distill

name

distill

description

Distill the current conversation into a clean, durable Obsidian-ready markdown note. Triggered by: /distill, "distill this", "save the useful parts", "save this as a note", "turn this into a note", "capture this", "make this reusable", "summarize this for later". Use when the user wants to preserve the useful thinking from a conversation without turning it into a PRD, RPIV task, or implementation plan. Output is a single markdown file written to the configured Obsidian vault path.

Skill: distill

Purpose

Convert the current conversation into one clean, Obsidian-ready markdown note.

Not a workflow. Not a summary transcript. Not a PRD. Not an RPIV task.

A note that lets future-you rehydrate this thinking without rereading the whole conversation.

---

Trigger phrases

Activate this skill when the user says any of:

• /distill
• distill this
• save the useful parts
• save this as a note
• turn this into a note
• capture this
• make this reusable
• park this
• summarize this for obsidian
• save this before it disappears

Do NOT wait for the user to say /distill explicitly. If they say any of the phrases above in any form, activate.

---

Behavior rules

1. Do not ask clarifying questions before producing the note. Read the conversation and produce the note immediately.
2. Do not create a PRD unless the user explicitly requests one.
3. Do not create an RPIV task unless the user explicitly requests one.
4. Do not over-structure weak ideas. If the conversation was low-value, produce a minimal note and say so honestly.
5. Infer the note shape from the conversation type. Do not ask the user to choose.
6. Always include a title and one-line summary at the top.
7. Always include a resume prompt — a single question or prompt that lets future-you continue without rereading.
8. Prefer one sharp note over a comprehensive transcript summary. Preserve the why this mattered, not what was said.

---

Note shapes (inferred, not chosen by user)

Conversation type	Note shape
Idea or app concept	Concept note
Research or investigation	Research brief
Decision or tradeoff	Decision note
Debugging or learning	Learning note
Workflow or system design	Design note
Mixed or unclear	General distilled note

---

Output format

Produce a single markdown file.

Default template

---
distilled: {{YYYY-MM-DD}}
type: {{inferred: concept | research | decision | learning | design | note}}
tags: [{{inferred tags, 2-4 max}}]
---

# {{sharp, specific title — not generic}}

> {{one-line summary of what this conversation was about and why it mattered}}

## Why this mattered

{{1-3 sentences. Why did this conversation happen? What triggered the question?}}

## Core insight

{{The main realization. Not a summary of everything said. One clear insight.
If there was no clear insight, say so.}}

## Useful points

- {{point}}
- {{point}}
- {{point}}

## Open questions

{{Only include if there are genuine unresolved questions. Omit section if none.}}

- {{question}}

## Possible next move

{{Optional. Only include if there is a natural, obvious next action.
Do NOT invent tasks. Do NOT suggest starting RPIV unless the user is clearly ready.
If nothing is obvious, omit this section entirely.}}

## Promotion signal

{{Optional. Only include if the idea seems ready for real work.
Example: "This is ready for RPIV if: you know the first useful version, you can describe success, and you actually want to build this now."
If not ready, omit entirely. Do not fabricate readiness.}}

## Resume prompt

> {{A single question or prompt. When future-you opens this note, this is what Pi should ask first.
Example: "Do you still want to build this, and if so what's the smallest useful version?"
Example: "What's still unclear about the architecture before you commit?"}}

Minimal template (low-value conversations)

If the conversation produced little of value, produce this instead and say so:

---
distilled: {{YYYY-MM-DD}}
type: note
---

# {{title}}

> {{one-line summary}}

## Note

This conversation was exploratory and didn't produce a clear insight or decision.
Preserved in case it's useful later.

## Resume prompt

> {{question}}

---

Output target

Write the note to the Obsidian vault. Create the distilled/ directory if the parent vault/notes directory exists. Use this path resolution order:

1. $OBSIDIAN_VAULT/distilled/ — if $OBSIDIAN_VAULT env var is set
2. ~/notes/distilled/ — fallback if ~/notes exists
3. If neither parent exists, output the markdown to stdout and tell the user to copy it manually

Filename format: YYYY-MM-DD-kebab-title.md

Example: 2026-06-11-rpiv-vs-idea-research.md

After writing, confirm to the user:

✓ Saved to: ~/notes/distilled/2026-06-11-rpiv-vs-idea-research.md

If writing fails, output the markdown to stdout so the user can copy it manually. Never silently fail.

---

What this skill does NOT do

• Does not start RPIV
• Does not create a PRD
• Does not ask the user to classify their idea
• Does not produce a multi-section workflow artifact
• Does not require WORK.md
• Does not interact with .workflow/ directory
• Does not sync to Jira, GitHub, or GitLab
• Does not run post-merge-prune
• Does not require any existing task or ticket

---

Relationship to RPIV

conversation → /distill → Obsidian note    (pre-commitment, no task)
Obsidian note → RPIV                       (only when user is ready to commit)

distill feeds RPIV. RPIV does not absorb distill.

If a distilled note contains a Promotion signal section, the user can choose to run /triage manually on that idea later. distill never starts triage automatically.