brain-capture: Smart Quick Capture
Capture thoughts, tasks, and notes instantly with minimal friction. Speed is everything — the capture must be faster than the thought fading. Infer metadata from natural language; do not interrogate.
Trigger Phrases
- •"Remind me to...", "Don't let me forget..."
- •"Add a task: ...", "Save this: ..."
- •"I need to...", "Note to self: ..."
- •"Quick thought: ...", "Idea: ..."
- •Any statement that implies something should be remembered
Workflow
Step 1 — Parse the Input
Extract from the user's natural language:
| Signal | Example | Inference |
|---|---|---|
| Action verb | "Ship the feature" | Task (not note) |
| Time reference | "by Friday", "next week", "before March" | Due date |
| Urgency words | "urgent", "ASAP", "critical", "important" | Priority 1 |
| Project mention | "for the website", "re: backend" | Project association |
| "idea", "thought", "note" | "Idea for the landing page" | Note (not task) |
| Multiple items | "I need to X, Y, and Z" | Multiple captures |
Step 2 — Route the Capture
If a project is clearly identified (user mentions it by name or context is unambiguous):
- •Call
create_todo_in_projectdirectly with inferred metadata - •Confirm: "Added to [project]: [task] (due Friday, P1)"
If the project is ambiguous or no project context:
- •Call
add_to_dumpto send to inbox - •Confirm: "Captured to inbox: [task]"
- •Do NOT ask "which project?" — that breaks the speed contract. Inbox exists for this.
If it's a note, not a task:
- •Call
add_to_dumpwith type "note" and a title - •Confirm: "Saved note: [title]"
If multiple items are mentioned:
- •Parse each one separately
- •Capture all in a single batch call
- •Confirm with a list: "Captured 3 items: ..."
Step 3 — Confirm and Return
Confirmation must be one line. Examples:
"Captured: 'Review PR for auth module' -> inbox"
"Added to backend-v2: 'Fix rate limiting bug' (P1, due 2026-02-18)"
"Saved 3 tasks to inbox: 'Update docs', 'Email Sarah', 'Book flight'"
Then stop. Do not offer follow-up actions. Do not ask if they want to add more. The user will say more if they want more. Return control immediately.
Tool Sequence
# Direct to project (clear association):
create_todo_in_project(project, [{content, priority?, due_date?, tags?}])
# To inbox (ambiguous or no project):
add_to_dump(type: "task", content)
# Notes:
add_to_dump(type: "note", title, content)
# Multiple items:
create_todo_in_project(project, [{...}, {...}, {...}])
# or
add_to_dump() × N
Metadata Inference Rules
Due Dates
- •"today" → today's date
- •"tomorrow" → tomorrow's date
- •"Friday" / "next Friday" → the next occurrence of that day
- •"next week" → next Monday
- •"end of month" → last day of current month
- •"by March 1st" → 2026-03-01
Priority
- •"urgent", "ASAP", "critical", "blocker" → Priority 1
- •"important", "should", "need to" → Priority 2
- •"eventually", "sometime", "low priority", "when I get to it" → Priority 3
- •No signal → do not set priority (leave null)
Tags
- •Do not add tags unless the user explicitly mentions them
- •If the user says "tag it as X" or "#X", add the tag
Notes
- •Speed is the primary metric. One tool call, one confirmation line, done.
- •Never ask clarifying questions for a simple capture. Bias toward action.
- •If you're unsure whether something is a task or note, default to task — tasks are easier to reclassify later
- •The inbox is the safety net. When in doubt, capture to inbox. Triage happens later.
- •This skill activates frequently — it should be nearly invisible in its efficiency