:** N items | **Research spawned:** M (if any)

### Routed to Ready
- [N] tasks
- [N] ideas (Consider:)
- [N] references (Review:)

### Research Running
- [Topic] - spawned at HH:MM

### Actions Taken
- Moved N files to Inbox/Processed/
- Created CONTACT - [Name].md (if any)
- Updated PROJECT - [Name].md (if any)

---

Examples

Example 1: Dry Run Preview

Inbox folder contains 4 files:

1. "Call dentist Monday about cleaning"
2. "What if we did a 5-day hook challenge?"
3. [PROCESSED] "Summary of Karpathy video - 6 paradigm shifts..."
4. "Research: how do successful coaches use AI?"

Skill shows:

## Capture Triage Preview

| # | Capture | Classification | Suggested Action |
|---|---------|----------------|------------------|
| 1 | "Call dentist..." | TASK | → Ready: "Call dentist Monday (01-05)" |
| 2 | "What if we..." | IDEA | → Ready: "Consider: 5-day hook challenge (01-05)" |
| 3 | [PROCESSED] "Summary of Karpathy..." | REFERENCE | → Ready: "Review: [Karpathy video](URL) - 6 paradigm shifts (01-05)" |
| 4 | "Research: how do coaches..." | RESEARCH | → Spawn research-swarm? |

Approve all, modify, or skip items?

Example 2: After Approval

User approves all, including research swarm for #4.

Result:

• Ready gets 3 new tasks + 1 research placeholder
• Research-swarm spawns in background
• All 4 files moved to Processed/
• Summary generated

---

Guidelines

• Two-step preview - Show table first, ask decision second (separate messages)
• Ready, not Captures - All triaged items become tasks in ## Ready section
• Dry run is standard - Always show preview before routing
• Respect inline hints - They override auto-detection
• Research-swarm is opt-in - Ask before spawning
• [PROCESSED] content - Flag summaries, suggest REFERENCE routing
• Everything to Ready - Let task-clarity-scanner handle prioritization
• Preserve originals - Move to Processed/ folder as safety net
• Review tasks need links - Always include source URL or wikilink so Ed can find the content

---

Version History

Version	Date	Changes
1.0	2025-01-05	Initial build as inbox-triage
2.0	2025-01-05	Renamed to capture-triage, added dry run, AskUserQuestion flow, all routes to Ready
2.1	2026-01-06	Renamed folder Captures→Inbox, split Step 5 into two-step preview, explicit Ready section routing, background OK for classification
2.2	2026-01-12	Added requirement: Review tasks MUST include source links (URL or wikilink). Added Step 3b to extract URLs from frontmatter (especially x-bookmark tweet_url)

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Notes & Learnings

• Day 1 test processed 32 captures with backlog - dry run prevented overwhelm
• [PROCESSED] detection helps avoid re-researching already-summarized content
• Research-swarm opt-in prevents runaway agent spawning
• Review tasks without links are useless - Ed can't find the content to review (added v2.2)