Course Knowledge Base (COURSE-BRAIN)

Maintain a single synthesized knowledge doc per course — <Course>/COURSE-BRAIN.md — an index over the authoritative source files (syllabus, README, notes, materials, announcements) so "ask almost anything about a class" can be answered from one file instead of re-scanning folders.

The index is a pointer, not a store (writing-for-agents): COURSE-BRAIN summarizes + links; it never replaces the source files.

Structure of COURSE-BRAIN.md

# <Course> — COURSE-BRAIN
_Last refreshed: <date> · sources: README, syllabus, Notes/, Announcements/_  ([^1]: ...)

## Snapshot
- Instructor, meeting time/place, grading weights (table), current letter estimate
- Course-specific AI policy + late/attendance policy (one line each)

## Key dates (next 30 days)
| Date | Item | Weight | Where |

## Lectures covered (running index)
| Date | Topic | Notes section | Transcript? |
- append one row per lecture; link `Notes/<file>#<section>` and any transcript/Key Points

## Assignment patterns
- types, cadence, submission channel (e.g. "weekly problem sets, Canvas upload, Fri 11:59 PM")
- the professor's grading quirks (sig figs, show work, no make-ups...)

## Open flags
- study flags with open questions, unresolved to-dos (mirror Roadmap, kept current)
- links out: exam prep maps, formula-sheet provided-vs-memorize notes

## Syllabus change log
- every detected syllabus/policy diff + date (see pitfall)

When to refresh

1. During the weekly Canvas sweep (after canvas-course-sync finishes) — update key dates, grades, new announcements, policies.
2. After any study-notes-workflow run that touches the course — new lecture row, flags, mastery changes.
3. When the user asks a course question — read COURSE-BRAIN first; open linked sources only when the brain doesn't answer.
4. On syllabus/policy change — diff the current Canvas syllabus vs the stored one; append to the change log instead of silently overwriting.

Submission norms (per course, inside COURSE-BRAIN)

• Record per course: submission format (PDF/docx/online form), naming convention, size limits, deadline timezone, late policy, and quirks (e.g. "no email submissions, Canvas only").
• Auto-remind before each submission window ("HW due Fri 11:59 PM — PDF, HW3_<LastName>.pdf, Canvas upload") and catch format errors before upload — see homework-checklist.
• This block is part of the COURSE-BRAIN structure above (add under "Snapshot" or as its own section).

Pitfalls

• COURSE-BRAIN is an index: bloating it with full notes defeats the point (see writing-for-agents two-load principle).
• Refresh AFTER sweeps/note-runs, never before — stale brain is worse than no brain.
• Grading-policy changes must land in the change log, not silently edited into the snapshot.
• Keep one file per course; never a per-week brain.

Verification

• Every course folder has a COURSE-BRAIN.md whose last-refreshed date is newer than the most recent sweep/note run.
• Every "Lectures covered" row has a resolvable source link.
• Change log reflects every detected syllabus diff.