# Brain Daily

> Run the morning brain briefing and plan the day. Use when starting work, reviewing priorities, or when the user asks "what should I work on today?" or "what's on my plate?".

- Skill: `sandermoon/brain-daily` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add sandermoon/brain-daily`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/sandermoon/brain-daily/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: SanderMoon (https://skillmd.com/u/sandermoon)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/sandermoon/brain-daily

---


# brain-daily: Daily Planning Workflow

Start the day with a structured overview of the user's Local Brain workspace. This is the "engage" phase — the daily habit that keeps work intentional.

## Trigger Phrases

- "Good morning", "start my day", "morning briefing"
- "What should I focus on today?"
- "What's on my plate?" / "Catch me up" / "What's due?"

## Pre-flight Check

Call `get_brain_overview` first. If the brain is empty (no projects, no dump items), do not run a briefing on nothing. Instead suggest:

> "Your brain is empty — let's set it up first. Tell me about what you're working on."

This naturally transitions to the `brain-setup` workflow.

## Workflow

### Step 1 — Fetch the Briefing

Call `get_daily_briefing` to retrieve:
- Overdue tasks (most urgent)
- Tasks due today
- High-priority open tasks
- In-progress work
- Blocked items
- Recent completions
- Inbox items awaiting refile

### Step 2 — Summarize Clearly

Present a concise, scannable summary. Do not dump raw data.

#### Project Overview Table

Always start with a project overview table showing the distribution of tasks. Use the `project_summaries` data:

```
| Project            | Open | Backlog | Total |
|--------------------|------|---------|-------|
| agentic-project    |   15 |       6 |    21 |
| nsa2d              |    8 |       3 |    11 |
| ...                |  ... |     ... |   ... |
```

**Open** = actionable tasks (status: open, in-progress, blocked). **Backlog** = parked for later (status: backlog). This distinction is critical — backlog items are not on the user's plate today.

#### Actionable Items

After the table, list actionable items grouped by urgency. Only show items with status `open`, `in-progress`, or `blocked` — never backlog:

1. **Overdue** — flag prominently with task IDs and due dates
2. **Due today** — list with IDs
3. **In progress** — what is already underway
4. **High priority (open)** — P1 tasks that are open (not backlog), without due dates
5. **Blocked** — items needing unblock

Keep it to 10 actionable items max; offer to drill into a project if there's more.

#### Backlog Awareness

End with a single line like: "**Backlog:** 12 items across 4 projects parked for later." Do not list individual backlog items unless the user asks.

If everything is clear (nothing overdue, nothing due, low inbox):
> "Clean slate today. Here's what's in progress and what you could pick up next."

### Step 3 — Recommend a Focus

Based on the briefing:
- Suggest the single most important task to start with and explain why
- If inbox has > 5 items, suggest a quick triage pass first
- Flag any blocked tasks that might need a quick unblock

### Step 4 — Offer Follow-up Actions

After the summary, offer natural next steps based on what the briefing revealed:

- **Inbox items pending?** → "Want to do a quick triage?" (transitions to `brain-triage`)
- **Backlog needs planning?** → "You have N items in backlog — want to promote some for this week?" (use `update_todo` to set status to "open")
- **Clear top priority?** → "Want to focus on [project]?" (`set_context`)
- **Want to log the plan?** → "I can create today's daily note." (`create_daily_note`)
- **Tasks need updating?** → "Want to update any statuses or priorities?" (`update_todo`)

Do not list all options every time. Offer the 1-2 most relevant based on the actual briefing state.

## Tool Sequence

```
get_brain_overview()
  → if empty: suggest brain-setup, stop
get_daily_briefing()
  → present summary
  → recommend focus
  → (optionally) create_daily_note()
  → (optionally) set_context(project_name: ...)
  → (optionally) refile_item / update_todo / create_todo_in_project
```

## Notes

- Use `query_todos` with `due_before: today` and `status: open` for precise overdue filtering if needed.
- Do not make changes without user confirmation for destructive actions.
- After the briefing, let the user steer. Offer options; do not auto-execute a full plan.
- Tone: crisp and energizing — like a good morning standup with a trusted colleague, not a status report.