essay-check

name	essay-check
description	Synthesis of formalized essays since last check — reads essays in `03 - Knowledge/Essays/` modified since last_check, identifies 2-3 sourced patterns and their relationship to {USER_NAME}.md (New/Confirms/Contradicts/Nuances), asks 1 sourced open question, proposes {USER_NAME}.md patch (§ observed patterns) after validation. Triggered by `/closeday` Step 6 every 7d or standalone `/essay-check`.

Skill: Essay Check

Trigger

• Via /closeday Step 6 if command-tracker indicates /essay-check overdue ≥7d
• Direct command: /essay-check

Step 1 — Collect essays to process

1. Read 99 - Claude code/command-tracker.md → extract date from line | /essay-check | YYYY-MM-DD | 7 days |
2. If entry absent or invalid date → fallback last_check = today - 30 days
3. Glob 03 - Knowledge/Essays/**/*.md (recursive to cover any subdirs)
4. Filter by mtime > last_check — essays created or modified since last check
5. Exclude INDEX.md if it exists in folder

If list empty → message to {USER_NAME}: "No essays modified since YYYY-MM-DD — nothing to synthesize." + update tracker to today's date (check occurred) + end skill.

Otherwise → announce list to {USER_NAME}:

Essay check — N essays to read since YYYY-MM-DD:

• [[essay-1]] — modified YYYY-MM-DD
• [[essay-2]] — modified YYYY-MM-DD

Step 2 — Reading and analysis

Read in parallel:

• Each filtered essay (full content)
• 01 - Me/{USER_NAME}.md — to know already-documented patterns (section "Observed patterns")

Identify 2-3 emerging themes that are formalized in essay (not just mentioned in passing) and match one of these categories:

• [New] — pattern absent from {USER_NAME}.md
• [Confirms] — pattern in {USER_NAME}.md existing, new source consolidating it
• [Contradicts] — pattern in {USER_NAME}.md existing challenged by essay
• [Nuances] — existing pattern completed or limited by area essay explores

For each theme, note:

• Essay(s) involved
• Key sentence or short passage (1-2 sentences max)
• Category above

Critical rule: focus on what's formalized in an essay (stated thought), not recurring ideas uncaptured (drift domain) nor weekly actions (closeweek domain).

Step 3 — Synthesis + open question

Present to {USER_NAME} in chat (no vault writing at this stage):

Essay check — N essays read since YYYY-MM-DD:
- [[essay-1]] — modified YYYY-MM-DD
- [[essay-2]] — modified YYYY-MM-DD

Detected patterns:

1. [Pattern title] — [New|Confirms|Contradicts|Nuances]
   [1-2 sentence summary of what pattern says].
   Sourced in [[essay X]]: "[extracted key phrase]"

2. [...]
3. [...]

1 question to explore (sourced on specific pattern):
[Non-generic question anchored on emerging theme — ex: contradiction between two essays, new pattern deserving status, nuance opening fuzzy zone]

Rules for question:

• Always 1 question, never zero, never more than 1 (skill stays lightweight)
• Sourced on specific identified pattern
• Not generic ("how do you feel?") — specify based on essay formulation

Await {USER_NAME} response (timeout 45s).

Timeout / no response → skip Step 4 without writing, go directly to Step 5 (update tracker), end.

Step 4 — Patch {USER_NAME}.md (conditional)

After {USER_NAME} response, for each pattern they validate or enrich:

Category	Proposed action
[New]	Add new bullet in § "Observed patterns (harvest YYYY-MM)" — create month's subsection if absent
[Confirms]	Enrich existing pattern: new source + date, refined formulation if needed
[Contradicts]	Revise pattern with explicit nuance (keep prior pattern + add new point)
[Nuances]	Add child bullet under existing pattern

Present exact diff (old → new) to {USER_NAME} patch by patch, await OK before each Edit.

Timeout 45s per patch → skip that patch, continue next. Explicit refusal ("no" / "skip") → don't write that patch, note reason if provided (useful for next check).

Step 5 — Update command-tracker

Always, even if:

• No patches accepted
• Timeout at Step 3 or 4
• Empty list at Step 1

Edit 99 - Claude code/command-tracker.md:

| /essay-check    | YYYY-MM-DD         | 7 days               |

Today's date (ISO format).

Check occurred, even if nothing written — cadence matters, not systematic writing.

Rules

1. Essays scope only — 03 - Knowledge/Essays/*.md and subdirs. Explicitly exclude: dumps (00 - Daily notes/), thinking sessions, essay drafts in 04 - Projects/Project ideas/essay-*.md (not yet formalized).
2. Always present before writing — each {USER_NAME}.md patch awaits explicit OK. No silent batch.
3. Strict mtime filter — never re-process essay already handled in prior check (avoids enrichment duplication).
4. No overlap with /closeweek or /drift — focus on what's formalized in essay, not recurring uncaptured ideas nor weekly actions.
5. Fallback if {USER_NAME}.md missing → skip Step 4 silently, just chat synthesis + update tracker.
6. Standard timeout 45s per interaction — skip or continue without writing per stage.
7. Append-only in {USER_NAME}.md — never delete existing pattern, only enrich/nuance (history preserved). For [Contradicts], add contradiction under existing pattern instead of rewriting.
8. Tracker updated even if nothing written — check counts from when triggered.