wiki-capture

name

wiki-capture

description

Save the current conversation as a permanent, structured wiki note. Use this skill when the user says "save this conversation", "/wiki-capture", "capture this discussion", "file this conversation", "preserve this discussion", or wants to turn what was just discussed into lasting knowledge. The skill classifies the content, rewrites it as declarative knowledge (not a chat transcript), and places it in the correct vault category.

Wiki Capture — Conversation to Wiki Note

You are preserving knowledge from the current conversation as a permanent wiki note. The goal is to extract the substance — the knowledge itself — not a summary of what was said.

Before You Start

1. Read ~/.obsidian-wiki/config (preferred) or .env (fallback) to get OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH
2. Read $OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH/index.md to understand existing wiki content (avoid duplicates)
3. Read $OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH/hot.md if it exists — it gives context on recent activity

Step 1: Identify What's Worth Preserving

Scan the conversation. Ask: what knowledge emerged here that would be valuable in 3 months with no memory of this chat?

Worth preserving:

• Decisions made and why they were made
• Analysis, frameworks, mental models developed
• Technical findings, patterns, or procedures
• Synthesized understanding of a topic
• Clear explanations of a concept that took effort to arrive at
• Key facts from an external source discussed in the conversation

Skip:

• Logistics, scheduling, pleasantries
• Exploratory back-and-forth where no conclusion was reached
• Content that's already in the wiki

If nothing material emerged, tell the user and stop.

Step 2: Classify the Content Type

Assign one of five types — this determines the target folder and tone:

Type	Description	Target folder
synthesis	Multi-step analysis or an answer to a specific question that required reasoning	synthesis/
concept	A definition, framework, or mental model (what a thing is)	concepts/
source	Summary of an external document, article, or resource discussed	references/
decision	A strategic, architectural, or design choice and its rationale	synthesis/
session	A complete discussion summary when the conversation spans multiple topics	journal/

If the content clearly belongs to a specific project (detected from context or user mention), place it under projects/<project-name>/<category>/ instead.

Step 3: Rewrite as Declarative Knowledge

Do not write a summary of the conversation. Write the knowledge itself, in declarative present tense:

• Not: "The user asked about X and Claude explained that..."
• Yes: "X works by..."
• Not: "We decided to use Y because..."
• Yes: "Y is preferred over Z because [reason]. [^[inferred] if the rationale was implied, not stated explicitly]"

Apply provenance markers per llm-wiki:

• Extracted — explicitly stated in the conversation (no marker)
• Inferred — generalized or synthesized from the conversation → ^[inferred]
• Ambiguous — disputed, uncertain, or contradictory → ^[ambiguous]

Step 4: Generate a Slug and Title

Derive a clear, descriptive title from the content. Slugify it:

• Lowercase, words separated by hyphens
• Max 50 characters
• Avoid dates in the slug (the frontmatter has created)

Step 5: Write the Wiki Note

Create the file at the target path with required frontmatter:

---
title: >-
  <Title>
category: <synthesis|concepts|references|journal|skills>
tags: [<2-5 domain tags from taxonomy>]
sources:
  - conversation:<ISO-date>
created: <ISO-8601 timestamp>
updated: <ISO-8601 timestamp>
summary: >-
  <1-2 sentences, ≤200 chars, answering "what knowledge does this page hold?">
provenance:
  extracted: 0.X
  inferred: 0.X
  ambiguous: 0.X
---

Body structure by type:

synthesis / decision:

# Title

## Context
<What prompted this — the problem or question being addressed>

## Finding / Decision
<The core knowledge or conclusion>

## Reasoning
<Why this is the case or why this choice was made>

## Implications
<What follows from this — what to watch for, next steps, trade-offs>

## Related
<[[wikilinks]] to connected pages>

concept:

# Title

<Definition in one clear sentence.>

## What It Is
<Explanation of the concept>

## How It Works
<Mechanism or structure>

## When to Use
<Applicability, conditions, trade-offs>

## Related
<[[wikilinks]]>

source:

# Title

> Source: <title or URL>

## What It Covers
<What the source is about>

## Key Points
<Bulleted claims with provenance markers>

## Open Questions
<What it raises but doesn't answer — omit if none>

## Related
<[[wikilinks]]>

session:

# Title

*Session captured: <date>*

## Topics Covered
<Brief list>

## Key Takeaways
<The 3-5 most important things that emerged>

## Decisions Made
<Any explicit decisions, with rationale>

## Open Questions
<What remains unresolved>

## Related
<[[wikilinks]]>

Every note must link to at least 2 existing wiki pages. Search index.md before writing. If fewer than 2 related pages exist, create minimal stubs for the most important concepts referenced.

Step 6: Update Tracking Files

index.md — Add the new page under its category section.

log.md — Append:

- [TIMESTAMP] CAPTURE type=<type> page="<path>" title="<title>"

hot.md — Update Recent Activity with what was just captured. Update Key Takeaways if the note introduced something worth flagging. Update updated timestamp.

Step 7: Confirm to User

Report the saved path and title:

Saved to: projects/<name>/synthesis/<slug>.md
Title: <Title>
Type: synthesis

Quality Checklist

• Content rewritten as declarative knowledge (not a chat transcript)
• Type classified correctly; target path is in the right folder
• Frontmatter complete with title, category, tags, sources, summary, provenance
• At least 2 wikilinks to existing pages
• index.md, log.md, and hot.md updated
• Confirmed save path to user