Project

Project Note Manager

Create or update project notes in 1 - Projects/. A Project in PARA requires both an outcome (a checkable "done" state) and a deadline — without both, it belongs in 2 - Areas/.

Mode Detection

Classify the request before doing anything:

CREATE Workflow

Step 1 — Search before write

Check if a project note already exists:

obsidian search query="<project name>"
obsidian files folder="1 - Projects/" format=json

If a close match exists, surface it and confirm before proceeding.

Step 2 — Validate it's a Project (not an Area)

A project needs both a discrete outcome and a deadline. Ask via AskUserQuestion:

1. "What does 'done' look like for this project?" (free text)
2. "When does it need to be done?" (specific date / end of quarter / end of year / no deadline)

If "no deadline" or no discrete outcome: propose 2 - Areas/ instead. Don't create a project note for things that never end.

Step 3 — Gather project details

Load references/interview-questions.md and use it as the source of truth for exact intake wording. Batch the core interview to minimize round-trips.

Step 4 — Decide structure

• Default: single file 1 - Projects/<Project Name>.md
• Promote to subfolder 1 - Projects/<Project Name>/ only if user mentions sub-notes (architecture docs, PRDs, strategy notes)

Step 5 — Preview and get approval before writing

Show the target path, frontmatter, and initial sections. Do not write until the user explicitly approves the target path, frontmatter, and initial content.

After approval:

obsidian create path="1 - Projects/<Name>.md" template="Project"

Set frontmatter with obsidian property:set and fill the sections with gathered details. The CLI has no patch for section edits — if a section must be targeted, ask the user (MCP obsidian_patch_content or recreate via read + create ... overwrite).

Step 6 — Propose Active Projects MOC update (if it exists)

obsidian search query="Active Projects"

If found, preview the exact wikilink and target MOC path. Do not append until the user explicitly approves this separate MOC update. If the user declines, leave the project note created and report that the MOC was not updated.

UPDATE Workflow

Step 1 — Identify the project

If named, resolve to file path. Otherwise list and ask:

obsidian files folder="1 - Projects/" format=json

Step 2 — Read and detect staleness

Read the project file. Look for:

• Updated: more than 14 days ago → flag for refresh
• Empty "What's in progress" section → ask what's happening
• Past due date → ask: extend, archive, or redefine?

Step 3 — Draft changed sections only

Prefer not to rewrite the full file. Draft the exact Current Status update and Updated: YYYY-MM-DD change, but write nothing yet.

Step 4 — Show diff, get approval, write

Show the proposed diff and ask for explicit approval. Only after approval, use either MCP obsidian_patch_content (heading-targeted) or a read + create ... overwrite rewrite, based on the user's chosen method.

Project Completion

If the user says "this project is done":

1. Ask if they want to fill a retrospective section first (strongly recommended — it's the most valuable artifact and gets lost if skipped)
2. Preview the archive path 4 - Archives/Projects - YYYY/<Name>.md, status change, and any MOC updates
3. Wait for explicit approval
4. Move to the archive path
5. Set frontmatter status: ✅ Done
6. Update any MOC that referenced this project

References