add-domain

name	add-domain
description	Add a new knowledge domain to an existing vault. Creates domain-specific MOCs, templates, and vocabulary mappings.
tags	["architecture","domain","expansion"]

Skill: add-domain

Delegates to: @ars-contexta:vault-architect

Trigger

Invoke this skill when the user wants to extend their vault with a new subject area, discipline, or knowledge domain — without rebuilding from scratch.

Arguments

Optional: domain name (e.g. add-domain "machine learning")

Behavior

Conversation Phase If no domain name was provided, ask: "What domain do you want to add? Describe the kinds of things you'll be capturing in it."

Conduct a brief 2–3 turn conversation to understand:

• The domain's vocabulary (what do practitioners call things?)
• How this domain relates to existing domains in the vault
• Typical note granularity for this domain (concepts, papers, people, projects?)
• Whether this domain needs its own MOC hierarchy or integrates into an existing one

Derivation Phase Derive domain-specific configuration:

• Vocabulary mappings: canonical terms the user uses for notes, links, and tags in this domain
• MOC hierarchy: which hub MOC this domain hangs from, and what topic MOCs are needed immediately
• Templates: note templates tuned to the domain's typical structure
• Schema additions: any new frontmatter fields needed for this domain's notes

Proposal Phase Show the user what will be generated:

• New MOC files and their location in notes/
• New templates and their names
• Additions to ops/derivation-manifest.md
• Any updates to context files (copilot-instructions.md, CLAUDE.md)

Wait for confirmation before generating.

Generation Phase Execute the approved additions:

• Create domain MOC(s) in notes/ using the vault's established MOC template
• Create domain-specific note templates in templates/
• Append domain entry to ops/derivation-manifest.md under the domains section
• Update ops/config.yaml if new schema fields were added
• Refresh copilot-instructions.md and CLAUDE.md to include domain vocabulary

Validation Confirm that:

• New MOC links into at least one existing MOC (no orphan domains)
• All new templates pass the vault's schema enforcement rules
• ops/derivation-manifest.md reflects the addition with a timestamp