New Project Setup

Set up a complete project workspace from an Asana task. Gathers context from Asana, Slack discussions, and existing Obsidian notes, then proposes a plan for the user to validate before creating anything.

Input

Required:

• •An Asana task URL, e.g.: https://app.asana.com/0/1234567890/0987654321

Optional:

• •One or more Slack message/thread links for relevant discussions
• •Any verbal context the user provides about their thinking

Philosophy

The local workspace (Things + Obsidian) represents your own mental model of the work — not a mirror of how stories and projects are structured in Asana. The person who wrote the Asana stories has their own way of decomposing work; you have yours. The Things project should contain tasks that make sense for how you want to approach the work, which may differ significantly from the Asana subtask structure.

• •Things is the sole place for task tracking and work breakdown
• •Obsidian is for context, documentation, and reference — not task tracking
• •Asana is the upstream source of truth for requirements, but not for your personal workflow

Steps

1. Gather Context (all sources)

Asana

Extract the task GID from the URL and fetch details:

• •Name and description
• •Due date and assignee
• •Acceptance criteria (often in description or subtasks)
• •Parent project/section for broader context
• •Related tasks (blocking, dependent) for additional context

Read subtasks and related items to understand the full scope, but do not treat Asana's structure as a template for local organization.

Slack (if links provided)

Fetch each Slack link and extract:

• •Key discussion points and decisions made
• •Questions raised and answers given
• •Any technical details, edge cases, or concerns mentioned
• •Who was involved and what perspectives they brought

Synthesize the Slack discussions into a concise summary of what was discussed and any conclusions reached.

Obsidian

Search for related existing notes:

• •Prior work on the same system or feature area
• •Related technical documentation
• •Any previous project notes that provide useful context

User Context

Incorporate anything the user has said about their thinking, approach, or priorities.

2. Propose a Plan (validation stage)

Stop and present the following to the user before creating anything:

📋 **Project Setup Proposal: <project-name>**

**My understanding of the work:**
<2-3 sentence summary synthesized from all sources>

**Proposed project name:** `<project-name>`

**Proposed Things tasks:**
1. <task-1> — <brief rationale>
2. <task-2> — <brief rationale>
3. <task-3> — <brief rationale>
...

**Key context I'll capture in Obsidian:**
- <context-point-1>
- <context-point-2>
- <slack-discussion-summary if applicable>

**Related Obsidian notes found:**
- <note-1>
- <note-2>

Does this look right? Want to adjust the tasks, rename anything, or add/remove items?

Wait for the user to confirm or adjust before proceeding.

3. Generate the Project Name

Create a concise name that:

• •Works as an Obsidian tag (lowercase, hyphens instead of spaces)
• •Is descriptive but short (2-4 words)
• •Will be used identically in both Obsidian and Things

Example: "fix-webhook-retry-logic" or "user-export-feature"

4. Create Things Project

Create under the "✨ Priorities" area with:

Notes format:

**Asana:** <asana-url>
**Obsidian:** obsidian://open?vault=OneSignal&file=Asana%2F<project-name>%2F<project-name>

The todos should reflect your own decomposition of the work — how you plan to approach it, what you want to tackle first, what logical chunks make sense to you. This is explicitly not a copy of the Asana subtask list.

5. Create Obsidian Context Note

Create at Asana/<Project Name>/<Project Name>.md

Use the template at obsidian-template.md with these values:

• •{{type}}: feature, bug, or tech-debt based on the task
• •{{asana-url}}: The original Asana task URL
• •{{things-uuid}}: UUID from the Things project you just created
• •{{date}}: Today's date in YYYY.MM.DD format
• •{{project-name}}: The generated project name
• •{{task-summary}}: Brief summary synthesized from all sources
• •{{acceptance-criteria}}: From Asana task or "To be defined"
• •{{technical-context}}: Synthesized from Obsidian search, Slack discussions, and Asana details
• •{{slack-summary}}: Summary of Slack discussions (omit section if no Slack links)
• •{{related-notes}}: Wiki-links to relevant existing notes

This note is a reference document — it captures context, decisions, and requirements. It is not a task list.

6. Report Back

Confirm what was created:

✅ Project created: **<project-name>**

**Links:**
- Things: things:///show?id=<uuid>
- Obsidian: obsidian://open?vault=OneSignal&file=Asana%2F<project-name>%2F<project-name>
- Asana: <original-url>

**Your tasks in Things:**
1. <task-1>
2. <task-2>
...

Notes

• •Always search Obsidian for related notes before creating the context note
• •If the project name might conflict with existing projects, ask before proceeding
• •The Obsidian note is purely for reference and context — all task tracking belongs in Things
• •Slack summaries should capture decisions and context, not full transcripts
• •When decomposing work into Things tasks, think about what logical steps make sense from an engineer's perspective, not what sections or subtasks exist in Asana