Dedup

---
name: dedup
description: >
  Find and merge DUPLICATE / near-duplicate notes anywhere in the vault (rules, concepts,
  people, leads) using a deterministic scanner + a proven supersede-NOT-delete merge policy.
  Trigger on "/dedup", "clean up duplicates", "dedupe <folder>". Deterministic-first; human
  review before any merge is written.
license: MIT
---

# /dedup — find & merge duplicates (supersede, never delete)

> 🧒 **When reporting to a non-technical operator:** end with a child-simple "In plain words" recap in their language.

## 🖥️ Dashboard first (the operator works visually)
`python "$IMPORTS_ROOT/build_dedup_dashboard.py"` (it runs the scan itself) → open `$OBSIDIAN_VAULT/_Dashboards/Dedup-Dashboard.html`: candidate clusters by topic, colour = similarity (🔴 ≥0.7 almost certainly a duplicate); each cluster shows which note to keep (the newer one) and which becomes superseded. DISPLAY ONLY; merging is done by hand below (supersede, never delete). Complementary notes are left alone.

## Step 1 — Scan (deterministic; AK-47, ~free; token law)
`python "$IMPORTS_ROOT/dedup_scan.py"` → scans ACTIVE notes by theme, difflib similarity → candidate clusters in `$IMPORTS_ROOT/dedup_report.txt`. For a DIFFERENT folder, copy the script and change its `OPS` path. Start at similarity ≥0.5 (high-confidence), then ≥0.4 for the next tier — **loop-until-dry** (stop when remaining clusters are complementary/noise).

## Step 2 — Judge each cluster (NOT every look-alike is a dup)
- **Identical** → keep the original (lowest msg_id), mark the echo superseded.
- **Same topic, different nuance, non-conflicting** → keep the NEWER; graft the older's unique nuances into it.
- **Conflict** → NEWER wins (the operator's law: fresher beats older on the same topic). BUT an explicit `origin: anton` rule is overridden only by the operator or an explicit `supersedes`.
- **Complementary** (different facets/recipients) → **LEAVE**. Merging loses nuance (e.g. "notify the operator" vs "notify teacher" vs "notify nanny" = 3 rules, not 1).
- **Money / sensitive / ambiguous** → do NOT merge; **FLAG for the operator**.

## Step 3 — Apply the merge (truth layer)
- Canonical note: add `audience`, `supersedes: "[[loser]]"`, graft nuances into the body.
- Loser note: `status: active` → `superseded`; add `superseded_by: "[[canonical]]"`; add body marker `> ⊘ Merged into [[canonical]] — <reason>`. **NEVER delete** (git-reversible; nothing lost).
- Record in the sidecar `$IMPORTS_ROOT/superseded_rules.json` (`"<msg_id>": {"by": "<canonical_fn>"}`) so the decision survives a pipeline rebuild.

## Step 4 — Fix the index/MOC view
- If a generator builds the list (e.g. `build_rules2.py`, superseded-aware) AND its inputs exist → re-run → deploy just the MOC file.
- Else hand-fix the index: drop the superseded lines + update the count.
- ⚠️ **GRABLI:** deleting MULTIPLE adjacent list-lines via batched `\n`-anchored Edits JOINS neighbor lines. To remove several lines, use a SCRIPT that filters by slug (like `fix_pokupki_moc.py`), or `git checkout <good-commit> -- <file>` then re-script. NEVER batch-Edit list deletions.

## Step 5 — Backup + verify + report
`vault_backup.py` before edits; after, grep-count `^status: superseded` to verify the number; commit. Report BEFORE→AFTER on real notes + 🧒 recap. Flag anything left for the operator (e.g. money conflicts).

---

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## About & contact

Built and battle-tested at **Palo Alto AI Research Lab** — a fleet of Claude Code machines
running 24/7 as a second brain and synthetic cofounder. Every skill here survived real
production use before publication.

- 📦 All 101 skills: https://github.com/tonydzi/second-brain-starter-kit
- 👤 Author: **Anton Dziatkovskii** — Telegram [@tonydzi](https://t.me/tonydzi) · WhatsApp [+1 341 222 9178](https://wa.me/13412229178) · X [@Tony_Stef_](https://x.com/Tony_Stef_)
- 🧪 **Engineers: want to test-drive this setup?** Message me — I hand out free starter seeds to engineers who test and report back. Custom skill requests welcome.