# Audit Para > Read-only PARA classification audit for the Obsidian vault, followed by an optional explicit-fix flow. Use when the user asks to audit PARA, check whether notes are in the right place, find projects missing outcomes/deadlines, or runs /audit-para. - Skill: `kriscard/audit-para` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add kriscard/audit-para` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/kriscard/audit-para/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Security - Author: kriscard (https://skillmd.com/u/kriscard) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/kriscard/audit-para --- # Audit PARA Hybrid workflow: Phase 1 is a read-only audit pass that produces a severity-grouped report. Phase 2 is an interactive fix flow — nothing writes without explicit approval per `AGENTS.md`. **Scope this skill owns:** PARA classification correctness only. Hard signals: projects without outcome/deadline, done-but-not-archived, stalled >30 days, past `due-date` still Active, areas with deadlines, resources with `project` tag or deadline, archives modified in last 14 days. **Scope this skill does NOT cover** (delegate): - Broken links, orphans, tag consistency → `maintain` skill - Behavioral drift, avoidance → `spot-drift` skill - Inbox categorization → `process-inbox` skill ## Obsidian Access Use Obsidian CLI via Bash. On failure: "Obsidian CLI isn't working — update Obsidian with CLI enabled." ## Phase 1 — Audit Pass (READ-ONLY) ### Step 1 — Vault rules ```bash obsidian read path="AGENTS.md" ``` ### Step 2 — Inventory all buckets (run in parallel) ```bash obsidian files folder="1 - Projects/" format=json obsidian files folder="2 - Areas/" format=json obsidian files folder="3 - Resources/" format=json obsidian files folder="4 - Archives/" format=json ``` For each Project file, pull frontmatter + body to run hard checks. Cap deep reads at the active project count — Areas/Resources/Archives can be inventoried by frontmatter alone unless flagged. ```bash obsidian property:read path="1 - Projects/.md" name="status" obsidian property:read path="1 - Projects/.md" name="due-date" obsidian property:read path="1 - Projects/.md" name="tags" obsidian read path="1 - Projects/.md" ``` ### Check Matrix (hard signals only) | Folder | Check | Severity | | --------- | ------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------- | | Projects | `due-date` empty or missing | 🔴 critical | | Projects | `## 🎯 Objective` section body empty | 🔴 critical | | Projects | `status` contains "Done" or "Complete" | 🔴 critical (archive) | | Projects | `due-date` < today AND `status` Active | 🔴 critical (overdue) | | Projects | `Updated:` marker >30 days AND retro empty | 🟡 stalled | | Areas | `due-date` is set | 🔴 critical (areas don't have deadlines) | | Areas | tagged `project` in frontmatter | 🔴 critical | | Resources | `due-date` set OR tagged `project` | 🔴 critical (wrong bucket) | | Archives | file modified time < 14 days ago | 🟡 stalled (reactivated?) | **`Updated:` marker:** parse from body under `## 📍 Current Status\n_Updated: YYYY-MM-DD_`. Use the template marker, not filesystem mtime — mtime gets touched by metadata changes. ### Step 3 — Report ``` PARA Audit — YYYY-MM-DD 🔴 Critical (classification violations) Projects/ - "": missing due-date frontmatter - "": status ✅ Done but still in 1 - Projects/ - "": due-date 2026-01-15 is past, status 🟢 Active Areas/ - "": has due-date — should be a Project 🟡 Stalled (needs review) - "": Updated 2026-04-01 (43 days), no retrospective 🟢 Healthy - Projects pass all checks - Areas pass all checks Total: X critical, Y stalled. Want to fix the criticals now? ``` ## Phase 2 — Batch Fix Flow (INTERACTIVE) If 0 critical: stop with "PARA classification healthy." If >0 critical, use `AskUserQuestion`: ```yaml question: 'Fix the N critical findings now?' options: - label: 'Yes — walk through them' description: 'One at a time. Propose action, ask for approval per item.' - label: 'Fix only the archivable ones' description: "Target 'done but not archived' only (safest batch)." - label: "Skip — I'll handle later" description: 'Report stays; return via /audit-para.' ``` ### Per-Finding Action Proposals For each critical finding, propose a specific action: | Finding | Proposed action | Route to | | --------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | | Project missing outcome/deadline | Add fields or convert to Area | `project` skill (UPDATE mode) | | Project ✅ Done, not archived | Move to `4 - Archives/Projects - YYYY/.md`, prompt retro | Direct move + retro prompt | | Project past due-date, Active | Extend / mark done / archive / convert to Area | `AskUserQuestion` → branch | | Area with due-date | Convert to Project or remove due-date | `para-organizer` agent + file move | | Resource with `project` tag or due-date | Re-categorize | `para-organizer` agent | | Archive modified recently | Confirm: intentional edit or reactivate? | `AskUserQuestion` → file move | Per item: present proposal → `AskUserQuestion {Apply / Skip / Modify}` → apply only on explicit approve. ### Retrospective Gate (for archive moves) Before any Project → Archives move, check if `## 🔄 Retrospective` is empty. If empty: ```yaml question: "Fill the retrospective before archiving ''?" options: - label: 'Yes — quick 3-question prompt' description: "What went well, what didn't, what to carry forward. ~3 min." - label: 'Skip — archive as-is' description: 'OK, but you lose the durable artifact.' ``` If yes: ask 3 questions via `AskUserQuestion`, then write the retrospective. The CLI has no `patch` — append the section with `obsidian append`, or if it must target a specific heading, ask the user (MCP `obsidian_patch_content` or recreate via `read` + `create ... overwrite`). Then move with `obsidian move path="..." to="..."`. ## Gotchas - Run weekly, not daily — daily noise dulls the signal. - Never auto-fix. Phase 2 batching is not silent batch writes. - Don't overlap with `maintain` skill — structural issues (broken links, missing sections) belong there. - Avoid deep content reads for Areas/Resources — frontmatter checks are fast; full reads at scale are slow. - If a user disagrees with a finding, respect it. PARA is a tool, not a law. Offer to add an exception note in the file or skip the finding for this run. ## References | Priority | Load when | Reference | | --- | --- | --- | | Optional | Need PARA theory, category edge cases, migration patterns, or troubleshooting beyond the hard-signal audit matrix | `references/para-deep-dive.md` |