Asking Notes

Ask Your Second Brain

This skill answers questions by searching your notes with keyword matching, reading the most relevant ones, and synthesizing an answer — all locally, no external API calls.

Workflow

1. Search — Find Relevant Notes

Use Grep and Glob to find notes matching the user's question:

# Search by keywords in content
Grep pattern="keyword" path="content/" glob="*.md"

# Search by tags
Grep pattern="tags:.*keyword" path="content/" glob="*.md"

# Search by title
Grep pattern="title:.*keyword" path="content/" glob="*.md"

Combine multiple keyword searches to find the most relevant notes.

2. Read — Understand the Content

Read the top 5 note files returned by the search (full markdown content). If the top 5 don't fully answer the question, read more from the results list.

3. Synthesize — Answer the Question

Combine insights across the notes into a direct answer. Follow these rules strictly:

• Never invent information not present in the notes
• Always cite which note each claim comes from using [[wiki-links]]
• If no notes are relevant, say so honestly — don't guess
• Connect ideas across notes when they complement each other
• Note contradictions if different notes disagree

4. Extend — Identify Gaps and Follow-ups

After answering, highlight what's missing from the knowledge base and suggest related questions.

Output Format

## Answer

[Direct answer synthesized from notes, citing [[sources]] inline]

## Sources Used

| Note | Type | Relevance |
|------|------|-----------|
| [[slug-1]] | article | Core source on topic |
| [[slug-2]] | book | Supporting framework |
| [[slug-3]] | podcast | Practical examples |

## Gaps & Follow-ups

- No notes covering [subtopic X]
- Try asking: "What about [related question]?"

Quality Checklist

• Searched with multiple relevant keywords
• Read the top matching notes thoroughly
• Every claim is attributed to a specific note via [[wiki-link]]
• No information was invented or assumed
• Contradictions between notes are flagged
• Gaps in coverage are identified
• Follow-up questions are suggested