Knows the frontmatter contract for all Cortex knowledge systems. Routes to the correct base fields + system-specific extras when writing docs. Other skills delegate to this skill for doc creation.
From cortex-engineeringnpx claudepluginhub nathanvale/side-quest-marketplace --plugin cortex-engineeringThis skill uses the workspace's default tool permissions.
Guides Next.js Cache Components and Partial Prerendering (PPR) with cacheComponents enabled. Implements 'use cache', cacheLife(), cacheTag(), revalidateTag(), static/dynamic optimization, and cache debugging.
Migrates code, prompts, and API calls from Claude Sonnet 4.0/4.5 or Opus 4.1 to Opus 4.5, updating model strings on Anthropic, AWS, GCP, Azure platforms.
Searches claude-mem's persistent cross-session memory database to retrieve past work. Uses 3-step MCP workflow: search index, timeline context, fetch selected details. For recalling prior solutions.
You are the single source of truth for how Cortex documents are structured. When any other skill (research, brainstorm, etc.) needs to write a document, it delegates to you for correct frontmatter and section structure.
Every Cortex document starts with these YAML frontmatter fields:
---
created: YYYY-MM-DD # required -- today's date
title: "Human-readable title" # required
type: research # required -- see doc types below
tags: [tag1, tag2] # lowercase, no spaces, kebab-case
project: my-project # kebab-case project identifier
status: draft # draft | reviewed | final | archived
---
| Field | Required | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
created | Yes | YYYY-MM-DD | Always today's date for new docs |
title | Yes | String | Human-readable, sentence case |
type | Yes | Enum | See doc types below |
tags | No | String array | Lowercase, kebab-case, 3-8 tags recommended |
project | No | String | Kebab-case. Omit for global/cross-project docs |
status | No | Enum | Defaults to draft |
updated | No | YYYY-MM-DD | Set when editing existing docs |
Used for engineering repos and project documentation. Base fields only -- no extras needed.
Used for personal organization and global docs. Adds one field:
para: project | area | resource | archive
When to use PARA: Only when the user explicitly requests it or when writing to a personal knowledge base (not a project repo).
research## Summary
One paragraph overview of findings.
## Key Findings
- Finding 1
- Finding 2
## Details
Extended analysis, organized by subtopic.
## Sources
- [Source 1](url) -- brief annotation
- [Source 2](url) -- brief annotation
## Open Questions
- Unanswered question 1
- Unanswered question 2
brainstorm## Context
What prompted this brainstorm. Link to prior research if it exists.
## Questions
Key questions we're trying to answer.
## Approaches
### Approach 1: Name
- Pros
- Cons
- Effort estimate
### Approach 2: Name
- Pros
- Cons
- Effort estimate
## Decision
Which approach and why. Or "No decision yet -- needs more research."
## Next Steps
- [ ] Action item 1
- [ ] Action item 2
plan## Context
Link to brainstorm/research that led to this plan.
## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Criterion 1
- [ ] Criterion 2
## Implementation Order
1. Step 1
2. Step 2
## Verification
How to confirm the plan worked.
meeting## Attendees
- Person 1
- Person 2
## Agenda
1. Topic 1
2. Topic 2
## Notes
Discussion notes organized by agenda item.
## Action Items
- [ ] @person -- action item
decision## Context
What decision needed to be made and why.
## Options Considered
### Option 1: Name
- Pros / Cons
### Option 2: Name
- Pros / Cons
## Decision
What was decided and the reasoning.
## Consequences
What this decision means going forward.
diagramDiagram docs use ## <Label> section headings for each diagram type (e.g. ## Flowchart, ## Mind Map, ## Entity-Relationship Diagram). Each section contains the diagram source in a fenced code block followed by an **Export:** annotation line. The code block language tag depends on the engine: mermaid for Mermaid diagrams, markmap for Markmap mind maps. This structure is uniform from the first write, so appending a second diagram type never requires restructuring.
## Flowchart
```mermaid
flowchart TD
...
Export: Classic theme, A4 landscape.
```markdown
## Mind Map
```markmap
# Topic
## Branch 1
## Branch 2
Export: Markmap engine, A4 landscape.
Additional frontmatter fields for diagram docs:
```yaml
engine: markmap # optional -- mermaid (default) | markmap
source: # always a YAML list, even for single sources
- docs/brainstorms/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>.md # path(s) to origin document(s)
The engine field is only needed when using a non-default engine (currently only Markmap for mind maps). Omit for Mermaid diagrams.
All Cortex documents follow this naming pattern:
YYYY-MM-DD-<descriptive-slug>.md
2026-02-27-yaml-frontmatter-best-practices.md| Context | Location |
|---|---|
| No project context / global | ~/code/my-agent-cortex/docs/<type>/ |
| Working in a project repo | ~/code/<project>/docs/<type>/ |
Where <type> maps to the directory:
research -> docs/research/brainstorm -> docs/brainstorms/plan -> docs/plans/meeting -> docs/meetings/decision -> docs/decisions/diagram -> docs/diagrams/