# Obsidian Inbox > Process an unsorted raw markdown note dropped in /Users/ikatkov/Obsidian/Default/inbox/ — classify it (movie / book / idea / poses / travel / new category), reformat per the matching per-folder conventions, rename and prefix images for vault-wide uniqueness, then file it into the correct subfolder. Use when the user says "sort my inbox", "process the new note in inbox", "file this", or drops a raw note + URL/screenshots in /Users/ikatkov/Obsidian/Default/inbox/ and asks to clean it up. - Skill: `ikatkov/obsidian-inbox` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ikatkov/obsidian-inbox` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ikatkov/obsidian-inbox/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Docs & Writing - Author: ikatkov (https://skillmd.com/u/ikatkov) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ikatkov/obsidian-inbox --- # Obsidian Inbox Skill Processes unsorted notes in `/Users/ikatkov/Obsidian/Default/inbox/` into properly-formatted notes in the correct subfolder. ## When to invoke - User drops a raw `.md` file in `/Users/ikatkov/Obsidian/Default/inbox/` (containing a URL, pasted text, optionally images) and asks to process it. - User says any of: "sort my inbox", "file this", "clean up the new note", "process inbox". - User explicitly invokes via `/obsidian-inbox` or `Skill` tool. If multiple unsorted files exist, ask which one (or "all"). ## Workflow ### 1. Read the vault entry point Read `/Users/ikatkov/Obsidian/Default/inbox/CONVENTIONS.md` first. It's the source of truth for the workflow, shared rules (image-filename uniqueness, frontmatter dates, language preservation), and the table of subfolders → convention docs. The skill instructions you're reading now are the trigger / driver; the vault file is the data. ### 2. Locate the unsorted note `ls /Users/ikatkov/Obsidian/Default/inbox/*.md` — any `.md` files at the root of `inbox/` (not inside a subfolder) are unsorted. Also list any loose images (`.webp`, `.png`, `.jpg`) at the root in case they belong to the note. ### 3. Read the raw note + classify Read the raw note. Apply the classification heuristics from `inbox/CONVENTIONS.md`: | Signals | Folder | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------- | | Title with year in parens, IMDb URL, director / cinematographer mentioned | `movies/` | | Goodreads URL, author dominant, pages / publisher | `books/` | | Instagram reel + "poses" / "позы" + numbered figure references | `poses/` | | Instagram reel + place names / route / map / restaurants / "road trip" | `travel/` | | Instagram reel / blog / GitHub URL describing a tool / technique / workflow | `ideas/` | If none fit, ask the user whether to create a new subfolder; if yes, also generate a new `conventions.md` for it using the existing ones as a template. ### 4. Read the matching conventions Read `/Users/ikatkov/Obsidian/Default/inbox//conventions.md`. It contains the exact frontmatter shape, body sections, image widths, and tag rules you must follow — do not invent. ### 5. Gather any external info needed - **Movies**: fetch IMDb (title, year, director, cinematographer, country, genre). If the raw note already has these, skip. - **Books**: fetch Goodreads (rating, ratings_count, pages, blurb). Required. - **Poses / travel / ideas**: if the source is an Instagram reel and the raw note doesn't already include stills, use `yt-dlp` (for reels) or `instagram-gallery-download` (for `/p/` posts) skills to pull media. For poses, follow the frame-selection rule in `poses/conventions.md` (darker graded final-pose frames, not demo/motion frames with numbered badges). ### 6. Process images For every image that will end up in the new note: 1. Convert to `.webp` if not already: `magick input.jpg -quality 85 output.webp`. Delete the original. 2. Choose a **vault-globally-unique filename**. Prefix with a category slug or note slug — never use generic `cover.webp` / `poster.webp` / `screenshot.webp`. The exact naming pattern is in the matching `conventions.md` (e.g. movies use `.webp`, travel uses `-NN.webp`). 3. Verify uniqueness: `find /Users/ikatkov/Obsidian/Default -name ""` should return zero matches. 4. Move into `/attachments//`. ### 7. Generate the final note Write the new `.md` file directly into `/`, following the matching `conventions.md` precisely: - Frontmatter shape per the convention (date created/modified to current time in `Month Dth YYYY, h:mm:ss am/pm` format). - Image embeds with the correct width (`|200`). - Tag taxonomy from that folder's convention. Do not invent new top-level namespaces. No `inbox/*` tags, no year-as-tag. - Body structure (sections, headings) exactly as the convention specifies. - Language: keep source language for `title:`, `summary:`, and body. ### 8. Clean up - Delete the original raw `.md` from `inbox/` root **only after confirming with the user** that the new note looks right. - Delete any temp / original-format images. - If a new subfolder was created, ensure its `conventions.md` is in place and the row in `inbox/CONVENTIONS.md` is updated. ## Failure modes to avoid - **Generic image filenames.** This is the single biggest pitfall — Obsidian wikilinks collide across the whole vault by filename alone. Always prefix. - **Inventing new tags.** Use the namespaces in the folder's `conventions.md`. If you genuinely need a new tag, surface it to the user before writing. - **Translating Russian titles / summaries.** Russian source → Russian text. Don't be helpful by Englishifying. - **Skipping Goodreads enrichment for books.** Required step, not optional. - **Deleting the raw inbox file before the user has eyeballed the result.** Always confirm. ## References - Vault entry point: `/Users/ikatkov/Obsidian/Default/inbox/CONVENTIONS.md` - Per-folder conventions: - `inbox/movies/conventions.md` - `inbox/books/conventions.md` - `inbox/ideas/conventions.md` - `inbox/poses/conventions.md` - `inbox/travel/conventions.md`