kb-query

name	kb-query
description	Query the PARA Knowledge Base to find information, synthesize answers from vault documents, inspect recent activity when needed, and record compact query telemetry when configured. Use for any question about Obsidian vault content, projects, references, logs, links, or cross-document analysis.

KB Query

Answer vault-based questions by narrowing the search path before reading full documents. Cite sources with [[wikilinks]]. Do not answer from memory alone when the user asks about vault content.

Core Contract

1. Parse the question: subject, scope, time range, desired output.
2. Pick the cheapest route or route combination.
3. Start from indexes, project hubs, tags, backlinks, or short search snippets.
4. Read full documents only when needed for the answer.
5. Synthesize with source [[wikilinks]].
6. If query telemetry is configured, let hooks/wrappers capture numeric data and add at most one semantic QuerySummary when useful.

Keep source reading under a small budget by default. Expand only when evidence is insufficient.

Routes

Route	Use when	First move
A. Direct folder	Target project/category is clear	Read the category index or project hub if present, then selected files
B. Tag/topic collection	Topic spans folders	Use tag inventory/search, then inspect matched candidates
C. Backlink/reference	User asks what cites or depends on something	Use Obsidian backlinks or targeted wikilink search
D. Index/log browse	User asks overview, recent activity, trend, or change history	Read relevant index and only the needed log window
E. Full-text search	User gives a term, phrase, error, or concept	Use short search/context results before opening files

Complex questions can combine routes. Example: project status may use Route A for the project hub, Route D for recent _log.md, and Route E for a specific term.

Search Rules

• Do not always start from 0. Common/index.md; choose the route that best matches the question.
• For project-like names, first try the project hub if the vault uses project hubs (1. Projects/<slug>/_index.md) or inspect 1. Projects/_index.md to resolve the slug. Do not run broad full-text search on the project name before checking indexes.
• For topic-wide questions, prefer tags, backlinks, and short context snippets over reading every match.
• Use search:context for specific terms, errors, phrases, or concepts. Avoid high-frequency broad queries such as category names, project names, or large OR patterns unless the output is capped.
• If a first hit-list command returns many files, narrow to candidate paths before requesting context lines. Do not run vault-wide context grep over all matches.
• For recent activity, project _log.md files are usually newest-first when the vault uses them. Read from the top.
• For 0. Common/log.md, parse by [YYYY-MM-DD] records and inspect only the requested date range.
• Avoid logs unless the question needs time, change history, trends, or root-cause evidence.
• If the answer is already supported by index/search snippets, do not open more documents just to be exhaustive.
• If a candidate document has no frontmatter summary field, read its first paragraph as a lightweight substitute before deciding whether the full document is needed.
• Skip full-body reads for documents with frontmatter type: data (large data-style listings — raw exports, link dumps, telemetry-adjacent tables). Read only their frontmatter and summary (or first-paragraph fallback) to judge relevance; open the full body only if the user explicitly asks for its contents.

Obsidian CLI

Prefer Obsidian CLI when available because it returns resolved graph/search results cheaply.

obsidian vault="<vault name>" search:context query="term"
obsidian vault="<vault name>" tag name="#proj/example"
obsidian vault="<vault name>" backlinks file="Document Name"
obsidian vault="<vault name>" read path="1. Projects/example/_index.md"

If the active vault is reliable, the vault="..." argument may be omitted. If CLI reports that it cannot find Obsidian, retry once with vault="<vault name>"; then fall back to rg/limited file reads instead of debugging the CLI during the query.

Fallback hierarchy: index/hub -> tag or filename hit list -> short context snippet -> target section -> full document.

Response Rules

• Give the direct answer first.
• Cite material evidence using [[wikilinks]]; include file paths only when needed for disambiguation.
• Separate evidence from inference when the answer depends on partial search results.
• If useful synthesis should become a durable note, suggest saving it and follow kb-ingest/vault write rules only after the user wants that.

Query Telemetry

Query telemetry is optional. This skill defines the record shape and semantic summary guidance; runtime hooks, wrappers, or local automation must perform any reliable numeric capture. When configured, write query-related operational records to 0. Common/query-telemetry.jsonl. Do not create multiple query-log files. The telemetry file is not a knowledge note, is not indexed, and is not read during normal vault search.

Hooks or wrappers should record numeric data when possible:

• request id
• timestamps and elapsed time
• tool calls and tool durations
• input/output byte sizes
• model token usage when available

The skill should not hand-estimate numeric cost fields. It may add one compact semantic QuerySummary only for data hooks cannot infer well: route, entrypoints, inspected documents, query intent, and confidence.

One user request should stay under one query_id:

1. The request starts and creates the active query_id.
2. Tool calls are recorded under that id.
3. Optional QuerySummary reuses that id.
4. The final response records final usage under that id.

Optional QuerySummary schema:

{"timestamp":"YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ","source":"kb-query-skill","event":"QuerySummary","query_id":"active query id","query":"short query summary","route":["A:direct-folder","D:index-log"],"entrypoints":["1. Projects/foo/_index.md"],"documents_read_count":3,"documents_read_paths":["1. Projects/foo/_index.md","1. Projects/foo/overview.md"],"confidence":"medium"}

Guidelines:

• Record only a short query summary, routes, entrypoints, documents materially inspected, and confidence.
• Do not log copied source text, private note content, or the full answer.
• Do not read extra documents just to improve telemetry.
• If telemetry writing fails, answer normally and mention the gap only when the user asked about measurement.