Create From Context

Create PARA-compliant resource or meeting notes from information gathered during the current conversation. This is the inline companion to triage -- use it when you already have rich context (e.g., from reading meeting notes, pulling Jira tickets, researching a topic) and want to capture it as a vault note without going through the inbox pipeline.

When to Use This Skill

• Data has been gathered during conversation (web scrapes, API responses, file reads)
• User wants to capture conversation output as a vault note
• Creating a resource or meeting note without an inbox source file

When NOT to Use This Skill

• Creating a project -- use /para-obsidian:create-project
• Creating an area -- use /para-obsidian:create-area
• Processing inbox items -- use /para-obsidian:triage

Critical Rules

1. ALWAYS load vault context first (Phase 0) -- never suggest areas/projects that don't exist
2. One question at a time -- ADHD-friendly, no walls of questions
3. Pre-fill from context -- suggest values from conversation, ask "Good?" not "What is X?"
4. Classification, not invention -- AI classifies into existing categories; user provides facts
5. Confirm before creating -- always show full proposal for approval
6. DRY references -- load classification/formatting rules from @ paths, never duplicate

Workflow Overview

Phase 0: Load Vault Context (ALWAYS FIRST)
    |
Phase 1: Classify Note Type
    |-- Has arguments? -> pre-fill title + infer type
    |-- No arguments? -> ask what to capture
    |-- Apply decision tree -> resource or meeting
    |
Phase 2: Gather Details (template-specific)
    |-- Resource: title, source_format, URL, resource_type, area, summary
    |-- Meeting: title, meeting_type, date, attendees, area/project, summary
    |
Phase 3: Gather Content
    |-- Resource: Layer 1 content from conversation
    |-- Meeting: notes, decisions, action items, follow-up
    |
Phase 4: Present Proposal & Confirm
    |
Phase 5: Execute (create + inject + commit)
    |
Phase 6: Report & Next Steps

---

Phase 0: Load Vault Context

ALWAYS fetch vault context before doing anything else:

para_list_areas({ response_format: "json" })
para_list_projects({ response_format: "json" })

Store these lists for:

• Area/project validation in Phase 2
• Offering numbered selection lists
• Understanding user's current vault structure

Even if the user provides context in $ARGUMENTS, load vault context first.

---

Phase 1: Classify Note Type

If $ARGUMENTS provided

Pre-fill the title from $ARGUMENTS and infer the template type:

You mentioned: "$ARGUMENTS"

Based on the conversation context, I suggest creating a **[resource/meeting]** note.

Does that sound right? (resource / meeting / something else)

If no arguments

Ask what to capture:

What information from this conversation would you like to capture as a vault note?

I can create:
1. **Resource** -- knowledge to learn from (article, video, idea, reference)
2. **Meeting** -- notes from a discussion (attendees, decisions, action items)

Classification Decision Tree

Reference: @../para-classifier/references/classification-decision-tree.md

Apply these checks from conversation context:

Signal	Template
Attendees, agenda, action items, discussion date	meeting
Knowledge to distill, article/video/reference content	resource
Both present	Ask: "Is this primarily a record of an event, or knowledge to learn from?"
Neither clear	Default to resource with document source_format

---

Phase 2: Gather Details

Ask one question at a time. Pre-fill from conversation context wherever possible.

Resource Path

Gather these fields in order:

1. Title -- suggest from context: "I suggest: '[Title]'. Good?"
2. Source format -- infer from context using emoji mapping (@../para-classifier/references/emoji-mapping.md):
   • Web article/blog -> article (📰)
   • YouTube/video -> video (🎬)
   • Podcast -> podcast (🎙️)
   • Twitter/X thread -> thread (🧵)
   • Book -> book (📖)
   • Course -> course (🎓)
   • Research paper -> paper (📑)
   • PDF/DOCX -> document (📄)
   • Screenshot/diagram -> image (🖼️)
   • Voice/audio -> audio (🎧)
   • Unsure -> document (📄) as fallback
3. Source URL -- if a URL exists in context, suggest it. Otherwise ask or skip.
4. Resource type -- one of: article, tutorial, reference, thread, video, idea
5. Area -- present numbered list from Phase 0 vault data. User selects or creates new.
6. Project (optional) -- if relevant, offer from list
7. Summary -- generate 2-3 sentence summary from context, confirm with user
8. Author (optional) -- if known from context

Meeting Path

Gather these fields in order:

1. Title -- suggest from context: "I suggest: '[Title]'. Good?"
2. Meeting type -- infer from context using meeting types reference (@../create-meeting/references/meeting-types.md):
   • 1-on-1, standup, planning, retro, review, interview, stakeholder, general
3. Meeting date -- extract from context or ask. ISO format: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss
4. Attendees -- extract names from context, confirm with user. Format as comma-separated string.
5. Area/Project -- present numbered list from Phase 0 vault data
6. Summary -- generate concise summary, confirm

---

Phase 3: Gather Content

Resource Content

Extract content from conversation for Layer 1 injection.

Reference: @../analyze-web/references/layer1-formatting.md

Key rules:

• Target 2-3k tokens (~1500-2000 words)
• Use H3 subsections under the "Layer 1: Captured Notes" H2
• Include truncation note if content was shortened
• Preserve code blocks for technical content
• Bold key terms for progressive summarization

Present the formatted Layer 1 content:

Here's the Layer 1 content I'll inject:

---
## Layer 1: Captured Notes

### Overview
[extracted content]

### Key Points
- **Point 1**: [detail]
- **Point 2**: [detail]

---
*Captured from conversation context. Use /distill-resource for deeper analysis.*
---

Does this look right? (yes / edit / add more)

Meeting Content

Extract from conversation and format as structured sections:

• Notes -- key discussion points as bullet list
• Decisions Made -- decisions as bullet list
• Action Items -- checkbox format: - [ ] [[Assignee]] - Task (due: YYYY-MM-DD)
• Follow-up -- follow-up items as bullet list

Present for confirmation:

Here are the meeting sections I'll populate:

**Notes:**
- [point 1]
- [point 2]

**Decisions:**
- [decision 1]

**Action Items:**
- [ ] [[Person]] - Task (due: date)

**Follow-up:**
- [item 1]

Does this look right? (yes / edit)

---

Phase 4: Present Proposal

Show the complete note preview before creating:

Resource Proposal

## Note Proposal

**Type:** Resource
**Title:** [emoji] [Title]
**Source format:** [format] ([emoji])
**Resource type:** [type]
**Source:** [URL or "conversation context"]
**Area:** [[Area Name]]
**Project:** [[Project Name]] (or "none")
**Author:** [name or "—"]
**Summary:** [2-3 sentences]

**Layer 1 content:** [word count] words prepared

---

**Ready to create?** (yes / tell me what to change)

Meeting Proposal

## Note Proposal

**Type:** Meeting
**Title:** [Title]
**Meeting type:** [type]
**Date:** [date]
**Attendees:** [names]
**Area:** [[Area Name]]
**Project:** [[Project Name]] (or "none")
**Summary:** [1-2 sentences]

**Sections populated:** Notes, Decisions Made, Action Items, Follow-up

---

**Ready to create?** (yes / tell me what to change)

Handle Response

Response	Action
yes / y / looks good	Create immediately (Phase 5)
Specific feedback	Adjust and re-present
cancel / no	Abort gracefully

---

Phase 5: Execute

Resource Execution

Step 1: Create note

para_create({
  template: "resource",
  title: "[Title without emoji - template adds it]",
  dest: "03 Resources",
  args: {
    summary: "[confirmed summary]",
    source: "[URL or 'Conversation context']",
    resource_type: "[confirmed type]",
    source_format: "[confirmed format]",
    areas: "[[Area Name]]",
    projects: "[[Project Name]]" or null,
    author: "[author]" or null,
    distilled: "false"
  },
  response_format: "json"
})

Step 2: Inject Layer 1 content

para_replace_section({
  file: "[created file path from step 1]",
  heading: "Layer 1: Captured Notes",
  content: "[formatted Layer 1 content from Phase 3]",
  response_format: "json"
})

Step 3: Commit

para_commit({
  message: "Add resource: [Title]",
  response_format: "json"
})

Meeting Execution

Step 1: Create note with body sections

para_create({
  template: "meeting",
  title: "[Title]",
  dest: "04 Archives/Meetings",
  args: {
    meeting_date: "[ISO date]",
    meeting_type: "[type]",
    summary: "[confirmed summary]",
    attendees: "[comma-separated names]",
    area: "[[Area Name]]",
    project: "[[Project Name]]" or null
  },
  content: {
    "Notes": "[formatted notes]",
    "Decisions Made": "[formatted decisions]",
    "Action Items": "[formatted action items]",
    "Follow-up": "[formatted follow-up]"
  },
  response_format: "json"
})

Step 2: Commit

para_commit({
  message: "Add meeting: [Title]",
  response_format: "json"
})

---

Phase 6: Report & Next Steps

Created: [emoji] [Title].md -> [destination folder]
Linked to: [[Area Name]]
[For resources: Layer 1 content injected ([word count] words)]
[For meetings: Sections populated: Notes, Decisions, Action Items, Follow-up]
Committed to vault.

Would you like to:
1. **Create another note** from this conversation
2. **Distill** the resource (extract key insights)
3. **Done** - note is ready

---

Error Handling

Error	Recovery
para_create fails	Show error, preserve all gathered data, offer retry
para_replace_section fails	Note exists without Layer 1 -- inform user, they can add content manually
para_commit fails (dirty tree)	Inform user, suggest committing existing changes first
No areas exist	Offer to create one first (same pattern as create-project Phase 2.3)
User cancels	Graceful exit, no cleanup needed

---

Example Interactions

Resource from Web Research

User: [earlier in conversation, scraped an article about TypeScript generics]
User: /para-obsidian:create-from-context TypeScript generics guide

AI: Loading vault context...

    Based on the article we just read, I suggest creating a **resource** note.

    **Title:** "TypeScript Generics - A Practical Guide"
    **Source format:** article (📰)

    Does that look right? (yes / adjust)

User: yes

AI: Which area does this belong to?

    1. 🤖 AI Practice
    2. 💼 Career
    3. 📝 Note Taking

User: 2

AI: [presents full proposal with Layer 1 content preview]

User: yes

AI: Created: 📰 TypeScript Generics - A Practical Guide.md -> 03 Resources
    Linked to: [[💼 Career]]
    Layer 1 content injected (1,240 words)
    Committed to vault.

Meeting from Discussion

User: [earlier, discussed sprint retro with notes about what went well/badly]
User: /para-obsidian:create-from-context

AI: What information from this conversation would you like to capture?

    1. **Resource** -- knowledge to learn from
    2. **Meeting** -- notes from a discussion

User: 2

AI: I suggest:

    **Title:** "Sprint 42 Retrospective"
    **Meeting type:** retro

    Good? (yes / adjust)

User: yes

AI: When did this meeting happen?

User: today at 2pm

AI: [extracts attendees, presents sections for confirmation]

User: yes

AI: [presents full proposal]

User: yes

AI: Created: Sprint 42 Retrospective.md -> 04 Archives/Meetings
    Sections populated: Notes, Decisions Made, Action Items, Follow-up
    Committed to vault.