/check-notes

Check Notes

Retrieve information from the user's personal Obsidian vault at ~/wrksp/notes so it can answer the current request or feed the current task — without the user having to tell you the path.

Instructions

Step 1: Read the index map

Read ~/wrksp/notes/index.md first. It is a hand-maintained human-readable map: a Top-level map table (work/, home/, ai/, rpg/, docs/) followed by per-area sections and inventories of scripts/assets/skills. Links use Obsidian syntax — [text](path), and [text](<path with spaces>) when the path contains spaces.

Match the user's topic against the table and per-area sections to find the most likely area, directory, or file. Treat the index as a starting point, not authoritative — it says so itself, and root-level files are skipped by the maintenance job, so it can be stale.

Step 2: Navigate to the content

Follow the link that best matches the topic. If it points to:

• a specific file → read it.
• a directory or a per-area README.md / CLAUDE.md → read that to narrow down, then read the target file.

Read the actual note files for details rather than trusting the index's one-line summaries.

Step 3: Fall back to search when the index doesn't pinpoint it

If the index doesn't clearly locate the topic (or the topic isn't mapped), search the vault directly. Use rg from ~/wrksp/notes, excluding noise:

rg -il "<keywords>" ~/wrksp/notes --glob '!.git' --glob '!.obsidian' --glob '!.trash' --glob '!ai/runs'

Widen or narrow keywords as needed (try synonyms, filenames, headings). Read the top matches.

Step 4: Use what you find

Extract the relevant information and apply it to the user's request — answer the question, or hand the details to whatever task prompted the lookup. Cite the note path(s) you drew from (e.g. work/setup/dev-stack.md) so the user can verify. This skill is read-only retrieval — do not edit vault files unless the user explicitly asks.

Examples

Example 1: Mapped topic

User says: "check my notes for my dev stack" Actions:

1. Read ~/wrksp/notes/index.md; the work/ section maps setup context to work/setup/dev-stack.md.
2. Read work/setup/dev-stack.md.
3. Summarize the stack, citing the path. Result: The user gets the info without naming the file.

Example 2: Fallback search

User says: "what do my notes say about the award-watch baseline?" Actions:

1. Read index.md; ai/jobs/award-watch/ is mapped but the exact "baseline" file isn't obvious.
2. rg -il "baseline" ~/wrksp/notes --glob '!.git' --glob '!ai/runs' → finds work/reference/award-baseline.md and ai/jobs/award-watch/scripts/build_baseline.py.
3. Read the top hit and answer. Result: Located despite the index not pinpointing it.

Example 3: Feeding a task

User says: "use my notes on the CV build to help me add a new role" Actions:

1. index.md → work/cv/CLAUDE.md; read it, then the referenced experience/ and profiles/*.json.
2. Apply the documented conventions to the current task. Result: The note's conventions drive the work.

Troubleshooting

Nothing found in the index or search

Cause: Topic uses different terminology than the notes, or lives in a root-level file the index doesn't track. Solution: Try synonyms and likely filenames; rg the raw text and also list root-level *.md files (ls ~/wrksp/notes/*.md). If still nothing, tell the user and ask for a hint (area or keyword).

Index points somewhere stale or the file moved

Cause: index.md is hand-maintained and can lag reality. Solution: Fall back to Step 3 search. Trust the filesystem over the index.

Vault not at ~/wrksp/notes

Cause: Path differs on this machine or isn't checked out. Solution: Confirm with ls ~/wrksp/notes. If absent, tell the user rather than guessing another location.