add-frontmatter

You will analyze Obsidian notes and add intelligent YAML frontmatter properties to enhance organization and discoverability.

Input

• Path: file or folder to process
• Current date: use the system date

Your Task

Step 1: Identify Notes to Process

# If single file
Read the specified file

# If folder
Find all .md files in folder

Step 2: Analyze Note Content

For each note, examine:

• Main topics and themes
• Note type (meeting, daily, reference, project)
• Key entities (people, projects, dates)
• Existing properties (preserve valid ones)
• Title quality (add/improve if needed)

Step 3: Generate Appropriate Properties

Standard Properties by Note Type

Meeting Notes:

---
title: [Descriptive meeting title]
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: meeting
attendees: ['Person 1', 'Person 2']
project: Project Name
tags: [meeting, project-name]
action_items:
  - 'Action item 1'
  - 'Action item 2'
status: complete
---

Daily Notes:

---
title: Daily Note - YYYY-MM-DD
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: daily-note
tags: [daily]
highlights:
  - 'Key event or thought'
mood: productive
---

Reference/Article Notes:

---
title: [Article or concept title]
type: reference
source: "[[Source Note]]" or URL
author: Author Name
date_saved: YYYY-MM-DD
tags: [topic1, topic2]
key_concepts: [concept1, concept2]
---

Project Notes:

---
title: [Project Name - Component]
type: project
status: in-progress
deadline: YYYY-MM-DD
stakeholders: ['Person 1', 'Team 2']
tags: [project, area]
priority: high
---

Step 4: Apply Properties

For each note:

1. Check for existing frontmatter
2. Merge new properties (don't duplicate)
3. Fix any deprecated formats:
   • tag → tags
   • alias → aliases
   • cssclass → cssclasses
4. Ensure valid YAML syntax

Step 5: Update File

# Format:
---
property: value
list_property: ['item1', 'item2']
date_property: YYYY-MM-DD
linked_property: '[[Note Name]]'
---
[Original content]

Property Guidelines

Naming Conventions

• Use lowercase with underscores: date_created, action_items
• Be consistent with existing vault patterns
• Prefer clear over clever names

Value Types

• Text: Simple strings, use quotes for links
• List: Arrays for multiple values
• Date: ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)
• Number: For counts, ratings, priorities
• Checkbox: For boolean states

Quality Checks

• ✅ Valid YAML syntax
• ✅ No duplicate properties
• ✅ Appropriate property types
• ✅ Quoted internal links
• ✅ Meaningful values (not empty)

Special Cases

Untitled Notes

Generate title from:

1. First heading if exists
2. First paragraph summary
3. Main topic/concept discussed

Bulk Processing

When processing folders:

• Maintain consistency across similar notes
• Use same property names for same concepts
• Report summary of changes made

Existing Properties

• Preserve valid existing properties
• Update deprecated formats
• Merge new properties carefully
• Never delete without reason

Examples

Before:

Had a great meeting with the team about Q1 planning...

After:

---
title: Q1 Planning Team Meeting
date: 2025-09-02
type: meeting
attendees: ['Team']
project: Q1 Planning
tags: [meeting, planning, q1-2025]
status: complete
---

Had a great meeting with the team about Q1 planning...

Remember: Properties should enhance organization, not clutter. Only add what provides value for finding and connecting notes.