Save Napkin Note

Save napkin note

Turn capture material into a vault-ready note: template, frontmatter, folder, and related links. Sources:

1. An existing note — inbox dump, partial draft, or rough file that needs finishing.
2. Inline content — pasted or dictated text in the conversation (no file yet).

Fill in what is missing without overwriting work the user already did. Do not summarize away or discard ideas unless they ask.

Defer to AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md

Canonical rules live there: vault layout, folder purposes, metadata semantics (including categories vs tags, date vs last, prev/next), hub vs content notes, and how to choose tools (Obsidian CLI, MCP, IDE, etc.).

This skill only adds procedure for one task: filing a capture. When in doubt on what a field means or where a note type belongs, read AGENTS.md rather than guessing.

Illustrative obsidian … commands below are examples for vaults where the CLI is wired; map them to your environment (read, properties, link-safe move/rename).

Arguments

• $ARGUMENTS: If the source is a file, pass title or path. If the user only dumped text in chat, omit and use the message (or marked paste) as the body.
• If vault file vs chat is ambiguous, ask once.

Analyzing the source

From a file: Read the full note with your vault tools.

From chat: Use the user’s message or the section they label as the capture.

Parse lightly: subject, entities (people, places, projects, dates, URLs), intent (event record vs concept vs reference vs active work), tone (fragment, decision log, meeting-shaped, etc.).

Candidate home note: For fragments or clear continuations, search the vault for a note this could extend. Never merge or append without explicit confirmation — see Integrate vs. new note.

Processing heuristics

1. Respect what exists

Only generate what is missing.

• Path (existing file): If the note is already outside a generic inbox/dump location, assume placement is intentional; do not move unless clearly wrong.
• Path (inline-only): No prior path — route using Routing captures below and AGENTS.md.
• Title: Keep a descriptive title; replace placeholders (Untitled, bare timestamps) in the filing plan.
• Frontmatter: If tags, categories, etc. are already set, merge or leave alone — do not blindly replace.

2. Integrate vs. new note

For fragments or addendum-shaped captures, you may offer integration into [[Existing note]] instead of a new file.

Rule: If integration is plausible, pause for explicit confirmation before editing the target. Never silently fold content into another note because it “fits.”

Present:

• Option A — New note: filing plan (title, folder, template, frontmatter).
• Option B — Integrate: target [[Title]] or path, where material goes (section/heading), frontmatter updates (description, last, related, tags).

Proceed with B only after they confirm (or explicitly name a merge target). If they decline, Option A only.

3. Templates

If content already matches a template’s shape, use it. Otherwise inspect 99-Admin/Templates/ and pick the best fit; use Note template.md when unsure. Read template frontmatter for default categories / tags.

Example (when Obsidian CLI is available):

obsidian properties file="{Template name}"

Otherwise open the template .md via MCP or filesystem.

4. Routing captures (apply AGENTS.md here)

AGENTS.md lists each area’s purpose. Use this workflow lens when choosing a folder:

• Durable concept / evergreen → match to 02-Evergreen/ intent in AGENTS.
• Personal reflection, letters, life writing → 03-Records/Journaling/ (per AGENTS).
• Meeting or conversation record → 03-Records/Talks/.
• Saved web or external material → 03-Records/Clippings/ (or provenance categories AGENTS allows).
• Short reference fragment → 03-Records/Snippets/.
• Active project work → 03-Records/Working/ (project subfolders, STATUS.md cross-cuts — see AGENTS).
• Entity profile (person, place, company, media) → 04-Entities/ and the subfolder pattern your vault uses.
• Weak signal → best-fit under 03-Records/ per AGENTS descriptions, not vault root.

Templates do not always imply folder; if the template and content disagree with AGENTS routing, content + AGENTS win.

5. Frontmatter

Follow AGENTS.md for property meanings, category semantics, and what not to duplicate across category types.

For this task: ensure a solid description, tags, and related when missing (prefer existing vault tags and 2–5 related links from mentions or 03-Records/Topics/). Add aliases, categories (hub wikilinks only, per AGENTS), icon, date, people, url, last when the note type calls for them.

Do not hand-add created / modified unless the user or template requires it. For publish, only mirror what the chosen template does.

Use set-note-description when you want a structured pass at description specifically.

6. Filenames

For generic names or new files: sentence case, declarative or noun-phrase for evergreens, omit dates unless the note is date-anchored, keep roughly under 60 characters.

Output and approval

Before writing, show a filing plan. If integration is plausible, show both options and do not edit until the user chooses (and confirms the merge target for B).

New note:

**Filing plan — new note**
- Title: [current or proposed filename without .md]
- Destination: [folder path]
- Template: [template name]
- Source: [existing file path | inline chat capture]
- Key frontmatter additions:
  - description: "[…]"
  - tags: […] (merge with existing if any)
  - related: [[…]] (merge with existing if any)
  - [other fields per AGENTS.md]

If integration is plausible (omit if none):

**Alternative — integrate into existing**
- Target: [[Note title]] (path if helpful)
- Placement: [section / heading / after …]
- Edits to target frontmatter: [e.g. description, last, related]

Ask once for approval; for two paths, ask whether to create new or fold into [[X]].

After approval:

1. Create, update in place, or link-safe move/rename (e.g. obsidian move file="Note" to=folder/newpath.md when available). For integration, only touch the confirmed target and agreed related updates elsewhere.
2. Preserve substance — light structure/cleanup only unless they ask to summarize.
3. Update related backlinks when clearly right; ask if unsure.
4. If you copied out of an inbox/temp path into a canonical file, confirm before deleting the original.

When rewriting frontmatter wholesale, keep a consistent property order matching nearby notes or the template you used.

Output

1. The note at its final path (new, in place, or integrated after confirmation).
2. One line: what changed (path or [[title]]) and any related notes you touched.