Obsidian Notes

Create regular knowledge notes in base/notes/ — the primary location for knowledge capture.

Syntax validation: Use obsidian-markdown skill for markdown syntax rules (wikilinks, callouts, footnotes, LaTeX, mermaid, etc.)

Filename Rules

CRITICAL: Follow all naming conventions strictly.

Rule	Description
Uniqueness	Each filename must be unique across the entire vault
Specificity	Avoid abstractions; use precise, concrete terms
Case	Lowercase only. Exception: proper nouns (e.g., Zettelkasten, Python)
Structure	Nouns or stable noun phrases only
Forbidden	No dates, numbers, questions, or pronouns
Compatibility	Use only filesystem-safe characters

Examples

Correct	Incorrect	Reason
spaced repetition.md	Spaced Repetition.md	Lowercase (not a proper noun)
Zettelkasten method.md	zettelkasten method.md	Zettelkasten is a proper noun (Luhmann's system)
Python decorator.md	python decorator.md	Python is a proper noun
knowledge graph.md	how does knowledge graph work.md	No questions
sorting algorithm.md	my sorting algorithm.md	No pronouns
binary search.md	binary search 1.md	No numbers

Category Validation

CRITICAL: Only use EXISTING categories. Categories are human-created and managed.

Finding Valid Categories

Before assigning a category tag, discover existing categories:

Field	Location	Glob Pattern
category	base/categories/	base/categories/*.md

Workflow

1. Discover existing categories — use either:
   • obsidian files folder=base/categories ext=md (CLI, cross-platform)
   • Glob pattern: base/categories/*.md (Claude built-in Glob tool)
2. Match by relevance — choose the most appropriate existing category for the note's topic
3. If no match exists — omit the category tag or ask user; NEVER invent categories
4. Category tag format — category/<folder_name> where <folder_name> matches the category note filename (without .md)

Frontmatter Template

---
tags:
  - note/basic/primary
  - category/<existing_category>  # Optional — only if relevant category exists
aliases: []
created: 2025-08-10T23:25:33+07:00
updated: 2025-08-10T23:25:33+07:00
---

Frontmatter Rules

• Date format: ISO 8601 with timezone offset (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ssZ)
• Required tag: One of the note type tags (see below)
• Optional tag: category/<name> — only if category exists (replace spaces with _ in category name)

Tag Taxonomy

Tag	Use case
note/basic/primary	Default for general knowledge notes
note/specific/code	Code snippets, programming patterns
note/specific/exact	Definitions, terms, precise concepts
category/<name>	Assign to existing category (validate first!)

Content Principles

• Self-contained: Note should be understandable without extra context
• Atomic: One idea per note
• Source references: Use footnotes for URLs and citations

Example Note

Filename: base/notes/zettelkasten method.md

---
tags:
  - note/basic/primary
  - category/productivity  # Only if base/categories/productivity.md exists!
aliases: []
created: 2025-08-10T23:25:33+07:00
updated: 2025-08-10T23:25:33+07:00
---

The Zettelkasten method is a knowledge management system based on networked atomic notes[^1].

Each note should contain one idea and link to related notes, forming a network of knowledge.

> [!quote]
> "A Zettelkasten is a personal tool for thinking and writing that creates an interconnected web of thought." — Sönke Ahrens

[^1]: https://zettelkasten.de/introduction/