Notes workflow (cast42/notes)

Minimum note format

For any note file (anything under inbox/, meetings/, refs/, topics/ except README/_meta), ensure it has YAML frontmatter at the very top:

---
title: "..."
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: note
topics:
  - ...
tags: []
---

Guidance:

• •Keep edits minimal: add frontmatter without rewriting content.
• •Prefer title from the first # H1 heading; otherwise derive from filename.
• •Prefer date from a leading YYYY-MM-DD in the filename; otherwise use the last git commit date for that file.
• •type:
  • •inbox for inbox/**
  • •meeting for meetings/**
  • •reference for refs/**
  • •note for topics/**
• •topics:
  • •For topics/<topic>/... → include <topic>
  • •For topics/<file>.md → include the filename stem (e.g., duckdb)
• •Keep tags: [] unless you have strong confidence in specific tags.

Progressive disclosure (structure)

When writing new notes, follow this order:

1. •TL;DR (2–5 lines)
2. •Key takeaways / what stuck (bullets)
3. •Details (sections with headings; include quotes/timestamps when available)
4. •Links / sources

Don’t over-summarize; the goal is skimmable top sections with deeper detail below.

Where to put new notes

• •Quick capture / unprocessed: inbox/
• •Topic notes: topics/<topic>/ if a subtopic exists, otherwise topics/
• •Meeting notes: meetings/
• •Reference lists: refs/

Filenames

Prefer stable, descriptive slugs.

• •If date-specific: YYYY-MM-DD_<source>_<author>_<short-title>.md
• •Otherwise: <topic>.md or <short-title>.md within the topic folder.

Git hygiene

• •Use git mv when moving notes.
• •Commit messages: imperative, short (e.g., “Add note on …”, “Normalize frontmatter”).