Working Docs

Obsidian Working Documents

Manage working documents in the Obsidian vault for cross-session, cross-project memory.

Vault path: ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault/

This skill creates, edits, and — when promoting an Inbox note — deletes files under that vault path, and updates the index. It touches nothing outside the vault: no repo files, no commits. Edit an existing document with targeted edits to the lines that change; never rewrite a whole document to update a header field.

Prefer the obsidian:obsidian-cli skill for vault interactions (read, create, search, manage notes). Fall back to reading and writing the vault path directly only if that skill is unavailable.

When to Use

• Multi-step or multi-session tasks — create a working document
• Starting work on a topic that may span sessions — check for existing docs first
• Research findings, implementation plans, PRDs — persistent Claude docs
• Quick findings during debugging or exploration — inbox dump

Skip for one-off questions, quick fixes, or trivial tasks.

Two-Tier System

Inbox (ephemeral, quick dumps)

• Location: ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault/Inbox/
• Format: YYYY-MM-DD <scope> - <Description>.md
• Scope: freeform short topic — react, auth, xp-debugger, contentstudio
• Always Draft status
• Promote to Dev/Claude/ when structured, or delete when stale

Claude (persistent working documents)

• Location: ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault/Dev/Claude/
• Format: <Type> - <Scope> - <Description>.md
• Type: PRD | Plan | Note | Research | Log
• Scope: freeform — repo name (app-contentstudio), skill name (init-permissions), tool name (xp-debugger), or general
• No date in filename — dates in frontmatter only (Created/Updated)
• Status: Draft | Active | Completed | Archived

Index

The index file at ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault/Dev/Claude/Claude Working Docs.md lists all persistent Claude docs. Update it whenever you create, promote, or complete a document.

Document Header Template

Every working document (both Inbox and Claude) uses this header:

# [Description]

#claude #[type] #[scope]

**Project**: [name]
**Repo**: [url or path]
**Created**: YYYY-MM-DD
**Updated**: YYYY-MM-DD
**Status**: Draft | Active | Completed | Archived

---

For Inbox docs, status is always Draft. Omit **Repo** if not project-specific.

Filled in, as Dev/Claude/Plan - app-contentstudio - Search filter rework.md:

# Search filter rework

#claude #plan #app-contentstudio

**Project**: app-contentstudio
**Repo**: https://github.com/enonic/app-contentstudio
**Created**: 2026-09-02
**Updated**: 2026-09-02
**Status**: Active

---

## Goal
Replace the three separate filter widgets with one query bar.

Operations

Find Existing Documents

Before creating a document, check whether one already exists. Run every step below that applies before concluding there is none — the index goes stale, so step 1 alone does not settle it:

1. Read the index: ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault/Dev/Claude/Claude Working Docs.md
2. Glob by type: ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault/Dev/Claude/Note - *
3. Glob by scope: ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault/Dev/Claude/* - app-contentstudio - *
4. Inbox by date: ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault/Inbox/2026-03*
5. Grep for status: search **Status**: Active in ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault/Dev/Claude/

If a matching document exists, update it instead of creating a new one.

Create Inbox Note

Use for quick dumps during active work — findings, partial research, debug notes.

1. Determine scope from current context (repo name, topic, tool)
2. Write to ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault/Inbox/YYYY-MM-DD <scope> - <Description>.md
3. Use the header template with Status: Draft
4. Write content below the --- separator

Create Claude Document

Use for structured, persistent documents that will be referenced across sessions.

1. Check for existing docs first (see Find above)
2. Determine type (PRD, Plan, Note, Research, Log) from content purpose
3. Determine scope from project/topic context
4. Write to ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault/Dev/Claude/<Type> - <Scope> - <Description>.md
5. Use the header template with Status: Draft or Active
6. Write content below the --- separator
7. Update the index file — add a line entry for the new document
8. Print one line naming the file and the index update: Created Dev/Claude/Plan - app-contentstudio - Search filter rework.md, index updated

Update Existing Document

1. Read the document
2. Update content as needed
3. Bump **Updated**: YYYY-MM-DD in frontmatter to today's date
4. Update **Status** if it changed (e.g., Draft → Active)

Promote from Inbox to Claude

When an Inbox note has grown into structured content worth keeping long-term:

1. Read the Inbox note
2. Determine the appropriate Type and Scope for Claude naming
3. Write the new file at ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault/Dev/Claude/<Type> - <Scope> - <Description>.md
4. Update the header: set proper status, bump **Updated** date
5. Delete the original Inbox file
6. Update the index file
7. Print one line naming both paths: Promoted Inbox/<old> -> Dev/Claude/<new>, index updated

Complete a Document

When the work described in a document is done:

1. Update **Status**: Completed and bump **Updated** date
2. Update the index file — mark as completed or move to a completed section
3. Print one line: Completed <filename>, index updated

Archive a Document

When a completed document is no longer actively referenced:

1. Update **Status**: Archived and bump **Updated** date
2. Update the index file accordingly