User-Defined Command

This skill enables you to create and edit valid Steward user-defined commands — YAML-based command definitions stored as markdown files in the Steward/Commands folder.

File Format

Each command is a markdown file (.md) containing one or more YAML code blocks. The file can also contain plain text, headings, and other markdown content that can be referenced by system prompts.

YAML Schema

Command-Level Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`command_name`	string	Yes	The name (In kebab-case) to invoke the command (e.g., `clean-up` invoked as `/clean-up`)
`query_required`	boolean	No	If `true`, the command requires user input after the prefix. Default: `false`
`model`	string	No	Default model for all steps (e.g., `gpt-4o`, `gemini-2.5-flash`)
`system_prompt`	array of strings	No	Additional system prompts applied to all steps
`use_tool`	boolean	No	If `false`, disables the core tool usage instructions
`hidden`	boolean	No	If `true`, the command does not appear in the autocomplete menu
`triggers`	array of trigger objects	No	Automatically execute when file events match criteria
`steps`	array of step objects	Yes	The sequence of steps to execute

Step-Level Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`name`	string	No	Step name that activates corresponding tools: `read`, `edit`, `search`, `vault`, `generate`, `image`, `speech`. Use `generate` for direct AI response without tools
`query`	string	Conditional	The query to send. Required if `query_required` is `true`. Use `$from_user` as placeholder for user input
`system_prompt`	array of strings	No	Additional system prompts for this step only
`model`	string	No	Model override for this step
`no_confirm`	boolean	No	If `true`, skips confirmation prompts for this step

Trigger Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`events`	array of strings	Yes	Events to watch: `create`, `modify`, `delete`
`folders`	array of strings	No	Folder paths to watch (e.g., `["Inbox", "Daily Notes"]`)
`patterns`	object	No	Pattern matching criteria (all must match)
`patterns.tags`	string or array	No	Tags to match (e.g., `"#todo"` or `["#todo", "#review"]`)
`patterns.content`	string	No	Regex pattern to match file content
`patterns.<property>`	string or array	No	Any frontmatter property name and value to match

System Prompt Values

The system_prompt field accepts an array of strings. Each string can be:

•Plain text: Direct instructions (e.g., 'Always use formal language')
•Wiki link to a note: '[[Note Name]]' — includes the full content of that note
•Wiki link to a heading: '[[Note Name#Heading]]' — includes content under that heading only
•Wiki link to local heading: '[[#Heading]]' — includes content under a heading in the current command file

Placeholders

These placeholders are replaced with actual values at execution time:

•$from_user — The user's input text
•$file_name — The file name that triggered the command (for triggered commands)
•$steward — The Steward folder path

Examples

Simple multi-step command

yaml

command_name: clean-up
query_required: false
model: gpt-4o
steps:
  - name: search
    query: 'Notes name starts with Untitled or with tag #delete'
  - name: vault
    query: 'Delete them'
    model: gpt-3.5-turbo

Question-answering command with system prompt

yaml

command_name: ask
query_required: true
use_tool: false
system_prompt:
  - '[[#Instructions]]'
steps:
  - query: '$from_user'

Command with step-level system prompts

yaml

command_name: summarize
query_required: true
steps:
  - name: generate
    system_prompt:
      - '[[My Context Note]]'
      - 'Focus on key takeaways'
      - 'Use bullet points'
    query: $from_user

Automated trigger command

yaml

command_name: generate_flashcards
query_required: false

triggers:
  - events: [modify]
    patterns:
      tags: '#flashcard-gen'

steps:
  - name: read
    query: 'Read the content of $file_name'
  - name: edit
    query: |
      Generate flashcards from this note content.
      Format each flashcard as:
      Q: [question]
      A: [answer]
      ---
      Append the flashcards at the end of the note under a "## Flashcards" heading.

Hidden command (not shown in autocomplete)

yaml

command_name: internal-helper
hidden: true
query_required: true
steps:
  - name: generate
    query: $from_user

Rules

•Note name should use sentence case: capitalize the first letter with spaces between words (e.g., Clean up vault.md).
•Do NOT add any heading at the beginning of the note. A short introduction should be the first content in the file.
•The YAML block MUST be inside a fenced code block with the yaml language tag.
•command_name and steps are always required.
•Step name determines which tools are available. Omitting name uses the default tool set.
•When query_required is true, at least one step must use $from_user in its query.
•When use_tool is false, the core system prompt with tool instructions is not sent — useful for pure conversational commands.
•System prompts and instructions referenced via [[#Heading]] should be placed BELOW the YAML code block, not above it.
•System prompts with wiki links are resolved at execution time. If a linked note or heading does not exist, an error occurs and the command will stop.
•For triggered commands, ensure the query in steps uses $file_name to reference the triggering file.
•Multiple triggers can be defined; any matching trigger will execute the command.
•A command file can contain multiple YAML code blocks, each defining a separate command.
•Markdown content outside YAML blocks (headings, text, lists) can be referenced by system prompts using [[#Heading]] syntax.