create-knowledge

Imported from yanickfischer/obsidian-ACE-method-skills (create-knowledge/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add yanickfischer/obsidian-ACE-method-skills --skill create-knowledge. Copyright stays with the author.

Create Knowledge

Transform any user-provided content into a properly structured Ideaverse vault note following ACE conventions.

Input Types This Skill Handles

Workflow

Step 1: Understand the Content

Read the user's input carefully. Identify:

• Subject matter — what is this about?
• Note type — is this a concept (Dot), a source (book/article), an effort (project/task), a log entry (Calendar), or a quick capture (+)?
• Completeness — is this ready to be a full note, or does the user want you to expand/research further?

If anything is ambiguous, ask the user before proceeding. Common clarifying questions:

• "Should this be a standalone knowledge note in Atlas, or is it related to one of your Efforts?"
• "Do you want me to keep this concise or expand on the topic?"
• "I see this mentions [X] — should I create separate notes for [X] or keep everything in one note?"

Step 2: Determine Note Type and Placement

Step 3: Scan Tags and MOCs

Before assigning metadata, scan the vault for context:

1. Existing tags — Search frontmatter across the vault for tags. Reuse what fits. Only create 1-2 new tags if nothing existing covers the topic. Tags should be lowercase, hyphenated for multi-word.

2. Relevant MOCs — Read Atlas/Maps/Library.md for the LYT Classification System. Find the best-fit MOC(s) for the in property. If no MOC fits well, use the broadest parent and mention to the user that a new MOC might be warranted as this area grows.

3. Existing related notes — Search the vault for notes on similar topics. These become related links and [[wikilink]] candidates in the body.

Step 4: Build the Note

Use the appropriate frontmatter template:

For knowledge notes (Dots):

---
up:
  - "[[<parent map>]]"
related:
  - "[[<related note if any>]]"
created: <today YYYY-MM-DD>
in:
  - "[[<relevant MOC>]]"
tags:
  - <tag1>
  - <tag2>
---

<Well-structured content here>

For source notes:

---
up:
  - "[[<parent map>]]"
related: []
year: <year if known>
encountered: <today YYYY-MM-DD>
in:
  - "[[<collection, e.g. Books, Sources>]]"
tags:
  - <tag1>
source: "<URL or reference if available>"
author: "<author>"
---

<Structured summary and notes>

For effort notes:

---
up:
  - "[[<parent effort or Efforts map>]]"
related: []
created: <today YYYY-MM-DD>
rank: <suggest a rank or ask user>
tags:
  - <tag1>
---

<Project/task content>

Step 5: Structure the Content

Regardless of how messy the input is, the output note should be clean and follow these principles:

• Distill, don't dump — rewrite for clarity. Remove filler, redundancy, and fluff from the source material.
• Lead with the essence — the first paragraph should capture what this note is about and why it matters. Someone skimming should get the point immediately.
• Use headers — H2 for major sections, H3 for subsections. A flat wall of text is never acceptable.
• Bullet points for lists — if the content has enumerable items, use bullets or numbered lists.
• Tables for structured data — comparisons, specifications, timelines → use tables.
• Wikilinks generously — whenever mentioning a concept, person, or topic that exists or could exist in the vault, use [[wikilinks]]. Check existing notes before linking to avoid broken links or duplicates.
• Preserve specifics — don't lose important data: numbers, dates, names, quotes, code. Summarize the narrative, but keep the facts precise.

Step 6: Handle Import-Specific Cleanup

From Notion:

• Strip database property blocks that render as plain text at the top
• Convert Notion toggle syntax to Obsidian callouts: > [!note]+ Title
• Fix internal links (Notion uses UUIDs) — replace with [[wikilinks]] or plain text
• Notion's /code blocks translate directly to markdown code blocks

From Apple Notes:

• Rebuild heading hierarchy (Apple Notes pastes often lose all formatting)
• Convert checklists to markdown - [ ] syntax
• Embedded images won't transfer — note them as [Image: description] and ask user if they want to add them manually

From OneNote:

• Flatten deeply nested bullet hierarchies — OneNote encourages 5+ levels of nesting which is unreadable
• Convert OneNote's tag system to vault-compatible tags
• Strip formatting artifacts (OneNote pastes often include invisible formatting)

General cleanup:

• Fix broken links
• Normalize heading levels (don't start with H4)
• Remove trailing whitespace and excessive blank lines
• Ensure consistent list formatting

Step 7: Confirm with User

Before writing the file, present:

1. Proposed file name — a clean, descriptive title
2. Proposed location — the folder path
3. Frontmatter preview — tags, MOC links, properties
4. Brief content preview — first paragraph + section headers

Ask for adjustments. Then write the file.

Handling Multiple Notes

If the user provides a large dump of content that clearly covers multiple distinct topics:

1. Identify the separate topics
2. Propose splitting into individual notes (with file names and locations)
3. Get user approval on the split
4. Create notes one at a time, linking them to each other via related properties and [[wikilinks]]

When the User Says "I Learned About X"

If the user provides a topic but not much content:

1. Ask what specifically they learned or want captured
2. If they want you to build out a knowledge note on the topic, do light research (WebSearch if needed) and draft a note
3. Clearly distinguish between the user's original input and any content you've added, so they can verify accuracy