inbox-process

name	inbox-process
description	Process inbox items - triage captured notes into appropriate PARA folders. Quick focused inbox maintenance.
use_when	User wants to process inbox, triage captured items, clean up quick captures, or move notes to proper locations.

Inbox Process

Quick triage of inbox items into appropriate PARA locations.

Why This Matters

The inbox is for fast capture without friction. But items that stay there lose value:

• Quick ideas get forgotten
• Reference materials stay unfindable
• Action items never get acted on

Regular inbox processing keeps the capture system trustworthy.

Quick Start

1. List items in 01 Inbox/
2. For each item: analyze, suggest destination, get confirmation
3. Move or delete based on user choice
4. Summarize what was processed

Process

Step 1: List Inbox Contents

Read all files in the inbox folder (typically 01 Inbox/).

If inbox is empty, report success and exit.

Step 2: For Each Item

Analyze the content:

• What is this? (idea, reference, task, project seed, etc.)
• Is it actionable?
• Does it relate to existing notes?

Suggest destination:

Content Type	Suggested Location
Active project or has deadline	02 Projects/
Ongoing responsibility	03 Areas/
Reference material	04 Resources/
Completed or outdated	05 Archive/
Trash or duplicate	Delete
Not ready to decide	Keep in Inbox

Present options to user:

Item: [filename]
Content: [brief summary]

Suggestion: Move to 02 Projects/
Reason: Has clear outcome and deadline mentioned

Options:
1. Move to Projects
2. Move to Areas
3. Move to Resources
4. Archive
5. Delete
6. Keep in Inbox

Step 3: Execute User Choice

• Move file to chosen destination
• Add basic frontmatter if missing:

  ---
  created: YYYY-MM-DD
  processed: YYYY-MM-DD
  tags: []
  ---
  

• Log the action

Step 4: Summary

After processing all items:

## Inbox Processing Complete

**Processed:** X items
**Inbox remaining:** Y items

| Item | Action | Destination |
|------|--------|-------------|
| Note.md | Moved | 02 Projects/ |
| Idea.md | Deleted | - |
| Link.md | Kept | 01 Inbox/ |

Configuration

Define your vault structure in CLAUDE.md:

## Vault Structure

Folders:
  inbox: 01 Inbox/
  projects: 02 Projects/
  areas: 03 Areas/
  resources: 04 Resources/
  archive: 05 Archive/

Parameters

Optional modifiers:

• quick - Show suggestion, assume yes unless user objects
• dry run - Preview without moving files
• oldest first - Process by file age instead of name

Success Criteria

• All inbox items reviewed
• User confirmed each action before execution
• Files moved to appropriate locations
• Summary logged