Vault Synthesize

Vault Synthesize

Research assistant for the vault's own content. Searches across project folders, reads the best sources, and synthesizes a consolidated note.

Workflow

1. Clarify the topic if needed. Accept a topic, question, or keyword cluster. Example: "Claude Code agent teams", "browser automation workflows", "MCP server patterns".

2. Run multiple searches to cast a wide net — use 2-4 query variations:

   obsidian search:context query="<primary term>" limit=10
   obsidian search:context query="<synonym or related term>" limit=10
   obsidian search:context query="<specific aspect>" limit=8
   

   Collect all matching file paths. Deduplicate. Prefer matches in gemini3_summary.txt and README.md files over transcript.txt.

3. Rank results by relevance:

   • Matches in multiple queries = higher priority
   • gemini3_summary.txt > README.md > transcript.txt
   • Folders whose names match the topic = higher priority
   • Aim for the top 5-10 sources

4. Read the top sources using the Read tool:

   • For each top folder, read gemini3_summary.txt if it exists, else README.md
   • Skim transcript.txt only if neither summary nor README is available
   • Read up to 10 files total

5. Synthesize a note. Write to disk using the Write tool (content will be long):

   ---
   description: Synthesis of vault knowledge on <topic>
   title: Synthesis — <Topic>
   date: YYYY-MM-DD
   source: vault-synthesize
   ---
   
   # Synthesis — <Topic>
   
   ## Overview
   2-3 paragraph synthesis of what this vault collectively knows about the topic. Write from the perspective of someone who has read all the sources.
   
   ## Key Insights
   1. **Insight title** — explanation. Source: [[folder_name/gemini3_summary]]
   2. **Insight title** — explanation. Source: [[folder_name/README]]
   ...
   
   ## Patterns & Approaches
   How different sources approach the topic — agreements, disagreements, different angles.
   
   ## Source Notes
   | Project | Description | Link |
   |---------|-------------|------|
   | folder_name | What this source covers | [[folder_name/gemini3_summary]] |
   ...
   
   ## Gaps
   What this vault does NOT cover well on this topic. What's missing or outdated.
   

6. Write the file:

   Write tool → <vault-root>/Synthesis — <Topic>.md
   

7. Log to daily note:

   obsidian daily:append content="### HH:MM — Synthesized: <Topic>\nCreated [[Synthesis — <Topic>]] from <n> vault sources.\n"
   

8. Report the note path, number of sources consulted, and the top 3 insights found.

Tips

• Capitalize synthesis notes with " — " separator: Synthesis — Agent Teams.md
• If the vault has many sources (>15 relevant), narrow to the 8-10 most specific rather than trying to read all
• The ## Gaps section is often the most valuable — note what the user should look for next
• If sources conflict, note it explicitly in ## Patterns & Approaches