Ingest Sources

Ingest Sources

Process multiple source documents (transcripts, emails, documents) using Extract-Then-Aggregate discipline to ensure no entity with dedicated sources gets lost.

Trigger

• "Process these transcripts"
• "Here are my notes from [event]"
• Multiple files shared in sequence
• "Here's everything about [topic]"
• Folder path provided with multiple files
• /ingest-sources

Why This Skill Exists

When processing many sources, the failure mode is jumping to aggregation and missing entities that have dedicated sources but aren't prominent in high-traffic threads. A person with 2 transcripts dedicated to them can get lost if they're not mentioned often in emails.

The discipline: Inventory before processing, extraction before synthesis.

Input

User provides one of:

• Folder path containing multiple files
• List of file paths
• Multiple documents pasted in sequence
• Reference to previously shared content

The Five-Phase Workflow

Phase 1: Inventory

Before reading any content, create a manifest of all sources:

| # | Filename | Type | Date | Size | Likely Entities |
|---|----------|------|------|------|-----------------|
| 1 | call-with-sarah.md | transcript | 2026-01-15 | 4.2KB | Sarah Chen |
| 2 | chris-partnership-email.md | email | 2026-01-16 | 1.8KB | Chris Lang |
| 3 | acme-contract.pdf | document | 2026-01-17 | 52KB | Acme Corp |
...

**Summary:**
- Total: 36 sources
- Date range: Jan 15 - Feb 1
- Types: 28 transcripts, 5 emails, 3 documents

Show inventory to user before proceeding. This prevents partial processing.

Phase 2: File-Then-Extract (Per Document)

CRITICAL: For each document, file it BEFORE extracting. This ensures provenance.

For each source in inventory:
    1. READ the full content
    2. CALL `claudia memory document store --project-dir "$PWD"` immediately (do not skip!)
    3. THEN extract entities/facts/commitments

Process each document systematically. Use IngestService (via local Ollama) when available, or extract directly.

Auto-detect source type:

• .md, .txt with participant names → meeting mode
• Email headers detected → email mode
• .pdf or formal structure → document mode
• Mixed content → general mode

Extraction schema per document:

Source #1: call-with-sarah.md
├── entities[]
│   ├── name: "Sarah Chen"
│   ├── type: person
│   ├── mention_count: 47
│   └── first_context: "Product lead at Acme Corp"
├── facts[]
│   ├── content: "Sarah prefers async communication"
│   ├── about: ["Sarah Chen"]
│   └── importance: 0.7
├── commitments[]
│   ├── content: "Send proposal by Friday"
│   ├── who: "user"
│   ├── to: "Sarah Chen"
│   └── deadline: "2026-02-07"
├── relationships[]
│   ├── source: "Sarah Chen"
│   ├── target: "Acme Corp"
│   └── relationship: "works_at"
└── dedicated_to: "Sarah Chen"  ← CRITICAL: This source is primarily ABOUT Sarah

Progress tracking:

Extracting: [========>   ] 28/36 (78%)

The dedicated_to field is essential. If a source is primarily about a specific entity (not just mentioning them), mark it. This prevents the "missing entity" problem.

Phase 3: Consolidation

After all extractions complete, merge by entity:

Canonicalize names:

• Check existing entity_aliases table for known aliases
• Fuzzy match "Sarah" vs "Sarah Chen" vs "S. Chen"
• Ask user to confirm ambiguous matches

Merge semantically identical facts:

• "Sarah prefers Slack" + "Sarah likes async comms" → single fact about communication preference
• Keep the more specific version

Track source counts:

Entity: Sarah Chen
├── Dedicated sources: 4 (#1, #5, #12, #18)
├── Total mentions: 12 sources
├── Facts extracted: 8
└── Commitments: 2

Phase 4: Verification

Before storing anything, verify completeness:

### Entity Coverage

| Entity | Dedicated Sources | Total Mentions | Sources |
|--------|-------------------|----------------|---------|
| Sarah Chen | 4 | 12 | #1, #5, #12, #18, ... |
| Chris Lang | 2 | 6 | #2, #15, ... |
| Acme Corp | 3 | 8 | #3, #7, #22, ... |
| Project Alpha | 0 | 4 | #4, #8, #11, #19 |

### Dedicated Source Rule

**Any entity with 2+ dedicated sources MUST appear proportionally in the final output.**

If Chris Lang has 2 transcripts dedicated to him but doesn't show up in the entity coverage summary, that's a verification failure. Stop and investigate.

### Gaps Detected

- Source #14: No entities extracted (may need manual review)
- Source #22: References "the investor" without name

### Completeness Check

Before proceeding:
- [ ] Every dedicated source entity appears in coverage
- [ ] No sources skipped or failed
- [ ] Ambiguous entity names resolved
- [ ] Gaps acknowledged or explained

User must confirm before proceeding to storage. This is the checkpoint that catches the "missing entity" problem.

Phase 5: Storage

After user confirms verification:

1. Verify all sources filed: Sources were already filed during Phase 2 (File-Then-Extract). Verify the file count matches:

Confirm: [N] sources filed to ~/.claudia/files/

If any sources weren't filed in Phase 2, file them now before proceeding.

Files are auto-routed to entity folders:

• people/sarah-chen/transcripts/...
• clients/acme-corp/documents/...
• projects/alpha/emails/...

2. Create/update entities:

claudia memory batch --project-dir "$PWD" <<'EOF'
[
  { "op": "entity", "name": "Sarah Chen", "type": "person", "description": "Product lead at Acme Corp" },
  { "op": "entity", "name": "Chris Lang", "type": "person", "description": "Partnership contact" },
  { "op": "entity", "name": "Acme Corp", "type": "organization", "description": "Client company" }
]
EOF

3. Store facts and relationships:

claudia memory batch --project-dir "$PWD" <<'EOF'
[
  { "op": "remember", "content": "Sarah prefers async communication", "about": ["Sarah Chen"], "importance": 0.7 },
  { "op": "relate", "source": "Sarah Chen", "target": "Acme Corp", "relationship": "works_at", "strength": 0.9 }
]
EOF

4. Link provenance:

memory_sources table connects memories → source documents
entity_documents table connects documents → entities

This creates the chain: any fact can trace back to the exact document it came from.

Output Format

**📥 Multi-Source Ingestion: [Topic/Event]**

### Phase 1: Inventory Complete
[Summary table shown above]

Proceed with extraction? [y/n]

---

### Phase 2: Extraction Complete
- Sources processed: 36/36
- Entities found: 12
- Facts extracted: 87
- Commitments detected: 14
- Relationships mapped: 23

---

### Phase 3: Consolidation Complete
- Unique entities: 9 (after deduplication)
- Canonical names resolved: 4 aliases merged

---

### Phase 4: Verification

[Coverage table shown above]

**Dedicated Source Check:**
✓ Sarah Chen: 4 dedicated sources, appears in 12 total
✓ Chris Lang: 2 dedicated sources, appears in 6 total
✓ Acme Corp: 3 dedicated sources, appears in 8 total

**Gaps:**
⚠ Source #14: No entities extracted

Ready to store? [y/n]

---

### Phase 5: Storage Complete

**Files stored:** 36
**Entities created/updated:** 9
**Memories stored:** 87
**Relationships created:** 23

All sources linked to entities. Provenance chain complete.

**Query examples:**
- "What do I know about Chris Lang?" → will surface all 6 source memories
- "Show me Sarah's transcripts" → will list all 4 dedicated files
- "Where did I learn about Acme's timeline?" → will cite exact source

---

Judgment Points

Ask for confirmation on:

• Ambiguous entity matches (is "S. Chen" the same as "Sarah Chen"?)
• Sources with no extractable entities (manual review needed?)
• Importance scores for extracted facts
• Proceeding past verification phase
• Creating new entities vs linking to existing

Quality Checklist

• Inventory created before reading content
• Every source gets extraction record (none skipped)
• dedicated_to field populated for sources primarily about an entity
• Verification phase completed with user confirmation
• Dedicated source rule enforced (2+ dedicated = must appear proportionally)
• All sources filed via claudia memory document store
• Provenance chain complete (memories link to documents)
• No entity lost that had dedicated sources

Error Handling

If extraction fails for a source:

• Log the failure
• Continue with other sources
• Surface in verification phase
• Offer manual review option

If IngestService unavailable (no Ollama):

• Fall back to direct Claude extraction
• Slower but still systematic
• Same extraction schema applies

If verification fails:

• Do NOT proceed to storage
• Show which entities are missing
• Offer to re-extract specific sources
• User must explicitly override to continue

Extensibility

This workflow is schema-agnostic. Works for any source type:

Add new extraction modes to IngestService if needed, or use general mode which extracts: facts, entities, relationships, summary.

Tone

• Methodical: this is a systematic process
• Transparent: show progress at each phase
• Protective: catch errors before they become permanent
• Efficient: batch operations, clear status updates