vault-notes

Vault Notes

PARA-based note operations for the Teslasoft Obsidian vault. Covers folder structure, note types, and common operational tasks.

When to Use

• Creating new notes in the vault
• Modifying existing notes (content, links, status)
• Archiving completed/inactive notes
• Linking areas to projects/resources
• Understanding the PARA folder structure
• Determining which note type fits a given purpose

When NOT to Use

• Applying templates (use vault-templates)
• Writing Dataview queries or checking metadata schemas (use vault-metadata)
• Git operations, plugin development, Jarvis/Drone ops

---

Core Principles

1. Never modify content without explicit user request - Personal vault with sensitive information
2. Respect the folder structure - The numbered PARA system (00-90) is intentional
3. Follow metadata conventions - Each note type has specific frontmatter requirements
4. Link thoughtfully - Goals link to Projects, Areas link to Projects and Resources
5. Respect German language usage - Mix of German (goal/project names) and English (technical content)
6. Preserve repository paths - External repoPath fields bridge to actual code repositories

---

Folder Structure (PARA System)

00_Inbox/          # Quick capture area (process later)
10_Goals/          # Quarterly OKR-style goals (time-bound)
20_Projects/       # Active tactical projects (execution)
30_Areas/          # Strategic responsibility domains (long-term)
40_Resources/      # Reference materials & tools (learning)
50_Collab/         # Partnerships & collaborations
60_Science/        # Research & architectural exploration
70_Skills/         # Professional competency documentation
90_Archive/        # Completed/inactive items
.obsidian/         # Obsidian configuration and plugins
  templates/       # Templater plugin templates (12 types)

---

Note Type Patterns

Goals (10_Goals/)

Naming: G-[YEAR]-[QUARTER] [Goal Name].md

Frontmatter:

---
type: goal
status: planning | active | reviewing | completed | partial
horizon: "[[YYYY-Qn]]"
---

Structure:

# [Goal Name]

## Key Results
- KR1: [Deliverable] + [[linked project]]
- KR2: [Deliverable]
- KR3: [Deliverable]

Usage: Time-bound objectives linking to multiple execution projects

Projects (20_Projects/)

Naming: P[#]-[Project Name].md

Frontmatter:

---
type: project
status: active | planning | completed | on-hold
goal: "[[Goal Name]]"
repoPath: D:\Path\To\Repository  # optional but common
---

Structure:

# [Project Name]

## Next actions
- [ ] Task 1
- [ ] Task 2
- [ ] Task 3

Usage: Tactical execution units always linked to a parent goal

Areas (30_Areas/)

Naming: [Area Name].md

Frontmatter (optional):

---
projects: "[[Project Name]]"
resources: "[[Resource Name]]"
---

Usage: Long-term responsibility domains that link projects and resources

Current Areas: Change Management, IT Consulting, IoT App Dev, Open Source, Server Hosting, Simracing, Software Architecture, Team Building

Resources (40_Resources/)

Naming: [Tool/Domain Name].md

Frontmatter (optional):

---
type: resource
repoPath: D:\Path\To\Repository
---

Organization: Multi-level categorization by domain

Subdirectories: AI/, Agile Manifest/, CMS/, CRM/, ECM/, Engineering/, ERP/, Hosting/, IoT/, MDD/

Usage: Lightweight reference notes (often 1-5 lines); deep dives for key architectures

Collaborations (50_Collab/)

Naming: [Partner Name] - [Initiative].md

Frontmatter:

---
patreonURL: https://...
---

Usage: Track partnerships and sponsorships

Science (60_Science/)

Naming: [Topic Name].md

Frontmatter:

---
type: research
status: exploring | active | blocked | parked | concluded | integrated
created: "YYYY-MM-DD"
---

Usage: Research notes and architectural explorations (e.g., Platform Agent Architecture)

Content: Deep technical documentation, design decisions, novel patterns

Skills (70_Skills/)

Naming: [Skill Name].md

Current Skills: AI Context Management, Drone Pilot, Entrepreneur, Hands-On Product Owner, Information Architecture, Interaction Design, SCRUM Master, SOP Documentation Specialist, Software Architect, Software Engineer, UML, UX Research, UX Strategy, Visual Design

Usage: Professional competency documentation

---

Working with Notes

When Creating New Notes

1. Determine the correct category based on note purpose:

   • Time-bound outcome -> Goal
   • Execution/deliverable -> Project
   • Long-term responsibility -> Area
   • Reference/learning -> Resource
   • Partnership -> Collaboration
   • Research/exploration -> Science
   • Competency -> Skill

2. Use the appropriate template from .obsidian/templates/ (invoke vault-templates for specs)

3. Follow naming conventions:

   • Goals: G-YYYY-Qn [Name]
   • Projects: P#-[Name]
   • Others: [Name]

4. Add required frontmatter (invoke vault-metadata for full schema reference):

   • Goals: type, status, horizon
   • Projects: type, status, goal (required link to parent)
   • Areas: projects/resources (if linking)
   • Resources: type, repoPath (if external repo)

5. Create links appropriately:

   • Projects MUST link to parent goal
   • Areas MAY link to projects and resources
   • Use wiki-link syntax: [[Note Name]]

When Modifying Existing Notes

1. Always read the full note first to understand context
2. Preserve frontmatter unless explicitly changing metadata
3. Maintain link relationships:
   • Don't break project->goal links
   • Don't break area->project/resource links
4. Respect language choice:
   • German for goal/project names
   • English for technical content
   • Mixed is acceptable
5. Keep repository paths intact unless explicitly updating

When Searching/Querying

1. Use Dataview for metadata queries (invoke vault-metadata for patterns)
2. Use Smart Connections for semantic search (Obsidian plugin)
3. Use standard search (Ctrl+Shift+F) for text
4. Check Dashboard.md for active project overview

---

Common Tasks

Add a New Project

1. Identify parent goal (or create one if needed)
2. Determine next available project number (check existing P# files)
3. Use template: .obsidian/templates/Projects.md (see vault-templates for spec)
4. Create file: 20_Projects/P#-[Name].md
5. Fill frontmatter:

   ---
   type: project
   status: active
   goal: "[[Goal Name]]"
   repoPath: D:\Path  # if applicable
   ---
   

6. Add next actions checklist

Update Project Status

1. Read project file to check current status
2. Update status field in frontmatter
3. If completing, consider:
   • Archiving to 90_Archive/
   • Updating parent goal's key results
   • Moving to status: completed instead of archiving

Archive a Note

CRITICAL: Always read 90_Archive/.prompts/archive-note.prompt.md before archiving. Also follow coordination/policies/NDP-001-no-delete.md for decision matrix.

1. Evaluate using the Archive Decision Matrix:

   • ALWAYS ARCHIVE: Completed projects/goals, historical decisions
   • SUMMARIZE THEN DELETE: Superseded files, processed inbox items
   • DELETE WITHOUT ARCHIVE: Test files, duplicates, drafts
   • NEVER DELETE: Active projects, policies, config files

2. If archiving, create file in 90_Archive/ with:

   • Subdirectory by type: 90_Archive/20_Projects/, 90_Archive/00_Inbox/, etc.
   • Or date-based: 90_Archive/inbox-YYYY-MM/
   • Naming: Keep original filename (folder signals archive status)

3. Add archive frontmatter:

   ---
   type: archive
   originalType: [goal|project|area|resource|inbox]
   archivedDate: "YYYY-MM-DD"
   originalLocation: [original folder path]
   tags: [archived]
   ---
   

4. Add Archive Information section with date, type, location, reason

5. Copy original content below the metadata

6. Delete source only after archive confirmed

See also: /archive skill, NDP-001 policy

Link Area to Projects/Resources

1. Read Area file
2. Add or update frontmatter:

   ---
   projects: "[[Project Name]]"
   resources: "[[Resource Name]]"
   ---
   

3. Create bidirectional awareness (Obsidian auto-generates backlinks)

Add a Resource

1. Determine correct subdirectory under 40_Resources/
2. Create file with descriptive name
3. Add optional frontmatter if has external repo:

   ---
   type: resource
   repoPath: D:\Path\To\Repository
   ---
   

4. Keep content lightweight (1-5 lines) unless deep-dive needed
5. Link from relevant Area if applicable

Create a Quarterly Goal

1. Use template: .obsidian/templates/Goals.md (see vault-templates for spec)
2. Create file: 10_Goals/G-YYYY-Qn [Name].md
3. Fill frontmatter:

   ---
   type: goal
   status: active
   horizon: "[[YYYY-Qn]]"
   ---
   

4. Add Key Results (KR1, KR2, KR3)
5. Link to existing or planned projects

---

Wikilink Convention

Use filename-only wikilinks [[filename]], never [[folder/filename]]. Obsidian resolves by searching the entire vault — filename-only links survive file moves (Inbox -> Projects -> Archive).

Prerequisite: Filename must be globally unique. If multiple files share the same basename, path prefix is REQUIRED for disambiguation. Check uniqueness before stripping paths.

Naming conventions ensuring uniqueness:

• Projects: P{XX}-Name.md (unique by P-number)
• Work items: p{XX}-w{N}-name.md (unique by project+work-item number)
• Specs: *.spec.md (LR-SPEC-001)
• Team files: *.team.md (LR-TEAM-001)
• Master trackers: P{XX}-Master.md (unique by P-number)

No [ARCHIVED] suffix on filenames. The 90_Archive/ folder signals archived status. Files keep original names so wikilinks resolve regardless of location.

---

Cross-References

• Template specs: Invoke vault-templates for full template definitions
• Metadata schemas: Invoke vault-metadata for frontmatter reference and Dataview patterns
• Archiving automation: Use /archive skill for automated workflow

---

Metadata

author: Christian Kusmanow / Claude
version: 1.2.0
last_updated: "2026-03-21"
source: Extracted from CLAUDE.md (Core Principles, Folder Structure, Note Types, Working with Notes, Common Tasks)
change_surface: Note type patterns, common tasks, folder structure
extension_points: Add new note types, update common tasks
changelog:
  - "1.0.0: Initial extraction from CLAUDE.md"
  - "1.1.0: P56-W4 — fix type: resource → resource (canonical English spelling); update Goal status values (add reviewing, partial)"
  - "1.2.0: P56-W5 — add Science frontmatter block with 6 canonical status values"