# Outbox > Lifecycle management for outgoing material in `_outbox/`. List pending items, archive completed ones into the relevant contact/project folder, and keep manifest, CHANGELOG, and tasks in sync. Use when an outbox item has been sent, replied to, or otherwise resolved -- and the central `_outbox/` should be cleaned up. - Skill: `tandregbg/outbox` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tandregbg/outbox` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tandregbg/outbox/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: tandregbg (https://skillmd.com/u/tandregbg) - Updated: 2026-09-21 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tandregbg/outbox --- # Outbox Skill Manages the lifecycle of outgoing material staged in `/_outbox/`. Each subfolder there represents one "send" event (mejl + attachment + preparation). Once sent and resolved, the material belongs in the relevant contact/project folder -- not as eternal residue in the central outbox. ## Vault Location ``` vault/_outbox/ YYMMDD-_/ <- staging while in flight _manifest.md <- canonical state file [files...] ``` **After archiving:** ``` vault/_contacts// YYMMDD-/ <- archived inside contact folder _manifest.md <- updated with Status: arkiverad + Utfall [files...] ``` For project-scoped outbox items the destination is the project folder (`//_projects//` or similar). The skill detects scope from the manifest or asks. ## Manifest schema `_manifest.md` is the canonical state file for an outbox item. The skill reads/writes these fields: ```markdown **Status:** [draft | klar-att-skicka | skickad YYYY-MM-DD | arkiverad YYYY-MM-DD] **Kanal:** [mejl | slack | print | ...] **Kontakt:** [email or name] **Projekt:** [optional theme/context] **Kanonisk källa:** [path to the source doc each attachment is rendered from — or `ingen (originalet bor här)`] ## Innehåll [file table] ## Skicka [instructions] ## Svar förväntas på - [ ] item 1 - [ ] item 2 ## Utfall [populated when resolved] ``` When all `Svar förväntas på` items are checked AND `Utfall` is populated, the item is **resolution-ready** -- ready to archive. ### `Kanonisk källa` is REQUIRED (CR-032) Every manifest must state where its material actually lives. Two valid answers: - **A path** -- the attachment is a *rendering* (PDF out of a `.md`, export out of a dataset). The source is the original; the outbox copy is disposable. Example: `_contacts//leverans/YYMMDD-onepager.md` - **`ingen (originalet bor här)`** -- the material exists nowhere else. Typically the `mejl.txt` and the manifest itself. **This is not a defect**, it is a statement that the folder must be archived rather than deleted. **Why it is required.** An audit on 2026-08-28 found 86 outbox items, of which only 3 of 71 manifests named a source. That made a routine question -- *"is this a copy or the original?"* -- unanswerable without opening every folder and grepping the vault. PDFs turned out to be renderings, but the mejl-texts and manifests existed only in `_outbox/`, so a bulk clean-up would have destroyed material. The field moves that determination to **creation time**, where the author knows the answer, instead of to clean-up time, where nobody does. **Enforcement:** - `list` flags any manifest missing the field: `(saknar Kanonisk källa)`. - `archive` **warns but does not abort** -- refusing would strand legacy folders. It asks the user to fill it in, and offers `ingen (originalet bor här)` as the default. - When `/ops` (or anything else) stages new outbox material it must write the field. Leaving it blank is the same defect as leaving `Status:` blank. ## SUBCOMMANDS ### `list` (default if no args) **Trigger:** `/outbox` or `/outbox list` Walk `/_outbox/*` (excluding `.archive/`), parse each `_manifest.md`, and print a status table: ``` ## Outbox status PENDING (awaiting reply) 260427-carol-jones_reflektion skickad 260427 0/2 svar 260427-dan-smith_reflektion skickad 260427 0/1 svar RESOLUTION-READY (archive candidates) 260427-bob-lindgren_acme skickad 260427 2/2 svar Utfall: ja DRAFT 260506-someone_topic draft - WITHOUT MANIFEST (manual review needed) 260418-bob-lindgren_acmecorp - - MISSING KANONISK KÄLLA (fill in — copy or original?) 260503-someone_topic skickad 260503 saknar Kanonisk källa ``` For each resolution-ready item, suggest: `/outbox archive `. If a folder has no `_manifest.md`, flag for manual review -- don't auto-classify. ### `status` Alias for `list`. ### `archive ` **Trigger:** `/outbox archive 260427-bob-lindgren_acme` **Steps:** 1. **Validate:** - Folder exists in `/_outbox//` - `_manifest.md` exists and parses - `Status:` is `skickad ...` (warn if `draft`, abort if missing) - All `Svar förväntas på` items checked (warn if any unchecked, ask user to confirm) - `Utfall` section populated (warn if empty) 2. **Determine destination:** - From manifest `Kontakt:` or folder-name prefix, identify contact/project - For contact: `/_contacts//` - For project: read manifest `Projekt:` or ask user - **Multiple contacts** (e.g. ambassador-style fan-out): ask user -- duplicate to each, or pick primary, or keep in a shared `_outbox/.archive/`. Default suggestion: duplicate to each contact folder. 3. **Determine new folder name:** - Default: strip contact-name prefix from outbox folder name - `260427-bob-lindgren_acme` -> `260427-acme` (or `260427-partnership` if user prefers theme over context) - Ask user to confirm or override 4. **Move folder:** - `mv /_outbox/ /` - Files inside keep their original names (rename only on user request) 5. **Update `_manifest.md`** at new location: - `Status:` -> `arkiverad YYYY-MM-DD` - Add tidslinje row if not present - Ensure all reference paths (Detaljer:, Source:) point to new locations 6. **Update contact CHANGELOG.md:** - Add entry: `**YYMMDD: Ärendet arkiverat** - Outbox-material flyttat till /. [link]` 7. **Update `_tasks.yaml`** in contact folder: - For any task referencing the old `_outbox/...` path, rewrite the source path to point to new location - Don't auto-complete tasks -- that's a separate decision 8. **Update referencing documents:** - Search vault for links to old path: `grep -r "_outbox/" ` (excluding `.archive/`) - Update each reference to the new path - Show diff before applying 9. **Report:** ``` Archived: 260427-bob-lindgren_acme -> _contacts/bob-lindgren/260427-partnership/ Updated: - _contacts/bob-lindgren/CHANGELOG.md (+1 entry) - _contacts/bob-lindgren/_tasks.yaml (1 source path) - _contacts/bob-lindgren/.md (1 reference) ``` ### `archive --all-sent` (CR-019) **Trigger:** `/outbox archive --all-sent` Batch mode over the single-folder `archive` flow, so a backlog of sent items can be closed in one sitting instead of item by item ( `/ops sweep` offers this command when it finds sent-but-unarchived items). 1. Run the `list` logic and collect every folder whose manifest `Status:` is `skickad ...`. 2. Present the candidate list up front (folder, destination guess, proposed new name) and let the user confirm all / select / abort. 3. For each confirmed folder, run the standard `archive ` steps 1-9. Per-folder judgement calls (destination for multi-contact items, folder rename) are still asked individually -- batch mode batches the *selection*, not the decisions. 4. Final report: one summary table (archived → destination), plus the items skipped and why (unchecked "Svar förväntas på", empty Utfall, missing manifest). ### `help` Print this skill's usage. ## Behaviour rules - **Never delete files.** Only move. Original outbox folder is removed only after successful move (it should be empty). - **Never auto-complete tasks.** Archiving is a file operation, not a workflow decision. - **Always confirm folder rename** -- destination folder name is a judgement call (theme vs context vs date-only). - **Preserve manifest history.** Append to `## Tidslinje` if it exists, never overwrite. - **Swedish text** must use correct å, ä, ö (vault-wide rule). When generating manifest updates or CHANGELOG entries in Swedish, verify each common word: för, är, på, från, även, över, första. - **Email .txt files are plain text** -- never reformat to markdown when touching them. ## Manifest detection edge cases - **No manifest:** flag in `list`, refuse to archive without one. User must create manifest manually first. - **Manifest with `Projekt:` set, no contact:** treat as project-scoped; archive to `/_projects//` or venture project folder. - **Multiple contacts (ambassador case):** flag as fan-out; ask user for resolution strategy. - **Old outbox layout (`260427-name_topic`)** vs new (`260427-topic`): support both for `list`; new naming is for archived destinations. ## Naming convention for archived folders When archiving into a contact's folder, the contact-name prefix is redundant. Strip it: | Outbox name | Archived name (in contact folder) | |-------------|-----------------------------------| | `260427-bob-lindgren_acme` | `260427-acme` or `260427-partnership` | | `260427-dan-smith_reflektion` | `260427-reflektion` | | `260427-carol-jones_reflektion` | `260427-reflektion` | The skill suggests a default but always asks before renaming. For ambassadörs-style (multi-contact) the original name may be retained when archiving to a shared location. ## Integration with other skills - **`/ops`** -- when ops-skill creates outbox material (preparation, mejl), it stages to `_outbox/`. This skill handles the back end of that flow. - **`/transcript`** -- transcripts of follow-up calls/replies that resolve an outbox item should reference the resolution doc, which `/outbox archive` then links to in the manifest's `Utfall` section. - **`/inbox`** -- mirror skill for incoming material. Same lifecycle pattern. - **`/tasks`** -- tasks generated from an outbox item live in the contact's `_tasks.yaml` and survive archiving (paths rewritten). ## Not to be confused with `/handoff` (CR-033) An outbox item is **addressed to a person** and has a send event, an expected reply, and a resolution. A handoff snapshot is addressed to a **future work session**, is never sent, and is resolved only when a human opens it and starts new work. If material is going to someone, it is outbox. If it is bounded context for different work, it is `/handoff`. This skill never reads or writes `.handoff/`. ## Out of scope - Drafting outbox content -- that's `/ops` or manual. - Sending email -- that's done outside the vault by the user. - Categorisation/classification -- the manifest's `Projekt:` and folder-name prefix carry the signal. --- *Created: 2026-05-06*