---
title: "Obsidian Vault Usage Manual"
tags: [manual, meta, workflow, reference]
type: note
status: active
author: Jimmy
created: 2026-09-16
related:
  - "[[Meta/agent-handoff.md]]"
  - "[[Meta/vault-structure.md]]"
  - "[[Meta/tag-taxonomy.md]]"
  - "[[Meta/naming-conventions.md]]"
  - "[[Meta/agent-log.md]]"
---

# Obsidian Vault Usage Manual

> Purpose: the single-source-of-truth for how to work inside this Obsidian vault. Written 2026-09-16 by Jimmy. Study-first.
> Owner: the crew / vault steward. Status: active.

This vault is the **shared long-term memory** for all agents (Hermes, Leonard, Charlie, Athena, Claude, local LLMs via LM Studio). Local-first plain Markdown + YAML frontmatter, Git-backed to Gitea on a 6h auto-sync. Think of it as a **compounding agent memory system**, not a notebook.

## 1. Structure (PARA + Agent OS hybrid)

| Tier | Token | Folder | Purpose |
|------|-------|--------|---------|
| Inbox | `00_Raw/` | Dump zone; `Incoming/` is the external-agent handoff inbox |
| Projects | `04_projects/` | Time-bound initiatives; each has `status.md` + `decisions.md` |
| Areas | `20_Areas/` | Ongoing responsibilities: Work, Finance, Learning, Personal, Side Projects |
| Resources | `30_Resources/` | Evergreen knowledge; `Review Later/` is the unprocessed capture queue |
| People | `05_People/` | Person notes |
| Meetings | `06_Meetings/` | Meeting notes (by year) |
| Workflows | `08_workflows/` | Process docs and validation records |
| Wiki | `01_Wiki/` | Reusable techniques, failure modes |
| Daily | `04_Daily/` | Mentor/coaching log (yours — keep it yours) |
| Archive | `10_archive/` | Hibernation — move, don't delete |
| Templates | `09_templates/` | Note templates |
| MOCs | `MOC/` | Maps of Content / indexes |
| System | `Meta/` | Vault system docs (this file, handoff protocol, taxonomy, log) |

## 2. Two ingestion paths

### A. External-agent handoffs (how I feed you)
1. Write a dated `.md` to `00_Raw/Incoming/` with **YAML frontmatter**:
   `source:` (agent key, e.g. `jimmy`), `intent:` (an enum value), `date:` (`YYYY-MM-DD`).
2. You sweep the inbox with **"process my handoffs"**:
   each file is routed by `intent`, the source is **moved** (not copied) to its destination,
   and a row is appended to `Meta/agent-log.md`.
3. Intent routing table (canonical copy in `Meta/agent-handoff.md`):

| intent | Routed by → | Destination |
|--------|--------------|-------------|
| `idea` | Scribe | polished Idea note |
| `task` | Scribe | Task note with action items |
| `note` | Scribe | Note in relevant area (`08_workflows/`, etc.) |
| `reference` | Sorter | `30_Resources/` (→ `Review Later/` for repos/links/articles) |
| `meeting` | Sorter | `06_Meetings/<year>/` |
| `person` | Sorter | `05_People/` |
| `project` | Sorter | `04_projects/<name>/` |
| *(missing/unmatched)* | — | **held** in `00_Raw` pending triage |

### B. Agent direct writes (agents authoring inside the vault)
Use the `obsidian` skill house style:
- YAML frontmatter on every new note (`title`, `tags`, `type`, `status`).
- Connect notes with wikilinks `[[Note Name]]`; verify each resolves.
- Tag against the **official taxonomy** in `Meta/tag-taxonomy.md` (type / area / status / domain).
- When you create a file, log it: add a row to `index.md` (Projects/Knowledge tables) so nothing is orphaned.

## 3. The daily loop (keep it tight — RTX 3060 token discipline)
1. **Capture** — agent activity logs, conversation summaries, cron dumps, handoffs.
2. **Organize** — run the sweep; summarize yesterday; update `status.md`s; wikilink related notes.
3. **Compress** — don't dump raw chat history. Prompt: *"Reconsider and compress the last 7 days into concise project updates in the vault."*
4. **Backup** — Git auto-syncs to Gitea every 6h (publisher mirror is the canonical remote; `Documents\Obsidian Vault` has no `origin` now — don't hand-edit). Quarterly full backup.

## 4. How to connect your agents
- **Hermes / local agents**: use the `obsidian-second-brain` skill, or read relevant `.md` files directly at session start.
- **Claude Desktop**: open the vault folder as a project (file access).
- **LM Studio / local LLMs**: system prompt includes *"You have access to the Obsidian vault at [path]. Use the provided tools or read relevant .md files before answering."*
- Every session starts by **reading** relevant notes → agents wake up smarter → writes back results → tomorrow's agents benefit.

## 5. House style (for agent-authored notes)
- `# Title`, then a `>` context blockquote with the date.
- `##` sections; evidence-first bullets.
- Close with an **Owner / status** or **Open items** section.
- Reusable technique/failure mode → `01_Wiki/<topic>.md`.
- Anything with an owner (project/integration) → `04_projects/<name>/status.md`.

## 6. Rules & don'ts
- **Do** add rows to `index.md` for every new file.
- **Do** run a secrets sweep before any bulk delete (vault is Git-published): scan `sk-…`, `ghp_…`, `AIza…`, `password: …` across `.md`/`.txt`/`.json`/`.yaml`.
- **Do not** invent tags or folders outside `Meta/tag-taxonomy.md`.
- **Do not** hand-edit Git config or `Documents\Obsidian Vault` remotes — leave committing to the cron job.
- **Do not** use `04_Daily/` for agent session notes (it's the user's mentor log).
- **Do not** bulk-delete "duplicates" without tracing references in `index.md`, `HOME.md`, `STATUS.md` (leads to dangling wikilinks).
- When two folders overlap in purpose, keep content in the one the project's `status.md` / `index.md` already treats as canonical; move (don't copy), then `rmdir` the empty source.
- **Locked files (Windows):** if Obsidian holds a file open, `unlink` raises `WinError 145`. Report and let the user close Obsidian; don't force-delete.

## 7. Quick cheat sheet
- Ingest (external agent): `00_Raw/Incoming/YYYY-MM-DD-topic.md` + frontmatter → you say **"process my handoffs"**.
- Capture queue: `30_Resources/Review Later/` (repos, links, articles to review later).
- Daily compress: "Reconsider and compress the last 7 days into concise project updates."
- Secrets rule: sweep before any move/delete; the auto-sync publishes every keystroke.
- Never delete: move to `10_archive/` instead.

## 8. Related files
- `Meta/agent-handoff.md` — the drop-zone contract (authoritative).
- `Meta/vault-structure.md` — folder reference.
- `Meta/tag-taxonomy.md` — official tag list (don't invent new ones).
- `Meta/naming-conventions.md` — filename rules.
- `Meta/agent-log.md` — append-only log of crew sweeps.