Update Note

Update a note's metadata (title, tags, or summary) in the YAML frontmatter.

0. Locate AZKG Repository

Check for AZKG_REPO_PATH environment variable:

• Use bash conditional: if [ -z "$AZKG_REPO_PATH" ]; then REPO_PATH=$(pwd); else REPO_PATH="$AZKG_REPO_PATH"; fi
• If AZKG_REPO_PATH is set: Use that path as the repository root
• If AZKG_REPO_PATH is not set: Use current working directory (pwd)
• Store result as REPO_PATH for all subsequent file operations

All file operations must use REPO_PATH:

• Read: Read(REPO_PATH/filename.md) or Read("$REPO_PATH/filename.md")
• Write: Write(REPO_PATH/filename.md) or Write("$REPO_PATH/filename.md")
• Edit: Edit(REPO_PATH/filename.md) or Edit("$REPO_PATH/filename.md")
• Grep: Grep(pattern, path=REPO_PATH) or with explicit path
• Glob: Glob(pattern, path=REPO_PATH) or with explicit path

Example usage:

# Check environment variable
if [ -z "$AZKG_REPO_PATH" ]; then
  REPO_PATH=$(pwd)
else
  REPO_PATH="$AZKG_REPO_PATH"
fi

# Then use REPO_PATH for all operations
Read("$REPO_PATH/agents.md")

Concrete examples:

• If AZKG_REPO_PATH="/c/Users/dothompson/OneDrive/src/witt3rd/donald-azkg" → Read("/c/Users/dothompson/OneDrive/src/witt3rd/donald-azkg/agents.md")
• If AZKG_REPO_PATH is not set and pwd is /c/Users/dothompson/OneDrive/src/witt3rd/donald-azkg → Read("agents.md") or use full path from pwd

Input

User provides filename and fields to update:

• /update-note agents.md --title "AI Agents: Autonomous Intelligence Systems"
• /update-note agents.md --tags "ai,agents,llm,autonomous"
• /update-note agents.md --summary "Brief new summary"

Can update multiple fields in one command:

• /update-note agents.md --title "New Title" --tags "new,tags"

Execution Steps

1. Normalize Filename

Ensure filename has .md extension.

2. Verify Note Exists

Use Glob to check note exists:

Glob "agents.md"

3. Read Current Note

Use Read tool to get full note content, including current YAML frontmatter.

4. Update YAML Frontmatter

Use Edit tool to update the specific fields:

For title update:

• No YAML field for title (title is the first # heading)
• Update the first # Heading line after YAML frontmatter

For tags update:

---
tags: [old, tags]
---

becomes:

---
tags: [new, tags, here]
---

For summary update:

• Summary is the first paragraph after title (not in YAML)
• Replace first paragraph after title heading

5. Report Changes

Show old vs new values for updated fields.

Output Format

Updated Note: agents.md
============================================================

Title:
  Old: AI Agents
  New: AI Agents: Autonomous Intelligence Systems

Tags:
  Old: [agents, ai, llm]
  New: [ai, agents, llm, autonomous, architecture]

Summary:
  Old: AI agents are autonomous systems...
  New: AI agents are autonomous, goal-directed systems...

============================================================
✅ Metadata Updated!
============================================================

💡 Next steps:
• Review the updated note at agents.md
• Ensure title matches filename semantically
• Verify tags span multiple dimensions (see tag_system.md)
• Consider if related notes need similar updates

Validation

Before updating:

• Note must exist
• At least one field (title, tags, or summary) must be specified

After updating:

• YAML frontmatter remains well-formed
• Tags follow naming convention (lowercase-with-hyphens)
• Title and summary are non-empty

Tag Guidelines

When updating tags, follow best practices:

• 3-6 tags per note (enough for discovery, not too many)
• Mix dimensions: technology + domain + content type
• Lowercase with hyphens: first-principles not FirstPrinciples
• Specific over generic: mcp better than protocol

See tag_system.md for complete tag catalog.

Use Cases

• Clarify title: Make note title more specific or descriptive
• Add tags: Add missing tags to improve discoverability
• Refine summary: Update summary to better reflect current content
• Standardize: Ensure tags follow consistent naming conventions
• Tag migration: Update tags when tag system evolves

Tools Used

• Glob - Verify note exists
• Read - Get current note content
• Edit - Update YAML frontmatter and note content
• Parse logic - Extract and modify YAML fields

Important Notes

• Changes affect only metadata, not main content
• "Related Concepts" section is never modified by this command
• Title should semantically match filename (e.g., agents.md → "AI Agents")
• Tags should be comma-separated when provided
• Use /conform-note for structural changes beyond metadata