| name | wiki-capture |
| description | Save the current conversation as a permanent, structured wiki note. Use this skill when the user says "save this", "/wiki-capture", "capture this", "file this conversation", "preserve this", "add this to my wiki", or wants to turn what was just discussed into lasting knowledge. The skill classifies the content, rewrites it as declarative knowledge (not a chat transcript), and places it in the correct vault category.
|
Wiki Capture — Conversation to Wiki Note
You are preserving knowledge from the current conversation as a permanent wiki note. The goal is to extract the substance — the knowledge itself — not a summary of what was said.
Before You Start
- Resolve config — follow the Config Resolution Protocol in
llm-wiki/SKILL.md (walk up CWD for .env → ~/.obsidian-wiki/config → prompt setup). This gives OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH and OBSIDIAN_LINK_FORMAT (default: wikilink).
- Read
$OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH/index.md to understand existing wiki content (avoid duplicates)
- Read
$OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH/hot.md if it exists — it gives context on recent activity
When writing internal links in Step 5, apply the link format from llm-wiki/SKILL.md (Link Format section) using the OBSIDIAN_LINK_FORMAT value.
Step 1: Identify What's Worth Preserving
Scan the conversation. Ask: what knowledge emerged here that would be valuable in 3 months with no memory of this chat?
Worth preserving:
- Decisions made and why they were made
- Analysis, frameworks, mental models developed
- Technical findings, patterns, or procedures
- Synthesized understanding of a topic
- Clear explanations of a concept that took effort to arrive at
- Key facts from an external source discussed in the conversation
Skip:
- Logistics, scheduling, pleasantries
- Exploratory back-and-forth where no conclusion was reached
- Content that's already in the wiki
If nothing material emerged, tell the user and stop.
Step 2: Classify the Content Type
Assign one of five types — this determines the target folder and tone:
| Type | Description | Target folder |
|---|
synthesis | Multi-step analysis or an answer to a specific question that required reasoning | synthesis/ |
concept | A definition, framework, or mental model (what a thing is) | concepts/ |
source | Summary of an external document, article, or resource discussed | references/ |
decision | A strategic, architectural, or design choice and its rationale | synthesis/ |
session | A complete discussion summary when the conversation spans multiple topics | journal/ |
If the content clearly belongs to a specific project (detected from context or user mention), place it under projects/<project-name>/<category>/ instead.
Step 3: Rewrite as Declarative Knowledge
Do not write a summary of the conversation. Write the knowledge itself, in declarative present tense:
- Not: "The user asked about X and Claude explained that..."
- Yes: "X works by..."
- Not: "We decided to use Y because..."
- Yes: "Y is preferred over Z because [reason]. [^[inferred] if the rationale was implied, not stated explicitly]"
Apply provenance markers per llm-wiki:
- Extracted — explicitly stated in the conversation (no marker)
- Inferred — generalized or synthesized from the conversation →
^[inferred]
- Ambiguous — disputed, uncertain, or contradictory →
^[ambiguous]
Step 4: Generate a Slug and Title
Derive a clear, descriptive title from the content. Slugify it:
- Lowercase, words separated by hyphens
- Max 50 characters
- Avoid dates in the slug (the frontmatter has
created)
Step 5: Write the Wiki Note
Create the file at the target path with required frontmatter:
---
title: >-
<Title>
category: <synthesis|concepts|references|journal|skills>
tags: [<2-5 domain tags from taxonomy>]
sources:
- conversation:<ISO-date>
created: <ISO-8601 timestamp>
updated: <ISO-8601 timestamp>
summary: >-
<1-2 sentences, ≤200 chars, answering "what knowledge does this page hold?">
provenance:
extracted: 0.X
inferred: 0.X
ambiguous: 0.X
base_confidence: 0.42
lifecycle: draft
lifecycle_changed: <ISO date today>
---
Body structure by type:
synthesis / decision:
# Title
## Context
<What prompted this — the problem or question being addressed>
## Finding / Decision
<The core knowledge or conclusion>
## Reasoning
<Why this is the case or why this choice was made>
## Implications
<What follows from this — what to watch for, next steps, trade-offs>
## Related
<[[wikilinks]] to connected pages>
concept:
# Title
<Definition in one clear sentence.>
## What It Is
<Explanation of the concept>
## How It Works
<Mechanism or structure>
## When to Use
<Applicability, conditions, trade-offs>
## Related
<[[wikilinks]]>
source:
# Title
> Source: <title or URL>
## What It Covers
<What the source is about>
## Key Points
<Bulleted claims with provenance markers>
## Open Questions
<What it raises but doesn't answer — omit if none>
## Related
<[[wikilinks]]>
session:
# Title
*Session captured: <date>*
## Topics Covered
<Brief list>
## Key Takeaways
<The 3-5 most important things that emerged>
## Decisions Made
<Any explicit decisions, with rationale>
## Open Questions
<What remains unresolved>
## Related
<[[wikilinks]]>
Every note must link to at least 2 existing wiki pages. Search index.md before writing. If fewer than 2 related pages exist, create minimal stubs for the most important concepts referenced.
Step 6: Update Tracking Files
index.md — Add the new page under its category section.
timeline.md — if the captured note covers a datable event (a specific incident, a dated decision, a meeting, a journal entry), add or update its entry per the Timeline Maintenance convention in AGENTS.md. Date precedence: filename date suffix > frontmatter event_date > year tag. Most captures (concepts, distilled knowledge) are not datable — skip in those cases.
log.md — Append:
- [TIMESTAMP] CAPTURE type=<type> page="<path>" title="<title>"
hot.md — Update Recent Activity with what was just captured. Update Key Takeaways if the note introduced something worth flagging. Update updated timestamp.
Step 7: Confirm to User
Report the saved path and title:
Saved to: projects/<name>/synthesis/<slug>.md
Title: <Title>
Type: synthesis
Quality Checklist
