Process the Inbox of this Obsidian second brain by clarifying each capture, filing it in the right folder, and linking it into the graph. Use when the user asks to triage, process the inbox, clean up captures, or file loose notes. Not for creating new captures.
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---
name: vault-triage
description: Process the Inbox of this Obsidian second brain by clarifying each capture, filing it in the right folder, and linking it into the graph. Use when the user asks to triage, process the inbox, clean up captures, or file loose notes. Not for creating new captures.
---
# Vault Triage
Use `python3` in the commands below; `py` is the fallback for Windows installations that
do not expose that executable name.
Turn captures into filed, linked notes. Work one note at a time and stop when the Inbox is
empty or the user says enough.
## Survey
```
python3 90-system/automation/vault.py tasks --path-prefix "00-inbox" --compact
python3 90-system/automation/vault.py check --compact
```
Read the Inbox MOC and list what is actually there before touching anything.
## For each capture
1. **Clarify.** What is the single durable subject? If a capture holds several, split it.
2. **Decide actionability.** Finite outcome → `10-projects`. Ongoing responsibility →
`20-areas`. Useful topic → `30-resources`. Stable idea or entity → `40-knowledge`.
Consequential choice → `60-decisions`. Nothing durable → `80-archive` or delete, but
only with the user's agreement.
3. **Check for a duplicate.** Run `query` on the subject first. Prefer updating an
existing canonical note over creating a near-duplicate.
4. **Move it.** Preserve meaning during the move. Update the note's parent MOC link and
add the note to the destination MOC below its `vault:links` anchor.
5. **Link it.** Add lateral links only where the relationship answers one of the questions
in `90-system/Link Policy.md`. Do not link to inflate the graph.
## Boundaries
For engineering records and feedback, read [[90-system/Engineering Memory]] before choosing
the type or consolidating a rule. File the capture itself when it becomes a new durable
subject. Keep current project status separate from historical dev-session evidence, using
links or embeds for reuse. Preserve the AI-review property and callout until human acceptance.
Never bulk-delete, and never merge two notes without explicit confirmation. For an agreed
merge, follow [[90-system/Safe Merge Policy]]: prepare the reviewed body, show the dry-run
plan, then apply its exact hash and leave the retired redirect. When a capture is too thin
to file, say so and leave it in the Inbox rather than inventing context for it.
## Finish
Run `check`, report what moved and what remains, and update `90-system/AI Handoff.md` if
the triage is unfinished.
