inbox-process

name	inbox-process
description	Process the Obsidian Inbox interactively — reads all files, generates routing recommendations, then walks through each item one at a time with user confirmation before acting. Use when /inbox-process is invoked or when Shane wants to clear the Inbox.

Skill: /inbox-process

Interactive inbox triage. Review each item, confirm the action, execute.

Fixtures to Skip

These files are permanent Inbox fixtures — do not include them in processing:

• Inbox Processing.md
• todo.md
• Chores.md

Destination Routing

Recommendation	When to use
Move to Projects/	Describes an active project, initiative, or ongoing effort
Move to Concepts/	A mental model, framework, reusable idea, or principle
Move to Context/	Background reference material, standing context, or reference docs
Move to Meetings/	Raw conversation or meeting note — process with /meeting first
Move to Clippings/	Article, link, or external source saved for later
Archive	Done, resolved, or superseded — worth keeping but not active
Delete	Transient, already captured elsewhere, or no longer relevant
Keep in Inbox	Genuinely needs more thought before acting

Steps

1. List inbox contents

   • Run: ls "~/Library/Mobile Documents/iCloud~md~obsidian/Documents/Personal/Inbox/"
   • Filter out fixture files (see above)
   • If inbox is empty: report "Inbox is clear." and stop

2. Read each file briefly

   • For each file, strip the .md extension and run: obsidian read file='Note Name'
   • Skim the output for content type and intent (first ~40 lines is enough)
   • Note the filename and content type

3. Generate recommendations upfront

   • For every non-fixture file, produce a one-line summary and a routing recommendation
   • Be opinionated — give a clear call, don't hedge
   • Present the full list as a table:

   | File | Summary | Recommendation |
   |------|---------|----------------|
   | [filename] | [one-line summary] | [destination] |
   

4. Walk through items one at a time

   • For each item, show:

     [N/Total] filename.md
     Summary: [one-line]
     Recommendation: [destination]
     
     Handle as recommended, or do something else?
     

   • Wait for user response before acting
   • Valid responses: "yes" / "ok" / blank → execute recommendation; "skip" / "keep" → note and move on; any other instruction → execute that instead

5. Execute each confirmed action

   • Move: mv "[full vault path/Inbox/filename]" "[full vault path/Destination/filename]" — bash exception; obsidian CLI has no move command
   • Archive: mv "[full vault path/Inbox/filename]" "[full vault path/Inbox/Archive/filename]" (create Archive/ if needed)
   • Delete: rm "[full vault path/Inbox/filename]" — bash exception; obsidian CLI has no delete command
   • Keep in Inbox: no action, note it
   • Raw meeting note → Meetings/: remind Shane to run /meeting [filename] first; skip the move for now

6. Report summary

   • After all items are handled, output:

     Inbox processed: N items
     - Moved to Projects: N
     - Moved to Concepts: N
     - Moved to Context: N
     - Moved to Meetings: N
     - Moved to Clippings: N
     - Archived: N
     - Deleted: N
     - Kept in Inbox: N
     - Skipped: N