sync-notion
Update Notion Skill
Sync the current project's state to the central task management context library and Notion Research Pipeline.
Purpose
After working on a research project, this skill propagates the current state outward:
- Project CLAUDE.md (source of truth) →
.context/projects/_index.md(central registry) - Recent session logs →
.context/current-focus.md(working memory) - Project metadata → Notion Research Pipeline (tracking database)
This keeps all systems in sync without manual updates.
When to Use
- At the end of a work session (often paired with
/session-log) - After changing a project's target journal, status, or stage
- When the user says "update project doc", "sync project", "update my project index"
MCP Pre-Check
Before starting, probe Notion MCP availability with a lightweight search. If unavailable, skip Steps 3 and 5 and offer fallbacks per shared/mcp-degradation.md.
Workflow
Step 1: Read the current project's CLAUDE.md
Extract key metadata:
- Project name (from header)
- Target journal (from
Target:field) - Stage (infer from content: Idea / Literature Review / Drafting / Data Collection / Analysis / Submitted / R&R / Published)
- Co-authors (if listed)
- Working title
- Key next steps (from Research Design or recent session log)
Step 2: Read the most recent session log
Look in the project's log/ directory for the latest YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM.md file. Extract:
- What was accomplished
- Current blockers
- Next steps
Step 3: Update .context/projects/_index.md
Location: .context/projects/_index.md
Find the project's row in the "Papers in Progress" table. If it exists, update the Stage, Target Journal, and Status columns. If it doesn't exist, add a new row.
Table format:
| Project | Stage | Co-authors | Target Journal | Status |
Step 4: Update .context/current-focus.md
Location: .context/current-focus.md
Update the "Recent Context" section with a brief summary of the latest session. Add any new open loops.
Note: For full session-level updates (session rotation, open loop management, mental state), defer to
/update-focus. This skill adds a brief summary only.
Step 5: Update Notion Research Pipeline
Search the Research Pipeline database (collection://YOUR-PIPELINE-DATABASE-ID-HERE) for the project name. If found, update:
- Status (match to: Idea, Literature Review, Drafting, Submitted, R&R, Published)
- Target Journal
- Priority (if changed)
If not found, inform the user (don't auto-create — they may want to set properties manually).
Step 6: Confirm
Report what was updated:
Updated project docs for [Project Name]:
- .context/projects/_index.md: [what changed]
- .context/current-focus.md: [what changed]
- Notion Research Pipeline: [what changed, or "no entry found"]
Important Notes
- This skill reads the project CLAUDE.md and session logs — it never modifies them.
- It writes to the central context files and Notion only.
- Always read before writing to preserve existing content.
- If the user provides a summary argument, use that instead of inferring from logs.