note-polish

name	note-polish
description	Polish Obsidian or plain Markdown notes by tightening structure, logic, wording, and tone while preserving the author's intent and note type. Use when Codex needs to revise rough notes, expand underwritten sections, improve mixed Korean/English technical writing, clarify summaries, or reshape idea, meeting, planning, reading, reference, or personal notes without changing their genre.

Note Polish

Overview

Polish an existing note without rewriting it into a different genre. Preserve what the note is for, then make it clearer, tighter, and more useful to the future reader.

Treat note polishing as structural editing. Improve the note's internal logic, section flow, wording, and closure, but do not silently replace the author's intent with a new one.

Workflow

1. Identify the note function

Classify the note before rewriting it.

Common note types:

• idea or concept note
• meeting or discussion note
• planning or task note
• reading or reference note
• recap or status note
• daily or personal note

Infer the intended reader if it is obvious:

• self
• collaborator
• team
• future self

If the note function is materially ambiguous and the rewrite direction depends on that ambiguity, ask one short question before editing.

2. Read the full note first

Read the title, frontmatter, headings, lists, links, and ending before changing anything.

When the note lives in Obsidian:

• preserve frontmatter unless the user asks to change metadata
• preserve internal links unless they are clearly broken
• inspect nearby notes only when local conventions matter

3. Extract the core message

Reduce the note to one internal sentence before rewriting:

• what is this note trying to say
• why does it exist
• what should the reader understand or do after reading it

Use that sentence to decide what to keep, cut, expand, or move earlier.

4. Diagnose the main weakness

Check which failure mode dominates:

• the thesis appears too late or is missing
• sections are underwritten
• claims are asserted but not explained
• the note is repetitive or padded
• transitions are abrupt
• wording is vague about the relevant axis
• the ending does not give closure
• the note uses the wrong shape for its purpose

Prefer fixing the dominant weakness first instead of making many shallow edits.

5. Rewrite according to note type

For analytical, idea, or concept notes:

• lead with the thesis or core claim early
• separate claim, why, and implication
• name the exact axis of criticism or comparison
• end critique with a constructive direction when appropriate

For meeting, recap, or decision notes:

• surface context, decision, rationale, and next steps
• keep bullets when they improve scanability
• remove vague reporting language that hides the actual outcome

For planning or task notes:

• clarify goal, constraint, options, chosen path, and next action
• make dependencies and blockers explicit
• keep the plan operational rather than essay-like

For reading or reference notes:

• start with a short summary
• separate source facts from personal interpretation
• preserve citations, links, and quoted terminology

For daily or personal notes:

• preserve the original voice
• reduce clutter without sterilizing the tone
• keep emotional or reflective content intact unless the user asks to formalize it

6. Apply style rules

Preserve the note's language mix unless the user asks to normalize it.

When the note uses Korean with English technical terms:

• keep Korean as the dominant syntax when that is the source style
• keep standard technical objects in English when translation would be awkward
• avoid switching entire paragraphs into English unless the source note already does so

In all note types:

• prefer concrete nouns and mechanisms over vague adjectives
• add a topic sentence when a section is dense or abrupt
• compress repetition
• preserve uncertainty, caveats, and speculative framing
• use bullets only when the note benefits from scanability
• prefer short paragraphs over long blocks

7. Preserve note identity

Do not turn every note into an article.

Keep the note recognizable as the same note after editing:

• a rough idea note should still feel like an idea note
• a meeting note should still feel like a meeting note
• a personal note should still feel personal

Upgrade clarity and structure without flattening the genre.

Anti-Patterns

Avoid:

• replacing the author's claim with a different claim
• adding unsupported facts, citations, or confidence
• over-formalizing casual notes
• over-expanding with filler paragraphs
• forcing bullets into prose when bullets are the right shape
• forcing prose into bullets when argument flow matters more
• removing tentative language from speculative notes

Reference

Read references/patterns.md when the note needs concrete rewrite patterns for thesis placement, mixed Korean/English prose, or note-type-specific polishing.

Verification Checklist

Before finishing, confirm:

• the note type is still recognizable
• the core message appears earlier or more clearly
• each major section has a clear role
• vague criticism has been converted into a named axis when needed
• the ending gives an appropriate takeaway, decision, or next action