Config: resolve <PLACEHOLDER> tokens from ~/.hermes/school-config.md (see canvas-course-sync → School config). Never edit SKILL.md with real values.

Note Formatting Rules

Recurring job: user takes raw class notes (usually from lecture slides) into C:/Users/<USER_NAME>/Desktop/Classes/Notes/ and wants them cleaned up: confusions clarified, equations reformatted, structure improved.

Folder architecture (per-course folders, top level)

• <Course>/ — one self-contained folder per class at the top level:
  • Materials/ — syllabus (keep prof's original filename), Lectures/ (keep prof's filenames; <COURSE_CODE>-4a_ / 2_Vector_Force prefixes encode lecture order), Homework/ as HW{n}.pdf, Homework Solutions/
  • Notes/ — user's processed notes, one <Course Code> - <Course Name>.md per course (EXCEPTION example: per-chapter files <COURSE_CODE> - <Course Name> Ch. N.md + a study-guide companion with <details> answers — keep that layout where the user prefers it)
• <Course>/README.md — course quick-reference (grading, dates, instructor) from the syllabus; root README.md holds the shared conventions.

Slide-vs-notes gap check (Statics workflow)

Statics slide decks live in Statics/Materials/Lectures/ as numbered PDFs; the user's real class notes go in Statics/Notes/. When asked, compare a lecture's slides against the user's notes for that session and report anything missed or fuzzy, then suggest study/note improvements. Slides = source of truth; notes = user's capture of it.

Processing rules (hard constraints)

1. Triple-asterisk markers: ***item to clarify*** = user question → clarify/expand it in place (e.g. a > **Clarification** block). Never delete markers silently.
2. Math → LaTeX: $$i = \frac{dq}{dt}$$, $\int_{-\infty}^{t} i\,dt$, $8t^2 - 4t\ \text{A}$. Use symbol tables (meaning + unit) at first appearance.
3. Never lose or change an idea. Preserve every fact, value, unit, convention. OK to: fix typos, dedupe repeated lines, reorganize headings, paraphrase definitions. NOT OK: drop details, reword meaning-carriers, add new technical claims beyond clarification.
4. Don't solve the user's exercises unless explicitly asked — they're self-tests.
5. Structure: # Course → ## <date> → ### Topic → #### Sub-topic.

Video transcription (for analysis-ready transcripts)

When the user drops a video in Materials (e.g. lecture/instructions MP4) and wants a transcript for querying:

1. Check ffmpeg -version (ffmpeg lives at /c/Program Files/yt-dlp/ffmpeg on this machine) and python -c "import faster_whisper".
2. Extract mono 16 kHz audio: ffmpeg -y -i <video> -ar 16000 -ac 1 <temp>/audio.wav.
3. Transcribe with faster-whisper, WhisperModel("small.en", device="cpu", compute_type="int8") (fall back to base.en), vad_filter=True, timestamps [MM:SS] per segment.
4. Save as <VideoName>-Transcript.md next to the source video; header notes source + auto-generated. Keep the script in temp; the recipe lives here.

• Video transcription (for analysis-ready transcripts)

When the user drops a video in Materials (e.g. lecture/instructions MP4) and wants a transcript for querying:

1. Check ffmpeg -version (ffmpeg lives at /c/Program Files/yt-dlp/ffmpeg on this machine) and python -c "import faster_whisper".
2. Extract mono 16 kHz audio: ffmpeg -y -i <video> -ar 16000 -ac 1 <temp>/audio.wav.
3. Transcribe with faster-whisper, WhisperModel("small.en", device="cpu", compute_type="int8") (fall back to base.en), vad_filter=True, timestamps [MM:SS] per segment.
4. Save as <VideoName>-Transcript.md next to the source video; header notes source + auto-generated. Keep the script in temp; the recipe lives here.

Course onboarding (new class added to the folder)

When the user says they're adding a new class:

1. Look for the course material docs they've already downloaded (often in ~/Downloads — slide decks, syllabus PDFs, intro PPTX). Read those to extract: course code/name, instructor, grading weights, deadlines, platform links, office hours, policies.
2. Create <Course>/ with Materials/{Lectures, Homework, Homework Solutions}, Notes/, and a <Course>/README.md quick-reference (instructor, grading table, key dates, links, office hours, policies). Mirror the style of the existing Statics/README.md.
3. Textbooks: keep in the course's Materials/ root under the course, not in a Textbook/ subfolder. If the user downloaded a textbook PDF from ~/Downloads, move+rename it as "<Author> - <Title> (<ed> ed).pdf" (verify contents first — e.g. render page 1 to PNG and vision-check the cover).
4. Course notes: create Notes/<Course Code> - <Course Name>.md with the scaffold (table of contents + first lecture skeleton) when they ask.
5. Labs: a lab attached to a course is a separate Canvas card → give it its own <Course>/Lab/ subtree (own README + Materials/ + Notes/), linked from the course README. Labs often differ from the main course (e.g. CHE115L submits on Blackboard, directed-inquiry, pre-lab quizzes).
6. Lab card pattern (e.g. <COURSE_CODE>L): some labs appear as full new course cards, NOT subfolders — create <Course> Lab/ as a top-level folder (e.g. Circuit Theory Lab/), with its own README documenting: instructor (often first-name only, e.g. "<LAB_INSTRUCTOR>"), meeting time/room, full per-lab assignment table (prelab credit + report credit, note same-Wed double deadlines), grading side items (attendance, proficiency exam), and materials-from-Modules links. Add it to the Announcements archive + memory course-ID list.
7. Ask the user to paste Canvas + platform course URLs once they have them — put in the README's Links section.
8. Update memory with the new course (name, instructor).

Announcements archive (standing behavior)

Keep Classes/Announcements/ current — it's the local store of every Canvas announcement so planning/answers don't require re-pulling Canvas. Convention (see Announcements/README.md): one md per course, ## YYYY-MM-DD — Title newest-first, full body text, posted date. If a course's announcements page is disabled (Circuits <COURSE_ID_CIRCUITS>, Statics <COURSE_ID_STATICS> — verified), record that so we don't re-check.

Pull when: dashboard shows new unread counts, user asks, or during the weekly Sunday review. URLs: https://<SCHOOL_DOMAIN>/courses/{id}/announcements.

Canvas / assignment-sync (standing behavior)

Follow the canvas-course-sync skill — pane-driven sweep of modules/assignments/announcements/files per course, dedupe vs local Materials/, update Roadmap + course READMEs.

• User does NOT share Canvas or email credentials (by choice). Canvas API tokens are DISABLED at this school — no API integration possible; use the logged-in preview pane.
• Prompt the user weekly (or when a course says "new assignments posted") to run the Canvas check; then update course README deadline tables + Roadmap.md.
• AI-policy varies BY COURSE: some courses allow AI with acknowledgement; others forbid it on journals + written responses. Never ghostwrite graded written work — help with study, structuring, and understanding instead.

Study flow: study-notes-workflow skill = format → gap-fill → understanding check → clarify/correct → progress report.

Calendar — LATERALIZED to the Roadmap (9/14: no .ics, no Outlook)

• The Roadmap IS the calendar: assignments, study blocks, and life items (hangouts, club events, "take the break" windows) are planned there with 🟢/🟠/🔴 load tags; daily/weekly briefings read from it. No .ics generation, no Outlook import (decision 9/14 — replaces BOTH the old .ics workflow and the study-session-.ics idea). The Calendar/ folder only holds already-imported class blocks for reference.
• User prefers STRESS-MINIMIZED scheduling: balance load per day (🟢 light/🟠 med/🔴 heavy) in the roadmap's "Balanced calendar" and pre-shift pileups (e.g. HW1B off Wed 9/16 to Tue 9/15) — don't just list deadlines.

Calendar / briefings (post-9/10 pivot) — [ARCHIVED] superseded by 'Calendar — LATERALIZED to the Roadmap' above

User does NOT want assignments added to Outlook via .ics anymore. Keep assignments local-only: Roadmap.md + course READMEs are the source of truth. When the user asks 'what's tomorrow / what's my week / what should I expect', give a balanced day-by-day briefing from the Roadmap (load-tags 🟢/🟠/🔴, effort stars, pre-shifted pileups). Don't generate assignment .ics files; the Calendar/ folder only holds class blocks already imported.

Session scoping (user preference)

When the user starts going deep on one topic/class/club (lots of specific questions about Circuits, the AI Club, a specific homework problem, etc.), suggest continuing that topic in its own session (or a fresh one) instead of blending it into the general school session. Keeps sessions clean and focused.

Pitfalls

• The preview-pane driver (drive_preview) intermittently drops calls with 'arguments is not valid JSON' or 'pointer input never reached the page' — navigation often still happens. Retry with fresh refs from elements(); the transport glitch is transient, not the page. User may close the preview pane — reopening it is allowed (re-open with desktop_preview open).
• When navigation "succeeds" but the click errors, the page DID navigate — read the new URL before retrying the click.
• Scratch lines from other projects can appear in files (e.g. root README once held <SREC> scan all return val — project junk, not a rule). Ignore obviously foreign lines.
• Filenames in Materials/ may contain typos (e.g. "Tevenin Eq Dependant"). Leave original filenames alone.
• User is an engineering student: Canvas for HW submission (Friday 11:59 PM), MATLAB + Multisim, AI permitted on HW with documentation, prohibited on quizzes/exams.
• Empty folders (like Homework Solutions/) may exist waiting for content — document them, don't delete.