project

Project Note Manager

Create or update project notes in 1 - Projects/. A Project in PARA requires both an outcome (a checkable "done" state) and a deadline — without both, it belongs in 2 - Areas/.

Mode Detection

Classify the request before doing anything:

Signal	Mode
"Create / new / set up / track"	CREATE
"Update / refresh / status / done"	UPDATE
Ambiguous	Ask: "Create new or update existing?"

CREATE Workflow

Step 1 — Search before write

Check if a project note already exists:

obsidian search query="<project name>"
obsidian files folder="1 - Projects/" format=json

If a close match exists, surface it and confirm before proceeding.

Step 2 — Validate it's a Project (not an Area)

A project needs both a discrete outcome and a deadline. Ask via AskUserQuestion:

1. "What does 'done' look like for this project?" (free text)
2. "When does it need to be done?" (specific date / end of quarter / end of year / no deadline)

If "no deadline" or no discrete outcome: propose 2 - Areas/ instead. Don't create a project note for things that never end.

Step 3 — Gather project details

Single AskUserQuestion call (batch to minimize round-trips):

1. Status: Active / On Hold
2. Goal: One-sentence outcome
3. Key Links: Related notes, docs, repos (optional)
4. Next Action: The very next physical step
5. Notes: Any context to capture now (optional)

Step 4 — Decide structure

• Default: single file 1 - Projects/<Project Name>.md
• Promote to subfolder 1 - Projects/<Project Name>/ only if user mentions sub-notes (architecture docs, PRDs, strategy notes)

Step 5 — Create note

obsidian create path="1 - Projects/<Name>.md" template="Project"

Set frontmatter with obsidian property:set and fill the sections with gathered details. The CLI has no patch for section edits — if a section must be targeted, ask the user (MCP obsidian_patch_content or recreate via read + create ... overwrite). Always show a preview and wait for confirmation before writing.

Step 6 — Add to Active Projects MOC (if it exists)

obsidian search query="Active Projects"

If found, append a wikilink to the new project.

UPDATE Workflow

Step 1 — Identify the project

If named, resolve to file path. Otherwise list and ask:

obsidian files folder="1 - Projects/" format=json

Step 2 — Read and detect staleness

Read the project file. Look for:

• Updated: more than 14 days ago → flag for refresh
• Empty "What's in progress" section → ask what's happening
• Past due date → ask: extend, archive, or redefine?

Step 3 — Update changed sections only

Prefer not to rewrite the full file. The CLI has no patch, so a section-targeted update means either the MCP obsidian_patch_content tool (heading-targeted) or a read + create ... overwrite rewrite. Ask the user which to use, then update the Current Status section and bump the Updated: YYYY-MM-DD marker to today.

Step 4 — Show diff, get approval, write

Project Completion

If the user says "this project is done":

1. Ask if they want to fill a retrospective section first (strongly recommended — it's the most valuable artifact and gets lost if skipped)
2. Move to 4 - Archives/Projects - YYYY/<Name>.md
3. Set frontmatter status: ✅ Done
4. Update any MOC that referenced this project

References

Priority	Load when	Reference
1 — First	Building the intake interview — need exact question wording or option lists	references/interview-questions.md
2 — Context	User questions PARA principles, Hot/Cold classification, or why outcome+deadline is required	references/tiago-principles.md