literature

name	literature
description	Capture an external source as a literature note. Usage: /learning-loop:literature <URL> or /learning-loop:literature "paper title". Fetches content, extracts core ideas in vault voice, writes to 2-literature/ with vault links.

Literature: Source Material Capture

Overview

Launches the literature-capturer agent to capture an external source as a literature note. The agent fetches the source, extracts core ideas in persona voice, finds vault connections and counterpoints, verifies claims, and writes to 2-literature/.

When to Use

• /literature <URL>: fetch and capture a web source
• /literature <paper title or citation>: search for and capture an academic source
• /literature: no argument; asks the user what to capture
• When /deepen flags uncaptured sources worth preserving

Process

Step 0: Parameter Resolution

No argument (/literature): Use AskUserQuestion:

What source would you like to capture?

• A URL: I'll fetch and extract core ideas
• A paper title or citation: I'll search for it first

Argument provided: Proceed immediately.

Step 1: Launch Agent

Launch the literature-capturer agent with:

• source: The URL, title, or citation provided by the user
• vault_path: {{VAULT}}/

The agent definition is at ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/agents/literature-capturer.md (resolve to a literal path before dispatch — see agents-shared/vault-io.md → Placeholders).

Step 2: Handle Backlink Offers

The agent may identify existing vault notes that reference the source without wiki-links. Present these to the user and execute approved edits.

Step 2.5: Replay Post-Write Hooks

The literature-capturer is a subagent. The literature note it wrote to 2-literature/ bypassed PostToolUse, so backlinks and edge inference didn't run. Replay on the returned path:

printf '%s\n' "$LITERATURE_NOTE_PATH" \
  | node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/sweep-hook-replay.mjs" --stdin

Where $LITERATURE_NOTE_PATH is constructed from the agent's response (e.g. {{VAULT}}/2-literature/<filename>, where <filename> is the kebab-case filename literature-capturer returned). The backlink edits from Step 2 happen via main-thread Edit and trigger PostToolUse normally: no replay needed for those. See skills-shared/hook-replay.md for the full pattern.

Step 3: Present Results

The agent returns a structured report with the captured note, connections, counterpoints, and related sources. Present it to the user.

Key Principles

• The skill is thin. All logic lives in the literature-capturer agent and its agents-shared/.
• Literature captures the source, not commentary. Reactions go in separate notes.
• Backlink edits need approval. Never modify notes outside 2-literature/ without asking.
• Update over create. If a literature note already exists for this source, update it.