Capture To Vault

Capture to Vault

Draft a note and write it. Surface the slug and any non-obvious placement decisions afterward so the user can redirect or revise. Do not wait for approval before writing. One note per call.

Modes

• create (default) — write a new vault note via mcp__dossier-mcp__create_note.
• update — refine an existing note in place via mcp__dossier-mcp__update_note. Preserves required frontmatter and auto-bumps the updated: field.

Input

• mode (optional) — create (default) or update.
• body — the finding, decision, or synthesis. Markdown. Lead with the conclusion or key takeaway. In update mode, this represents the intended new state of the body (or a description sufficient to derive it from the loaded current state).
• slug (required for update mode) — the existing note's slug.
• related (optional) — vault slugs the note references. If absent, infer from body content and recent session context.
• citations (optional) — list of {title, url, accessed} entries from web-researcher findings. Include whenever the body draws on web sources.
• parent_slug (optional, create mode only) — path prefix hint, e.g. projects/relocation. If absent, infer from content and vault structure. Ignored in update mode.

Process — create mode

1. Draft the destination slug.

• If parent_slug is supplied: /.
• Else: infer from body content and related notes. Place as a sibling to the most relevant related note. Avoid inbox/ unless nothing better fits.

1. Draft the frontmatter:

• title — readable title derived from the body's main claim
• date — today's date (YYYY-MM-DD)
• tags — 2–4 tags inferred from body
• related — the input related (or inferred list)

1. Draft the body. Ensure:

• Lead with the conclusion or key takeaway
• Density over readability — pack in conclusions and reasoning, not just facts
• Self-contained — key context inline, not only via links
• If citations present: include a ## Sources section at the end listing each citation (title — URL — accessed date)

1. Write the note. Call mcp__dossier-mcp__create_note with the draft.

1. Backlink. For each slug in related, call mcp__dossier-mcp__update_note to add the new note's slug to that note's related field. Skip if already present.

1. Surface what was written. Briefly state the created slug and any non-obvious placement decisions (tag choices, parent folder selection). The user can redirect, revise, or ask for edits after the write. If the user redirects, update/move the note rather than abandoning the write.

1. Return: the created slug.

Process — update mode

1. Read the existing note. Call mcp__dossier-mcp__get_note with the supplied slug to load its current frontmatter and body.

1. Generate the updated content.

• Preserve all required frontmatter fields from the existing note (title, date, tags, related, plus any recipe-specific fields like status for scope docs). Do not drop or rename them.
• Auto-bump the updated: field to today's date (YYYY-MM-DD). Add the field if it doesn't exist.
• If new tags emerge from the new content, merge them into existing tags (no duplicates). Do not replace.
• Merge any new entries in related with existing ones (no duplicates). Do not replace.
• Compose the new full body — integrate the input body into the doc as the caller intends. The caller is responsible for handing you a body that represents the desired new state.
• If citations present: integrate into the existing ## Sources section if there is one, or add one. Use the same (title — URL — accessed date) format as create mode.

1. Write the note. Call mcp__dossier-mcp__update_note with the updated content. Pass slug, content, and all preserved frontmatter fields (title, date, updated, tags, related, plus any recipe-specific fields like status) per the tool's required parameters.

1. Backlink any new related slugs. For each slug newly added to related (not previously present), call mcp__dossier-mcp__update_note on that target note to add this note's slug to its related field. Skip already-linked targets.

1. Surface what changed. Briefly state the slug and a section-level summary of changes — e.g., "added 2 new unknowns, integrated 3 answers into the Context section, added a Risks section." Avoid byte counts; describe the meaningful changes. The user can redirect or revise post-hoc.

1. Return: the slug.

Style guidance

• Density over readability — pack in conclusions and reasoning, not just facts.
• Self-contained — key context inline, not only via links.
• Lead with the conclusion if there is one.

Future scope

• Stricter frontmatter validation
• Multi-note splitting for large captures
• Dedup against existing notes before writing

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: ethanaubuchon
• Source: ethanaubuchon/dossier-tradecraft
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.