canifi

name	canifi
description	Core LifeOS skill for research, synthesis, and Notion storage workflows
category	productivity

Canifi LifeOS Core Skill

Setup

Before using this skill, configure the following environment variables via canifi-env:

# Required
canifi-env set CANIFI_GOOGLE_EMAIL "[e-mail]"
canifi-env set CANIFI_GOOGLE_PASSWORD "your-password"
canifi-env set CANIFI_NOTION_TOKEN "ntn_your_token_here"
canifi-env set CANIFI_IMESSAGE_CONTACTS "[phone],[phone],[e-mail]"

# Optional
canifi-env set CANIFI_NOTION_WORKSPACE "Your Workspace Name"
canifi-env set CANIFI_SCRIPTS_PATH "~/canifi"

You will also need to:

1. Set up your Notion databases (see Database Setup section)
2. Install iMessage scripts to $CANIFI_SCRIPTS_PATH
3. Configure Playwright MCP in your Claude settings
4. Configure Notion MCP with your token

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Privacy & Authentication

Your credentials, your choice. Canifi LifeOS respects your privacy.

Option 1: Manual Browser Login (Recommended)

If you prefer not to share credentials with Claude Code:

1. Complete the Browser Automation Setup using CDP mode
2. Login to the service manually in the Playwright-controlled Chrome window
3. Claude will use your authenticated session without ever seeing your password

Option 2: Environment Variables

If you're comfortable sharing credentials, you can store them locally:

canifi-env set SERVICE_EMAIL "your-email"
canifi-env set SERVICE_PASSWORD "your-password"

Note: Credentials stored in canifi-env are only accessible locally on your machine and are never transmitted.

Activation Trigger

When a prompt starts with "canifi" (case-insensitive), engage LifeOS mode immediately.

Examples:

• "canifi, research best productivity systems"
• "canifi add a new goal"
• "Canifi, what's on my calendar?"

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Core Workflow

1. RESEARCH (if needed) --> Gemini Deep Research via Playwright MCP
2. SYNTHESIZE          --> Claude processes and structures the information
3. STORE               --> Save to appropriate Notion database via MCP
4. CONFIRM             --> Report what was accomplished and where it was stored

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Authentication & Credentials

Google Account (Playwright Auth)

• Email: $CANIFI_GOOGLE_EMAIL
• Password: $CANIFI_GOOGLE_PASSWORD
• Playwright handles all login flows automatically
• Used for: Gmail, Gemini, Google Drive, Firebase, all Google services

Notion API

• Token: $CANIFI_NOTION_TOKEN
• Workspace: $CANIFI_NOTION_WORKSPACE
• Always prefer MCP tools (mcp__notion__*) over browser automation

iMessage Whitelisted Contacts

Contacts are defined in $CANIFI_IMESSAGE_CONTACTS as a comma-separated list.

NEVER message anyone outside the whitelist without explicit permission.

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Tool Routing

Playwright MCP (mcp__playwright__*) - PRIMARY for Browser Tasks

Use for:

• Gemini Deep Research (gemini.google.com) - MANDATORY for all LifeOS research
• Gmail/email checking and management
• NotebookLM access
• CLI command browser interactions (firebase login, etc.)
• Any Google service authentication
• Nano Banana image generation
• Notion tasks that MCP cannot handle

Notion MCP (mcp__notion__*) - PRIMARY for Database Operations

Use for:

• Creating pages/entries
• Updating existing content
• Searching Notion workspace
• All database CRUD operations

NEVER use WebSearch for LifeOS research tasks.

iMessage Scripts ($CANIFI_SCRIPTS_PATH/)

Use for:

• Sending messages to whitelisted contacts
• Checking message status
• Live streaming Claude output

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Gemini Deep Research Protocol

ALL LifeOS research MUST use Gemini Deep Research at gemini.google.com

Process

1. Navigate to gemini.google.com via Playwright MCP
2. Authenticate automatically (Playwright handles Google login with $CANIFI_GOOGLE_EMAIL)
3. Start Deep Research query
4. Deep Research takes up to 20 minutes - use one of these strategies:
   • Launch research in a background agent and continue other work
   • Use browser_wait_for with 10-minute intervals to check completion
   • Sleep/wait periodically (10 min at a time) while research runs
5. Check periodically for completion (every 5-10 minutes)
6. Extract and synthesize findings once complete
7. Store synthesized results in appropriate Notion database

Handling Long Waits

Option A: Background Agent
- Launch Deep Research in background Task agent
- Continue other work in main thread
- Check back for results

Option B: Periodic Polling
- Start research
- Wait 10 minutes
- Take snapshot to check status
- Repeat until complete

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Database Setup

You need to create these databases in your Notion workspace and configure their IDs.

Recommended Database Structure

Create a CANIFI_DATABASE_IDS configuration file or environment variable with your database IDs:

# Core Structure
CAPTURE_INBOX=<your-capture-page-id>
COMMAND_CENTER=<your-command-center-id>

# Daily
HABITS=<your-habits-db-id>
JOURNAL=<your-journal-db-id>
WEEKLY_REVIEW=<your-weekly-review-db-id>

# Work
GOALS=<your-goals-db-id>
TASKS=<your-tasks-db-id>
PROJECTS=<your-projects-db-id>

# Mind
IDEAS=<your-ideas-db-id>
CONCEPTS=<your-concepts-db-id>
RESEARCH_HUB=<your-research-hub-db-id>
MEDIA_LIBRARY=<your-media-library-db-id>
READING_LIST=<your-reading-list-db-id>
ENTERTAINMENT=<your-entertainment-db-id>
PERSONAL_DEVELOPMENT=<your-personal-dev-db-id>
BLOGS=<your-blogs-db-id>

# Health
EXERCISE_LIBRARY=<your-exercise-library-db-id>
WORKOUT_LOG=<your-workout-log-db-id>
SLEEP_LOG=<your-sleep-log-db-id>
BODY_METRICS=<your-body-metrics-db-id>
SUPPLEMENTS=<your-supplements-db-id>
NUTRITION=<your-nutrition-db-id>
RECIPES=<your-recipes-db-id>
MEAL_PLANS=<your-meal-plans-db-id>
GROCERY_LISTS=<your-grocery-lists-db-id>

# Relationships
PERSONAL_CRM=<your-crm-db-id>
GIFT_IDEAS=<your-gift-ideas-db-id>

# Environment
WARDROBE=<your-wardrobe-db-id>
TRIPS=<your-trips-db-id>

# Finance
SUBSCRIPTIONS=<your-subscriptions-db-id>
BUDGETS=<your-budgets-db-id>

---

Database Routing Rules

When adding new content, use this decision tree:

1. Is it a task/action item? --> Tasks database
2. Is it a goal/objective? --> Goals database
3. Is it a habit to track? --> Habits database
4. Is it health-related?
   • Workout --> Workout Log
   • Exercise definition --> Exercise Library
   • Food/meal --> Nutrition or Recipes
   • Sleep --> Sleep Log
   • Supplements --> Supplements
   • Body measurement --> Body Metrics
5. Is it knowledge/learning?
   • Book/article --> Reading List
   • Mental model/framework --> Concepts
   • Research project --> Research Hub
   • Course/skill --> Personal Development
   • Podcast/video --> Media Library
   • Movie/TV/Game --> Entertainment
   • Random idea --> Ideas
   • Blog post --> Blogs
6. Is it a person? --> Personal CRM
7. Is it travel-related? --> Trips
8. Is it clothing? --> Wardrobe
9. Is it a subscription/recurring payment? --> Subscriptions
10. Is it budget/spending? --> Budgets
11. Unsure? --> Capture inbox, then route later

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iMessage Commands

Command Reference

Command	Action	Script
canifi	Show help	canifi-help.sh
canifi [message]	Continue conversation	canifi-send.sh
canifi clear	Clear and start fresh	canifi-send.sh --clear
canifi abort	Stop generation	canifi-abort.sh
canifi interrupt	Send escape key	tmux send-keys Escape
canifi status	Show session state	canifi-status.sh
canifi summarize	Get conversation summary	canifi-send.sh
canifi pause	Pause live stream	canifi-pause.sh
canifi resume	Resume live stream	canifi-resume.sh
canifi help	Show commands	canifi-help.sh

Script Locations

All LifeOS scripts should be installed in $CANIFI_SCRIPTS_PATH (default: ~/canifi/):

• canifi-send.sh
• canifi-imessage-monitor.sh
• canifi-help.sh
• canifi-status.sh
• canifi-stream.sh
• canifi-pause.sh
• canifi-resume.sh
• canifi-send-image.sh
• canifi-abort.sh

Sending Messages

# Send text message
$CANIFI_SCRIPTS_PATH/canifi-send.sh "Your message here"

# Send image
$CANIFI_SCRIPTS_PATH/canifi-send-image.sh /path/to/image.png

# Direct osascript (use +1 format for phone numbers)
osascript -e 'tell application "Messages" to send "Hello!" to buddy "[phone]"'

Validating Contacts

Before sending any message, validate the recipient is in $CANIFI_IMESSAGE_CONTACTS:

# Parse whitelisted contacts
IFS=',' read -ra CONTACTS <<< "$CANIFI_IMESSAGE_CONTACTS"

# Check if recipient is whitelisted
is_whitelisted() {
    local recipient="$1"
    for contact in "${CONTACTS[@]}"; do
        if [[ "$contact" == "$recipient" ]]; then
            return 0
        fi
    done
    return 1
}

Conversation Behavior

• Default behavior: Conversations continue (no automatic clearing)
• Use canifi clear to explicitly start fresh
• Session persists in tmux (canifilifeos)

Live Streaming

• canifi-stream.sh streams Claude output to iMessage in real-time
• Output is cleaned (ANSI codes stripped) and batched for readability
• Use canifi pause / canifi resume to control stream
• Stream runs in background, doesn't affect Claude Code

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MCP Popup Handling

When making external MCP calls (Notion, etc.), browser auth popups may appear. Since Claude blocks while waiting for MCP response:

1. Launch a background Task agent with Playwright that monitors for new tabs/popups
2. The background agent should loop: snapshot --> check for auth popups --> handle if found --> repeat every 5 seconds
3. THEN make the MCP call (which may block/timeout)
4. Background agent catches and handles any popup WHILE MCP is running
5. After MCP completes (or fails), check background agent results

WHY: Popups appear AFTER MCP call starts, and Claude cannot check browser mid-call - background agent solves this.

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Universal Rules

1. Browser automation = Playwright MCP FIRST
2. Playwright handles auth using $CANIFI_GOOGLE_EMAIL / $CANIFI_GOOGLE_PASSWORD
3. No purchases - NEVER complete any financial transactions
4. Notion = MCP first - always prefer Notion MCP tools over browser
5. LifeOS research = Gemini ONLY - NEVER use WebSearch
6. LifeOS flow - Research (Gemini) --> Synthesize (Claude) --> Store (Notion MCP)
7. iMessage = whitelisted only - Only contacts in $CANIFI_IMESSAGE_CONTACTS

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Example Flows

Research Request

User: "canifi, research the best note-taking systems for developers"

1. Detect "canifi" trigger --> Engage LifeOS mode
2. Navigate to gemini.google.com via Playwright
3. Authenticate with $CANIFI_GOOGLE_EMAIL (automatic)
4. Start Deep Research: "best note-taking systems for developers 2024"
5. Wait/poll for completion (up to 20 min)
6. Extract and synthesize findings
7. Store in Research Hub database via Notion MCP
8. Confirm: "Research complete. Stored in Research Hub: [link]"

Quick Add

User: "canifi add task: review quarterly goals"

1. Detect "canifi" trigger --> Engage LifeOS mode
2. Route: task --> Tasks database
3. Use Notion MCP to create task entry
4. Confirm: "Task added to Tasks: 'review quarterly goals'"

iMessage Notification

After completing research:

1. Validate recipient is in $CANIFI_IMESSAGE_CONTACTS
2. Use canifi-send.sh to notify user
3. $CANIFI_SCRIPTS_PATH/canifi-send.sh "Research complete! Check your Research Hub."

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Troubleshooting

Google Authentication Issues

• Verify $CANIFI_GOOGLE_EMAIL and $CANIFI_GOOGLE_PASSWORD are set correctly
• Check for 2FA requirements on the Google account
• Playwright may need cookies/session from a previous login

Notion MCP Not Working

• Verify $CANIFI_NOTION_TOKEN is valid and not expired
• Check that the Notion integration has access to the required pages
• Ensure @notionhq/notion-mcp-server is configured in Claude settings

iMessage Not Sending

• Verify Messages.app is logged in on macOS
• Check that contacts are properly formatted (phone with +1, or valid email)
• Ensure scripts in $CANIFI_SCRIPTS_PATH have execute permissions

Deep Research Timeout

• Deep Research can take up to 20 minutes
• Use background agents or periodic polling
• Check Gemini status if research seems stuck