document-management

name	document-management
description	Personal document management skill using Paperless-ngx. Use when: (1) Ingesting and filing new documents, (2) Searching for existing documents, (3) Applying tags and correspondents, (4) Managing retention policies, (5) Integrating documents with other personal workflows (tax prep, medical records, insurance claims). Tools: paperless-mcp for all document operations.

Document Management

Tool Mapping

Task	Tool	Notes
Search documents	search_documents	Full-text search across all documents
Get document details	get_document	Metadata, tags, correspondent, dates
Upload document	upload_document	Ingest new document with initial metadata
Update document metadata	update_document	Add/change tags, correspondent, dates, title
List/manage tags	get_tags, create_tag	Taxonomy management
List/manage correspondents	get_correspondents, create_correspondent	Organization/person who issued the document
List/manage document types	get_document_types, create_document_type	Classify by type
Download document	get_document_content	Retrieve original or archived version

Document Intake Workflow

Standard Intake Procedure

For every new document:

1. Upload the document via upload_document
2. Review auto-classification — Paperless-ngx will attempt auto-tagging and correspondent matching
3. Verify and correct metadata:
   • Title: Clear, descriptive, includes date if relevant (e.g., "2026-02 Electricity Bill - Tata Power")
   • Date: The document's date (issue date, statement date), not the upload date
   • Correspondent: The organization or person who issued the document
   • Document type: Select from the taxonomy below
   • Tags: Apply all relevant tags from the taxonomy below
4. Confirm filing — Verify the document appears in expected searches

Title Conventions

Use consistent title formatting for searchability:

Document Type	Title Format	Example
Monthly bills	YYYY-MM [Service] Bill - [Provider]	2026-02 Electricity Bill - Tata Power
Bank statements	YYYY-MM [Account Type] Statement - [Bank]	2026-02 Savings Statement - HDFC
Tax forms	FY YYYY-YY [Form Name]	FY 2025-26 Form 16
Insurance	[Type] Policy - [Provider] - [Policy#]	Health Policy - Star Health - 12345
Medical	YYYY-MM-DD [Type] - [Provider/Doctor]	2026-02-15 Blood Test Results - Apollo Labs
Contracts	[Type] Agreement - [Party] - YYYY	Rental Agreement - Landlord Name - 2026
Identity docs	[Doc Type] - [Person]	Passport - Principal
Receipts	YYYY-MM-DD Receipt - [Vendor] - [Amount]	2026-02-20 Receipt - Amazon - 4500

Tagging Taxonomy

Primary Category Tags

Apply exactly one primary category tag per document:

Tag	Use For
financial	Bank statements, investment statements, tax documents, pay slips
medical	Prescriptions, lab reports, discharge summaries, vaccination records
legal	Contracts, agreements, court documents, notarized documents
education	Certificates, transcripts, school communications, course materials
home	Property documents, utility bills, maintenance records, warranties
vehicle	Registration, insurance, service records, challans
insurance	All insurance policies and claims (health, life, vehicle, property)
identity	Passports, Aadhaar, PAN, driving license, voter ID
employment	Offer letters, appraisals, relieving letters, pay slips
receipts	Purchase receipts, invoices (not bills/statements)

Secondary Tags (Apply as Many as Relevant)

Tag	Use For
tax-relevant	Any document needed for tax filing (80C, 80D, HRA, capital gains)
active-policy	Insurance policies currently in force
expired	Policies, contracts, IDs past their validity
needs-renewal	Documents approaching expiry (flag 30-60 days before)
reimbursable	Medical or business expenses eligible for reimbursement
warranty-active	Products still under warranty
recurring	Bills and statements that arrive regularly
original-physical	Physical original exists and is filed (note location in custom field)
child-[name]	Documents pertaining to a specific child

Tag Hygiene Rules

• Every document must have exactly one primary category tag
• Apply tax-relevant liberally — it is easier to remove than to find missing documents at tax time
• Review needs-renewal tagged documents monthly
• When a policy expires, replace active-policy with expired and remove needs-renewal

Correspondent Management

Correspondent Naming Conventions

• Use the official organization name, not abbreviations: "HDFC Bank" not "HDFC"
• For individuals (doctors, lawyers): "Dr. Firstname Lastname" or "Adv. Firstname Lastname"
• For government: "Income Tax Department", "RTO Hyderabad", etc.

When to Create New Correspondents

• Only create a new correspondent when an existing one does not match
• Before creating, search existing correspondents for partial matches
• Merge duplicates when found (same entity, different name variants)

Document Types

Document Type	Description
Statement	Bank/credit card/investment periodic statements
Bill	Utility bills, service invoices
Policy	Insurance policies, warranty cards
Certificate	Educational, professional, birth/marriage certificates
Report	Medical reports, lab results, appraisals
Agreement	Contracts, rental agreements, loan agreements
Tax Form	Form 16, ITR acknowledgment, TDS certificates
ID Document	Passports, Aadhaar, PAN, licenses
Receipt	Purchase receipts, payment confirmations
Letter	Correspondence, notices, official communications
Prescription	Medical prescriptions
Claim	Insurance claims, reimbursement filings

Search Strategies

Finding Documents

Need	Search Approach
Specific document	Search by title keywords + date range
All docs from an org	Filter by correspondent
Tax season gathering	Filter by tag tax-relevant + date range for the FY
Active insurance	Filter by tags insurance + active-policy
Medical history	Filter by tag medical + correspondent (doctor/hospital)
Expiring documents	Filter by tag needs-renewal
Recent uploads	Sort by added date, descending

Search Tips

1. Use full-text search for content within documents (OCR text)
2. Combine tag filters with date ranges for precise results
3. When searching for a document you know exists but cannot find, try:
   • Search by correspondent instead of title
   • Broaden the date range
   • Search for distinctive terms from within the document content
   • Check if the document was tagged with an unexpected primary category

Retention Policies

How Long to Keep Documents

Document Type	Retention Period	Notes
Tax returns and supporting docs	7 years from filing	Legal requirement under IT Act
Bank statements	7 years	Tax audit support
Pay slips	7 years	Tax/employment verification
Insurance policies	Duration of policy + 3 years	Claims can be filed after expiry
Medical records	Indefinite	Lifetime medical history
Property documents	Indefinite	Ownership proof
Identity documents	Until replaced by renewed version	Keep expired passports indefinitely
Utility bills	1 year	Unless needed for address proof
Receipts (general)	1 year or warranty period	Whichever is longer
Receipts (tax-relevant)	7 years	Same as tax documents
Employment documents	Indefinite	Career record
Educational certificates	Indefinite	Permanent record
Vehicle documents	Duration of ownership + 3 years	Transfer records for sold vehicles
Warranties	Duration of warranty	Delete after warranty expires unless claim pending

Retention Review Procedure

Quarterly:

1. Filter documents by expired tag
2. Check if retention period has passed
3. For documents past retention: verify no ongoing need, then archive or delete
4. For utility bills > 1 year old without tax-relevant tag: safe to delete

Integration with Other Skills

Tax Preparation (Budgeting Skill)

At tax time:

1. Search for all documents tagged tax-relevant within the financial year
2. Group by deduction section (80C, 80D, 24, etc.)
3. Verify completeness: each claimed deduction has supporting documentation
4. Cross-reference against actual-mcp transaction data for amount verification
5. Export or share relevant documents

Medical Records (Family)

When visiting a doctor or during medical events:

1. Search for prior medical records by correspondent (hospital/doctor) or tag medical
2. Pull recent lab reports and prescriptions for reference
3. After the visit: upload any new documents and tag appropriately
4. For children: always apply the child-[name] tag

Insurance Claims

When filing a claim:

1. Locate the active policy document: filter by insurance + active-policy + correspondent
2. Gather supporting documents (medical reports for health, FIR for vehicle, etc.)
3. Upload claim submission documents and tag as claim
4. Track claim status by adding notes to the claim document

Common Pitfalls

1. Skipping metadata at upload — Always complete title, date, correspondent, type, and tags immediately. Documents without metadata become unfindable.
2. Inconsistent titles — Follow the title conventions above. A search for "electricity bill" should find all electricity bills.
3. Missing tax-relevant tags — When in doubt, tag it. Removing an unnecessary tag is cheaper than missing a deduction.
4. Correspondent proliferation — Search before creating. "HDFC Bank", "HDFC", and "HDFC Bank Ltd" should be one correspondent.
5. Ignoring document dates — The document date is the date on the document (statement date, issue date), not when you uploaded it. Paperless uses this for date-range filtering.
6. Not reviewing needs-renewal — Check monthly. An expired insurance policy with no renewal is a risk, not just a filing issue.