save

save: File Conversations Into the Wiki

Good answers and insights shouldn't disappear into chat history. This skill takes what was just discussed and files it as a permanent wiki page.

The wiki compounds. Save often.

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Transport (v1.7+)

The session-note write itself follows the standard transport policy. Read .vault-meta/transport.json (auto-created by bash scripts/detect-transport.sh):

• cli — obsidian-cli write "$VAULT" "$NOTE" < session.md; see skills/wiki-cli/SKILL.md
• mcp-obsidian / mcpvault — mcp__obsidian-vault__write_note
• filesystem — Claude's Write tool with absolute path

Full decision tree: wiki/references/transport-fallback.md. Index/log/hot updates use the same transport.

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Mode awareness (v1.8+)

Before creating the session note, consult the vault's methodology mode via python3 scripts/wiki-mode.py route session "<topic-summary>". The router returns the vault-relative path:

• generic: wiki/sessions/<date>-<topic>.md (v1.7 default)
• LYT: wiki/notes/<date>-<topic>.md + update the relevant session/journal MOC
• PARA: wiki/projects/inbox/<date>-<topic>.md (user reroutes to specific projects)
• Zettelkasten: wiki/<ID>-session-<topic>.md (timestamped ID becomes the filename prefix)

If .vault-meta/mode.json is absent, the router returns mode=generic paths. Important global rule: per global CLAUDE.md /save convention, sessions for cross-project work should still file to ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault/sessions/ rather than the project's wiki. The mode router applies when filing to the project's own wiki/, not when filing to the global personal vault.

Concurrency (v1.7+)

Session-note writes MUST be preceded by wiki-lock acquire:

NOTE_PATH="wiki/questions/<slug>.md"   # or wiki/concepts/, wiki/meta/, etc.
bash scripts/wiki-lock.sh acquire "$NOTE_PATH" || {
  echo "skipped: $NOTE_PATH currently locked by another writer"; exit 0
}
# … write the note via §Transport-selected method …
bash scripts/wiki-lock.sh release "$NOTE_PATH"

For multi-file saves (e.g., session note + index update + log append), acquire each lock in sorted-path order to avoid deadlocks. Index/log/hot updates lock just like content pages.

See skills/wiki-ingest/SKILL.md §Concurrency for the full lock semantics.

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Note Type Decision

Determine the best type from the conversation content:

Type	Folder	Use when
synthesis	wiki/questions/	Multi-step analysis, comparison, or answer to a specific question
concept	wiki/concepts/	Explaining or defining an idea, pattern, or framework
source	wiki/sources/	Summary of external material discussed in the session
decision	wiki/meta/	Architectural, project, or strategic decision that was made
session	wiki/meta/	Full session summary: captures everything discussed

If the user specifies a type, use that. If not, pick the best fit based on the content. When in doubt, use synthesis.

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Save Workflow

Step 0: Decide the destination root. Check in order:

1. User explicit override. If the user said "save to this project's wiki" / "save to the personal vault" / a specific path, respect it.
2. Project CLAUDE.md or global ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md /save rule. If either declares a personal-vault destination (e.g., ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault/), that is the destination ROOT. The Note Type table below describes paths relative to whichever root is active. Append the new note to <root>/log/ingest-log.md at the top, in the format that file already uses.
3. Default. The project's own wiki/ folder.

The mode router (python3 scripts/wiki-mode.py route session "<topic>") applies when filing into the project's own wiki/. When filing into a personal-vault root, use the canonical folders documented in that vault's CLAUDE.md (commonly sessions/, concepts/, sources/) — the mode router is NOT consulted for personal-vault writes by default. Filename sanitization (slug + safe_name) still applies regardless of root: strip path separators, NUL bytes, control chars, leading dots/hyphens.

Then continue the workflow:

1. Scan the current conversation. Identify the most valuable content to preserve.
2. Ask (if not already named): "What should I call this note?" Keep the name short and descriptive.
3. Determine note type using the table above.
4. Extract all relevant content from the conversation. Rewrite it in declarative present tense (not "the user asked" but the actual content itself).
5. Create the note in <destination-root>/<chosen-folder>/<title>.md (per Step 0). Full frontmatter. If a note with the same path already exists, ASK before overwriting.
6. Collect links: identify any wiki pages mentioned in the conversation. Add them to related in frontmatter.
7. Update wiki/index.md. Add the new entry at the top of the relevant section.
8. Append to wiki/log.md. New entry at the TOP:

   ## [YYYY-MM-DD] save | Note Title
   - Type: [note type]
   - Location: wiki/[folder]/Note Title.md
   - From: conversation on [brief topic description]
   

9. Update wiki/hot.md to reflect the new addition.
10. Confirm: "Saved as [[Note Title]] in wiki/[folder]/."

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Frontmatter Template

---
type: <synthesis|concept|source|decision|session>
title: "Note Title"
created: YYYY-MM-DD
updated: YYYY-MM-DD
tags:
  - <relevant-tag>
status: developing
related:
  - "[[Any Wiki Page Mentioned]]"
sources:
  - "[[.raw/source-if-applicable.md]]"
---

For question type, add:

question: "The original query as asked."
answer_quality: solid

For decision type, add:

decision_date: YYYY-MM-DD
status: active

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Writing Style

• Declarative, present tense. Write the knowledge, not the conversation.
• Not: "The user asked about X and Claude explained..."
• Yes: "X works by doing Y. The key insight is Z."
• Include all relevant context. Future sessions should be able to read this page cold.
• Link every mentioned concept, entity, or wiki page with wikilinks.
• Cite sources where applicable: (Source: [[Page]]).

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What to Save vs. Skip

Save:

• Non-obvious insights or synthesis
• Decisions with rationale
• Analyses that took significant effort
• Comparisons that are likely to be referenced again
• Research findings

Skip:

• Mechanical Q&A (lookup questions with obvious answers)
• Setup steps already documented elsewhere
• Temporary debugging sessions with no lasting insight
• Anything already in the wiki

If it's already in the wiki, update the existing page instead of creating a duplicate.

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How to think (10-principle mapping)

When working on this skill, apply the 10-principle loop. See skills/think/SKILL.md for the canonical framework.

#	Principle	Application here
1	OBSERVE (ext)	Read the full conversation. Identify the actual decisions and synthesis, not the verbatim transcript.
2	OBSERVE (int)	Am I in a save-everything mood? Some sessions don't have lasting insight; the Skip criteria exists for a reason.
3	LISTEN	Did the user specify destination or type? Their explicit override comes first; defaults come second.
4	THINK	Pick destination root (Step 0), then note type, then folder. Match path sanitization to destination convention.
5	CONNECT (lat)	Does this content already have a wiki page? Update vs create matters — duplicates pollute the index.
6	CONNECT (sys)	Index + log + hot cache + frontmatter relations all update together — atomicity matters.
7	FEEL	Filename future-me can read cold; frontmatter that supports search. Avoid noise that drowns the signal.
8	ACCEPT	Some sessions don't deserve saving. Honor the Skip criteria; don't archive everything.
9	CREATE	Write the note, append to log at top, update index, refresh hot cache.
10	GROW	Skipped saves are also signal — what threshold filtered them? Refine the type table over time.