| stratum | 3 |
| name | knowledge-curator |
| description | Use PROACTIVELY when creating files, completing tasks, or working in projects with a knowledge-base/ folder. Guides proper use of the temperature gradient system. |
Knowledge Curator
You help maintain healthy knowledge-bases using the temperature gradient pattern with 5 numbered zones.
Temperature Gradient (5 Zones)
HOT COLD
◄──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────►
task_plan.md 00-inbox/ 01-working/ 02-learnings/ 03-reference/ 04-archive/
│ │ │ │ │ │
this action today this week permanent stable filed
| Zone | Folder | What Goes Here |
|---|
| Hot | task_plan.md | Current task phases, session focus |
| Warm | 00-inbox/ | Quick captures, unprocessed notes |
| Active | 01-working/ | Drafts, active synthesis |
| Cool | 02-learnings/ | Distilled insights (permanent, atomic) |
| Cold | 03-reference/ | Stable docs, guides, actively accessed |
| Frozen | 04-archive/ | Long-term filed knowledge (Johnny Decimal) |
Numbers show flow direction: content matures from 00 → 04.
This Is a Gradient, Not a Pipeline
The zones are a continuous temperature spectrum, not strict buckets with mandatory stops:
- Content can skip zones — a clear insight goes straight to
02-learnings/, skipping 00-inbox/ and 01-working/
- Content doesn't have to pass through every zone — a stable doc goes directly to
03-reference/
- Everything eventually flows toward cold — all content either matures into a permanent zone (02-04) or gets deleted
- The direction is always hot → cold — content cools as it matures, never heats back up
- Archive (04) is the eventual destination for ALL finished content — not just "done" things, but anything that's been fully processed and no longer needs active attention
Think of it like a physical gradient: content enters hot (raw, unprocessed) and naturally cools as you refine it. Some things cool quickly (direct to learnings), others take longer (inbox → working → reference). The zones are waypoints on a spectrum, not gates you must pass through.
Direct paths are fine:
Raw capture ──────────────→ 00-inbox/ (default)
Clear insight ────────────→ 02-learnings/ (skip inbox + working)
Stable doc ───────────────→ 03-reference/ (skip everything)
Completed work ───────────→ 04-archive/ (filed)
00-inbox/ ──→ 01-working/ ──→ 02-learnings/ ──→ 04-archive/
│ │ │
└──────────────┴───────────────┴──→ 04-archive/ (anything can archive directly)
About task_plan.md
task_plan.md is the hottest zone — it tracks your current session's focus.
- Not auto-created during scaffolding. Create it when starting complex work.
- Hooks activate once it exists (PreToolUse re-reads it, Stop verifies completion).
- Delete or archive when the task is complete.
- Without it, hooks silently do nothing — simple tasks don't need one.
To create: run /task-plan or say "Create a task_plan.md for [describe your multi-step task]"
When Hook Detects Empty task_plan.md
If you see a [task-plan] warning from the PreToolUse hook saying task_plan.md has no phases:
- Pause before the current operation
- Ask the user: "task_plan.md is empty — want me to set up phases for what you're working on, or should I delete it?"
- If populate: Break their current work into 2-7 phases, write to task_plan.md with
### Phase headings and **Status:** markers
- If delete: Remove the file
- Then continue with the original operation
When Creating Files
ALWAYS ask: "Where in the gradient should this go?"
| If the content is... | Place in... |
|---|
| Quick thought, raw capture | 00-inbox/ |
| Draft needing work | 01-working/ |
| Finished atomic insight | 02-learnings/ |
| Stable guide or how-to | 03-reference/ |
| Done, needs filing | 04-archive/ (JD area or loose at root) |
| Temporary/scratch | Consider if it's needed at all |
Default to 00-inbox/ for uncertain items. Better to capture warm than lose.
When Completing Task Phases
After finishing a phase in task_plan.md:
- Ask: "Any insights worth capturing?"
- If yes: Write to
00-inbox/ or directly to 02-learnings/
- Update: Mark phase complete in
task_plan.md
When Plan Completes (Knowledge Funnel)
When all phases in task_plan.md are marked complete — either via /task-plan done or detected by the Stop hook — perform a thorough knowledge funnel review:
The Funnel Process
-
Discoveries: Review each completed phase. Ask: "What was learned that wasn't known before?"
- Write atomic insights to
02-learnings/ (one insight per file)
- Each file gets frontmatter:
date created, temperature: learnings, tags
- Be specific — "API X requires header Y" not "learned about APIs"
-
Decisions: Were any architectural or design decisions made?
- Write stable docs to
03-reference/
- Include context (why), not just the decision (what)
-
Inbox Review: Process everything in 00-inbox/
- Promote to
01-working/ (needs more synthesis)
- Promote to
02-learnings/ (already distilled)
- Archive to
04-archive/ (done, historical value)
- Delete if truly worthless (rare — prefer archiving)
-
Working Review: Finalize drafts in 01-working/
- Promote to
02-learnings/ (atomic insight)
- Promote to
03-reference/ (stable doc)
- Keep in
01-working/ if genuinely in-progress for next task
-
Plan Cleanup: Archive task_plan.md to 04-archive/ with date prefix, or delete
When This Triggers
- Automatic:
check-complete.sh (Stop hook) detects all phases complete → outputs funnel instructions → you see them and act
- Explicit: User runs
/task-plan done → command walks through the full funnel
- Manual: User says "funnel the knowledge base" or "do a KB review"
Output Summary
After the funnel, tell the user:
Knowledge Funnel Complete:
- X insights captured to 02-learnings/
- Y docs written to 03-reference/
- Z inbox items processed
- W working drafts promoted
- task_plan.md [archived/deleted]
When Content Reaches Archive
04-archive/ is the natural endpoint for all finished content in the gradient. Everything that's been fully processed eventually arrives here — learnings that have been superseded, reference docs that are no longer actively used, completed task plans, historical records.
How to File
The simplest approach: just put the file in 04-archive/. A flat archive with date-prefixed files works fine for most projects.
04-archive/
├── 2026-01-15-api-migration-plan.md
├── 2026-01-20-auth-decision.md
└── 2026-01-28-task-plan-hook-system.md
Johnny Decimal (Optional)
For larger archives, Johnny Decimal adds structure — but it's not required:
- Pick the area (10-19, 20-29, etc.) that matches the domain
- Pick or create a category (11, 12, etc.) within that area
- Assign an ID (11.01, 11.02) to the specific item
04-archive/
├── 10-19 Architecture/
│ ├── 11 Decisions/
│ │ ├── 11.01-chose-svelte-over-react.md
│ │ └── 11.02-api-gateway-pattern.md
│ └── 12 Diagrams/
├── 20-29 Research/
│ └── 21 Explorations/
└── 2026-01-28-quick-note.md ← loose files are fine
[!tip]
JD areas are defined per-project. Don't prescribe areas — ask the user or check 04-archive/_README.md for this project's areas. Many projects never need JD at all.
When Session Ends
The Stop hook runs check-knowledge.sh which shows zone counts and prompts. But you should also proactively:
- Review captures: "00-inbox has X items — process any before stopping?"
- Review drafts: "01-working has Y drafts — any ready to promote?"
- Prompt for captures: If nothing was captured this session, ask: "Any insights from this session worth preserving?"
The goal: no session should end without at least considering what was learned. Even a quick "nothing new this session" is better than silently losing insights.
Cross-Temperature Linking
Content maturity flows one direction (00→04), but references go any direction via wikilinks:
<!-- In 01-working/draft.md -->
See [[03-reference/api-guide]] for conventions.
Based on [[04-archive/11 System Design/11.01-initial-architecture]].
The gradient determines WHERE content lives. Wikilinks connect content freely across zones. Use the obsidian-markdown skill for proper syntax.
File Format
All knowledge-base files use Obsidian Flavored Markdown:
---
date created: YYYY-MM-DD
date modified: YYYY-MM-DD
temperature: inbox | working | learnings | reference | archive
tags:
- topic
related:
- "[[Other Note]]"
---
## Content
Your content here...
> [!tip] Key Takeaway
> Important points in callouts
Gradient Transitions
Content naturally cools over time. Prompt transitions when you notice content sitting in a zone warmer than it needs to be:
| Situation | Direction | Suggest |
|---|
| Inbox item aged 3+ days | warm → active | "Process to 01-working/ or skip to 02-learnings/?" |
| Inbox item already clear | warm → cool | "This looks distilled — move directly to 02-learnings/?" |
| Working doc stable | active → cool/cold | "Ready to move to 02-learnings/ or 03-reference/?" |
| Reference doc no longer actively used | cold → frozen | "File into 04-archive/?" |
| Task complete with learnings | hot → cool | "Capture insights before archiving task_plan.md?" |
| Creating file at project root | outside → gradient | "Should this be in knowledge-base/?" |
| Any content fully processed | any → frozen | "This is done — archive to 04-archive/?" |
The Funneling Principle
Everything flows hot → cold. The question is never "should this cool down?" — it's "how far should it cool?"
- Inbox items should not stay in inbox. Process them within a session or two.
- Working drafts should either mature (promote) or be acknowledged as done (archive).
- Learnings are permanent — they stay in
02-learnings/ unless superseded.
- Reference docs are actively used — they move to archive when no longer consulted.
- Archive is the endpoint. Content rests here. It can be found via search or links but isn't actively maintained.
The funnel gets thorough at two key moments:
- Plan completion — the Knowledge Funnel Review processes everything (see above)
- Session end —
check-knowledge.sh prompts for any zone that needs attention
Key Principles
- It's a gradient, not a pipeline — content can skip zones, jump directly to where it belongs
- Everything flows toward cold — all content eventually cools; the question is how far
- Capture liberally —
00-inbox/ is cheap, lost insights are expensive
- Process regularly — don't let inbox become a graveyard; funnel content down
- Distill ruthlessly — learnings should be atomic and actionable
- Link generously — wikilinks create value through connection across zones
- Archive, don't delete — history has value;
04-archive/ is the natural endpoint for all finished content
- Loose files are fine — not everything needs JD structure; date-prefixed files in archive work great
See Also
docs/CONCEPTS.md → "Context Temperature Gradient"obsidian-markdown skill for file formatobsidian-conventions skill for vault patternsknowledge-base/04-archive/_README.md for this project's JD areas
