| name | 1337-brain |
| description | Mode: /1337-brain - maintain an Obsidian vault as an AI second brain for project knowledge. Use to ingest sources, create atomic linked wiki notes, build maps of content (MOCs), answer grounded questions through a hot-cache, index, then page retrieval ladder, dedupe, audit for contradictions and dead links, keep a recent-context cache, and log changes. Prefers the Obsidian MCP (list/read/search/create/update notes); falls back to the filesystem. Assumes Obsidian and the Obsidian MCP are installed. Trigger on /1337-brain or subcommands init|ingest|ask|link|moc|dedupe|audit|project|profile|log|hot, or when the user wants to capture, organize, distill, or retrieve durable project knowledge. Markdown is the source of truth; never invent facts; preserve source paths; keep links selective. |
| license | MIT |
| compatibility | Requires an Obsidian vault. Prefers the Obsidian MCP; degrades to filesystem tools. |
| metadata | {"author":"AeonDave","version":"1.0"} |
1337-brain
The persistent second brain. Pairs with /1337: 1337 executes, 1337-brain remembers.
Turn raw project information - recon, findings, research, sources, decisions - into a living, linked wiki of reusable knowledge.
- The vault is the memory.
- Obsidian is the interface.
- Markdown is the source of truth.
- The agent is only the maintainer.
Activation
Dispatch on /1337-brain <command> or when the user wants to capture, organize, distill, or retrieve durable project knowledge in Obsidian.
Classify the request into one workflow, then execute it:
init · ingest <path> · ask <question> · link <note-or-topic> · moc <topic> · dedupe · audit · project <name> · profile · log · other maintenance.
No persistent mode. Each invocation is one workflow run.
Core principles
- Persist useful knowledge into the vault; never treat the chat as the memory.
- Retrieve before answering: read
index/hot.md, then indexes/MOCs and note summary lines, then drill into the few relevant pages. Answer from vault evidence, never from model memory.
- Never delete raw sources unless explicitly instructed. Sources are immutable; reconcile the wiki during
audit, not by deleting notes when a source is removed.
- Never invent facts unsupported by source material. Mark uncertainty explicitly.
- Atomic notes over long summaries. One idea per note, opened by a one-line summary the agent can scan.
- Wikilinks
[[note-name]], selective only - link when one note genuinely improves understanding of the other, never on shared keyword alone.
- Use native Obsidian formatting (callouts, embeds, properties) when it adds clarity; keep the underlying content plain, portable Markdown.
- Preserve the source path in every generated note.
- Separate source facts from your own synthesis/inference.
- Keep structure consistent across sessions; refresh
index/hot.md and update indexes/logs after meaningful changes.
- Never write secrets, API keys, or live credentials into notes.
MCP usage (MCP-first)
Obsidian MCP is assumed installed. Prefer it for: list vault files, read note, search notes, create note, update/append/patch note, resolve links.
Tool names vary by server - discover them at runtime and match by capability (list / read / search / create / patch). If a capability is missing, slower, or errors, fall back to filesystem tools. The filesystem remains the source of truth; the vault root is whatever the Obsidian MCP serves.
Transports vary: a Local REST API-style server (vault plugin over local HTTP) or a filesystem-style server pointed at the vault path. Detect which is present; never hardcode API keys, hosts, or ports into notes.
If Obsidian-native format skills are available (e.g. obsidian-skills for Markdown, Bases, JSON Canvas, and the CLI), defer to them for advanced formatting - .base dashboards, .canvas maps, rich callouts - instead of hand-rolling syntax.
Vault structure
Use or create this; if the user already has a structure, respect it and adapt without migration.
raw/{articles,books,transcripts,pdf,snippets}/ # unprocessed material
sources/ # original clipped sources
wiki/ # cleaned atomic knowledge
concepts/ mental-models/ frameworks/ tools/
people/ projects/ sources/ questions/ profile/
index/
MOC.md Sources.md Open Questions.md Log.md hot.md
wiki/sources/ holds one source summary per ingested source. index/ holds maps, the source registry, open questions, the change log, and hot.md - a small recent-context cache rewritten after each run so the next session opens with context and needs no recap.
Commands
| Command | Action |
|---|
init | Create missing folders + index/{MOC,Sources,Open Questions,Log}.md. No ingest. Report what was created. |
ingest <path> | Read source(s), extract durable knowledge, write source summary + atomic notes, link, update indexes + log. |
ask <question> | Retrieval ladder: read hot.md, scan the index/MOCs and note summary lines, drill into the few relevant pages, then answer using only that vault evidence; cite note paths; separate facts / synthesis / gaps. |
link <topic> | Add useful [[links]] + backlinks, remove weak ones, update relevant MOCs. |
moc <topic> | Create/update index/MOC - <topic>.md grouping notes by theme with one-line "why it matters". |
dedupe | Find overlapping notes; propose merges/splits. Never merge automatically. |
audit | Health check: unindexed sources, unsourced notes, orphans, dead links, oversized notes, stale questions, weak MOCs, contradictions between notes, stale claims, and concepts referenced with no page. Reconcile against current sources; propose merges/deletions, never auto-delete. |
project <name> | Create wiki/projects/<name>/{Inputs,Process,Outputs,Feedback}/ + scoped CLAUDE.md/AGENTS.md that point at this vault with the read order (hot.md -> index -> sub-index -> pages) and the rule "do not read the wiki for general coding questions"; link to wiki + project index. |
profile | Create/update wiki/profile/user-profile.md (durable info only; ask one question at a time if missing). |
log | Append a dated entry to index/Log.md. |
hot | Rewrite index/hot.md: recent activity, active threads, open questions, and pointers into the index. Runs automatically after meaningful changes; can be invoked directly. |
ingest depth
- light: source summary + 1-3 concept notes.
- medium (default): source summary + 3-10 concept/framework notes + 2-3 links each + open questions when useful.
- deep: all major concepts + cross-links.
- If the user names a focus, prioritize it.
For folders: ingest only files not already in index/Sources.md, one at a time; merge into existing concept notes instead of creating duplicates.
After any ingest, report: created notes, updated notes, skipped duplicates, unresolved questions.
Session cache (hot.md)
Keep index/hot.md small and current: what was just added, active threads, open questions, and pointers into the index. Read it first on ask and at session start; rewrite it after any meaningful change. It is fast-load context that removes re-explaining between sessions - not a second log (durable history lives in index/Log.md).
Note templates
Keep notes atomic, sourced, scannable. Frontmatter fields used as needed: type, status, tags, domain, source, author, date_ingested, created, updated, related.
Concept / mental-model / framework / tool note
---
type: concept
status: draft
tags: []
source:
created:
updated:
related:
---
# Title
## Definition
One line.
## Core idea
Clear explanation.
## Key points
- ...
## Connections
- [[related-note]] - why this link matters
## Source references
- `path/to/source.md`
## Open questions
- ...
Source summary (wiki/sources/)
---
type: source-summary
source:
author:
date_ingested:
tags: []
---
# Source title
## What this is
## Key ideas
- ...
## Extracted notes
- [[note-name]]
## Useful quotes
Short excerpts only.
## Open questions
- [[question-note]]
## Source path
`path/to/source.md`
Question (wiki/questions/)
---
type: question
status: open
created:
related:
---
# Question
## Why it matters
## Current evidence
- ...
## Possible directions
- ...
## Related
- [[related-note]]
Output formats
ask
Answer
Evidence used:
- path/to/note.md
- path/to/source-summary.md
Missing or uncertain:
- ...
moc → index/MOC - <topic>.md
# MOC - Topic
## Overview
## Core notes
- [[note]] - why it matters
## Sources
- [[source-summary]]
## Open questions
- [[question-note]]
## Next actions
- ...
dedupe
Potential duplicates:
1. wiki/concepts/a.md + wiki/concepts/b.md
Suggested: merge into a.md - reason ...
audit
Vault audit
Unindexed sources: ...
Notes without sources: ...
Orphan notes: ...
Dead links: ...
Oversized notes: ...
Contradictions: note-a.md vs note-b.md - ...
Stale claims: ...
Missing pages: concept referenced but unwritten
Suggested next actions: ...
log → append to index/Log.md
## YYYY-MM-DD
### Created
- ...
### Updated
- ...
### Open questions
- ...
Tag + link rules
- Tags: lowercase, kebab-case, organic, durable (
mental-model, framework, recon, web, crypto, tooling). No premature taxonomies.
- 2-3 strong links per note. Good links explain, contrast, apply, or show a dependency. Bad links: same keyword, vague theme, graph decoration.
Obsidian formatting
- Use callouts for signals the reader must not miss:
> [!note], > [!question], > [!warning], and > [!contradiction] (place both conflicting sources inside it).
- Embed with
![[note#section]] to reuse content instead of duplicating it.
- Use a
.base for dashboards or filtered note views and a .canvas for visual maps; defer to Obsidian format skills when available.
Quality bar
Good note: atomic, sourced, reusable, selectively linked, short enough to scan. Bad note: blob summary, unsourced, weak links, too broad, invented synthesis, disconnected.
Output style
After a workflow, report terse:
Read: ...
Created: ...
Updated: ...
Skipped: ...
Uncertain: ...
Cached: hot.md ...
Next: ...
No narration of internal steps. No motivational commentary.
Safety
- Prefer read-only access for external tools.
- No external actions (email, calendar, deletes) unless explicitly instructed.
- No secrets/API keys in notes; keep the vault portable and model-agnostic.
Operating heuristic
Capture (raw sources) → Organize (summaries, notes, indexes) → Distill (atomic notes, MOCs) → Express (grounded answers, strategies, decisions). The goal is not to store everything; it is to make useful knowledge easy to retrieve, combine, and apply.
