Skill: Vault Structure Sync

PARA-specific synchronization for Obsidian vault projects in IDEA.

When to Use

Syncing Obsidian vault PARA structure to IDEA
After adding/renaming PARA folders
Setting up IDEA for vault management
Creating vault-aware file scopes

When NOT to Use

For generic projects (use /idea sync-modules)
For full project onboarding (use /idea onboard)
For maintenance (use /idea maintenance)

PARA Structure

The PARA system uses numbered folders:

Folder	Purpose	IDEA Module Group
`00_Inbox/`	Quick capture	00_Inbox and Dashboard
`00_Dashboard/`	Central overview	00_Inbox and Dashboard
`10_Goals/`	Quarterly objectives	10_Goals
`20_Projects/`	Active execution	20_Projects
`30_Areas/`	Responsibility domains	30_Areas
`40_Resources/`	Reference materials	40_Resources
`50_Collab/`	Partnerships	50_Collab
`60_Science/`	Research	60_Science
`70_Skills/`	Competencies	70_Skills
`90_Archive/`	Completed items	90_Archive

Workflow Steps

1. PARA Discovery

Scan vault root for PARA folders:

[ ] Find folders matching /^\d{2}_/
[ ] Validate folder structure
[ ] Check for .obsidian configuration

2. Module Registration

For each PARA folder:

Create EMPTY_MODULE .iml file
Add to modules.xml with PARA group
Configure content root

3. Scope Generation

Create specialized scopes:

Individual Scopes:

00 Inbox - Quick capture items
10 Goals - Quarterly objectives
20 Projects - Active work
etc.

Composite Scopes:

Active Work - Inbox + Goals + Projects
Knowledge Base - Areas + Resources + Science + Skills
PARA Content - All PARA folders
Archive - Archived items only

Configuration Scopes:

Claude Config - .claude folder
Obsidian Config - .obsidian folder
Skills and Plugins - .claude/skills + .claude/plugins
Infrastructure - scripts, docs, coordination

4. VCS Mapping

Configure Git mappings for vault root and submodules.

Command Reference

`/idea vault-sync`

Full PARA-aware synchronization.

Options:

--dry-run - Preview changes
--scopes-only - Only update scopes
--modules-only - Only update modules

Example:

/idea vault-sync --verbose

Orchestrated Skills

Skill	Purpose
`idea-tools:module-sync`	Core module synchronization

Generated Files

Module Files

Each PARA folder gets an .iml file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<module type="EMPTY_MODULE" version="4">
  <component name="NewModuleRootManager">
    <content url="file://$MODULE_DIR$">
      <sourceFolder url="file://$MODULE_DIR$" isTestSource="false" />
    </content>
    <orderEntry type="sourceFolder" forTests="false" />
  </component>
</module>

Scope Files

Located in .idea/scopes/:

.idea/scopes/
├── 00_Inbox.xml
├── 10_Goals.xml
├── 20_Projects.xml
├── ...
├── Active_Work.xml
├── Knowledge_Base.xml
├── PARA_Content.xml
├── Archive.xml
├── Claude_Config.xml
├── Obsidian_Config.xml
├── Skills_and_Plugins.xml
└── Infrastructure.xml

Output

Success Report

Vault Structure Sync Complete - 2026-01-31

PARA Folders: 10 discovered
Modules: 10 registered

Module Groups:
- 00_Inbox and Dashboard (2 modules)
- 10_Goals (1 module)
- 20_Projects (1 module)
- 30_Areas (1 module)
- 40_Resources (1 module)
- 50_Collab (1 module)
- 60_Science (1 module)
- 70_Skills (1 module)
- 90_Archive (1 module)

Scopes: 18 created
- 10 individual PARA scopes
- 8 composite scopes

VCS: Root + 0 submodule mappings

Error Handling

Error	Recovery
No PARA folders found	Verify vault structure
Invalid folder name	Must match /^\d{2}_/ pattern
Module conflict	Remove conflicting module, re-sync
Scope error	Delete .idea/scopes/, re-sync

Best Practices

Run after structural changes - Keep IDEA in sync with vault
Use scopes - Filter file views by PARA category
Combine with maintenance - Run /idea maintenance for full sync
Check modules.xml - Verify group assignments

Security & Permissions

Required tools: Read, Write, Bash
Files modified: .idea/modules.xml, .idea/scopes/*, */*.iml
Confirmations: None (non-destructive)

Metadata

author: Christian Kusmanow / Claude
version: 1.0.0
last_updated: 2026-01-31
depends_on:
  - idea-tools:module-sync

vault-structure-sync