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---
name: inbox-triage
description: "Process 01 Inbox: discard, park as pending, or file into the PARA structure."
---
## When to use
Use this skill whenever `01 Inbox/` has one or more notes waiting to be processed — at the start of a session, when the user asks to clean up the inbox, or any time a quick capture needs to find a permanent home.
## Steps
1. List every file currently in `01 Inbox/`.
2. For each note, read its content, then ask the user what to do with it. Offer exactly three options:
- **Discard** — the note is no longer needed.
- **Pending** — the idea is worth keeping but isn't ready to be filed yet.
- **File** — the note is ready to move into the PARA structure (`02 Projects`, `03 Areas`, or `04 Resources`).
3. If the user chooses **discard**: confirm the exact file, then delete it.
4. If the user chooses **pending**: rename the file to `Pending - <topic>.md` and restructure it with three sections: `## Source` (where the idea came from), `## Analysis` (what it is and why it matters), `## Next step` (the concrete next action). Leave it in `01 Inbox/`.
5. If the user chooses **file**: move the note into the correct destination folder, and set its YAML frontmatter (`tags`, `status`, `date`) to match the target area's conventions. When the destination is a project or area folder, the note needs that folder's tag alongside its type tag — take the tag from the register in `AGENTS.md` instead of deriving one from the folder name, and add a row to that register if the folder has no entry yet.
6. Whatever the choice (pending or file), retrofit any missing frontmatter (`tags`, `status`, `date`) — quick captures often arrive without any.
7. After processing all notes in the batch, commit the changes with a short, descriptive message and push.
## Rules
- Never delete a note without asking the user first, even if it looks obviously obsolete.
- Never automatically move a processed note into `06 Archive/` — archiving always requires an explicit, separate request from the user.
- Never file a note into a PARA folder without the user's confirmation of the destination.
- Keep each note atomic: if a single inbox note contains multiple unrelated ideas, split it before filing.
