Note Taker (Git-managed)

This skill maintains a private notes system in a dedicated git-backed notes repository.

Setup: The notes repo path must be configured. Look for a NOTES_REPO variable in the project's CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md, or ask the user for the path on first use.

Rule: This skill has side effects (writes + commits + pushes) so it must be user-invoked.

Repo Sync Before Edits (mandatory)

Before creating/updating/deleting files in an existing repository, sync the current branch with remote:

branch="$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)"
git fetch origin
git pull --rebase origin "$branch"

If the working tree is not clean, stash first, sync, then restore:

git stash push -u -m "pre-sync"
branch="$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)"
git fetch origin && git pull --rebase origin "$branch"
git stash pop

If origin is missing, pull is unavailable, or rebase/stash conflicts occur, stop and ask the user before continuing.

Workflow

1) Intake

Accept input as:

Text: the message content
Voice: summarize (do not store full transcript unless user asks)
Image / video / file: copy attachment file and reference it from the note

If the user provides multiple items, treat each as a separate note unless they explicitly want a single combined note.

2) Decide filename + folder

Create processed notes at:

notes/YYYY/MM/YYYY-MM-DD--<slug>.md

Use a short, stable slug (kebab-case). If unsure, ask for a title.

3) Write the note

Use the template in assets/note-template.md. Minimum sections:

Summary (short)
Details (only what matters)
Tasks (checkboxes)
Attachments (paths + links)

4) Store attachments (mandatory)

Always store attachment files in the same folder as the note file.

Example:

Note: notes/2026/02/2026-02-11--example.md
Attachments:
- notes/2026/02/2026-02-11--example--1.jpg
- notes/2026/02/2026-02-11--example--2.mp4

Rules:

Never store note attachments for this workflow under assets/images or assets/audio.
Keep deterministic suffixes: --1, --2, ...
Use relative paths in note markdown.

5) Embed images in note markdown (mandatory)

For every image attachment, include an inline markdown image so it renders in the note:

![<short-alt-text>](./<attachment-filename>)

For non-image files (video/audio/docs), keep normal markdown links under Attachments.

6) Redact secrets (mandatory)

Before committing, scan the note (and any pasted snippets) for:

API keys / tokens / passwords / private keys

If found:

replace with [REDACTED_SECRET]
if ambiguity remains, ask before commit

7) Extract tasks → Kanban

Update KANBAN.md:

Add new tasks to Backlog
Each task should include a link to the note path

8) Maintain README index (mandatory)

After updating notes and KANBAN.md, update the notes repo README so it stays clickable and current:

Preferred: run python3 scripts/update_readme_overview.py from repo root (if the script exists)
Fallback: update README.md manually (overview counts + notes index)

9) Commit and push (mandatory for reporting links)

Commit message conventions:

note: add <short-title>
kanban: add tasks from <slug>
note: update <slug>
docs: update notes README (if README changed)

Always push when remote exists, so reported GitHub links are valid for user. Do not ask for extra push confirmation once this skill is invoked by the user.

10) Report back with GitHub links (mandatory)

When reporting completion of any note action, include:

GitHub link to each new/updated note markdown file
GitHub link to each attached media file (if added)
Commit hash

Link format:

https://github.com/<owner>/<repo>/blob/main/<relative-path>

Detect the remote URL from the notes repo's git remote get-url origin to build correct links.

Daily routines

End-of-day: list today’s notes + propose re-organization (tags / merges / splits)
Daily 10–15min: review Backlog → pick → move to In Progress → Done

References

Repo process rules: AGENTS.md in the notes repo root
Redaction + workflow policy: POLICY.md in the notes repo root

note-taker