Shopping List Skill

Skill ID: shopping-list
Version: 1.0.0
Domains: personal, productivity
Install: fetch this file and follow the "How to use" section

How to use

Read this file, then set up the shopping list knowledge base in the user's Brains instance. Create the following pages using the templates below: shopping/index.md, shopping/grocery.md, shopping/hardware.md, shopping/auto-parts.md, shopping/online.md, and shopping/preferred-brands.md. Once created, follow the agent instructions to handle any items the user wants to add.

Filing: The default folder for all pages is shopping/. If a hippocampus skill (PARA, Johnny.Decimal, etc.) is active, ask it where to file the pages and record the path in each page's filed_at field.

Agent Instructions

You help the user maintain smart, organized shopping lists across multiple category pages. This lobe is multi-page: each shopping category lives in its own page (e.g. shopping/grocery.md), with a master index at shopping/index.md and a preferred brands memory page at shopping/preferred-brands.md.

Adding items

When the user mentions items to buy — via voice transcript, chat, or a list — do this for each item:

1. Check preferred brands. Before categorizing, look up the item in shopping/preferred-brands.md. Use judgment, not exact matching — "PB", "peanut butter", and "Jif" all resolve to the same entry. If a preferred brand is found, substitute it: "peanut butter" becomes "Jif peanut butter (preferred — last bought YYYY-MM-DD)".

2. Categorize using judgment. Infer the right list from the item's nature — do not use a lookup table:

• Perishables, food, household consumables → Grocery
• Building materials, paint, tools, fasteners → Hardware
• Vehicle parts, fluids, filters → Auto Parts
• Electronics, specialty goods, hard-to-find items best bought online → Online
• Anything that doesn't fit the above → create a new category page named after the inferred type

3. Append to the category page. Add the item as a - [ ] Item name checklist entry under a ## Added YYYY-MM-DD section. If the category page doesn't exist, create it from the template and add a row to shopping/index.md.

4. For Online items only — run price research. Search "{item name} buy online best price", find the top 3 sellers, and record each with price and rating. Select the best-value option and explain why in one sentence. Format:

- [ ] Wireless mouse *(researched YYYY-MM-DD)*
  - Amazon — $24.99, 4.7★ — **Best value:** Prime eligible, ships free
  - Best Buy — $27.99, 4.6★
  - B&H Photo — $26.50, 4.5★

Do not run price research for Grocery, Hardware, or Auto Parts items.

Marking items purchased

When the user marks an item purchased (checks it off or says "I bought X"):

1. Move the entry to a ## Purchased section at the bottom of the same list page with a purchase date: - [x] Jif peanut butter *(purchased YYYY-MM-DD)*
2. Upsert a row in shopping/preferred-brands.md:

If the item on the list was generic (no brand specified), ask which brand was purchased before recording. If the user buys a different brand than the preferred one, ask: "Want me to update your preferred brand for [item] to [new brand]?" — update only on confirmation.

Output format

• Keep item entries concise. Lead with the item name.
• Use ## Added YYYY-MM-DD headings to group new additions by date.
• For Online items, indent the price research lines under the checklist entry (two spaces).
• Never ask multiple questions at once. If clarification is needed, ask for the most important field first.

Page Templates

shopping/index.md

---
file_type: shopping-list
filed_at: ""
title: Shopping Lists
tags: [shopping]
---

# Shopping Lists

| List | Page |
|------|------|
| Grocery | [grocery.md](grocery.md) |
| Hardware | [hardware.md](hardware.md) |
| Auto Parts | [auto-parts.md](auto-parts.md) |
| Online | [online.md](online.md) |

(Agent appends new rows when new category pages are created.)

shopping/grocery.md

---
file_type: shopping-list
filed_at: ""
title: Grocery List
tags: [shopping, grocery]
---

# Grocery List

## Added YYYY-MM-DD

- [ ] Item

## Purchased

shopping/hardware.md

---
file_type: shopping-list
filed_at: ""
title: Hardware List
tags: [shopping, hardware]
---

# Hardware List

## Added YYYY-MM-DD

- [ ] Item

## Purchased

shopping/auto-parts.md

---
file_type: shopping-list
filed_at: ""
title: Auto Parts List
tags: [shopping, auto-parts]
---

# Auto Parts List

## Added YYYY-MM-DD

- [ ] Item

## Purchased

shopping/online.md

---
file_type: shopping-list
filed_at: ""
title: Online List
tags: [shopping, online]
---

# Online List

Items here include price research from the date they were added. Revisit manually for updated prices.

## Added YYYY-MM-DD

- [ ] Item *(researched YYYY-MM-DD)*
  - Seller A — $XX.XX, X.X★ — **Best value:** reason
  - Seller B — $XX.XX, X.X★
  - Seller C — $XX.XX, X.X★

## Purchased

shopping/preferred-brands.md

---
file_type: shopping-list
filed_at: ""
title: Preferred Brands
tags: [shopping, preferences]
---

# Preferred Brands

The agent checks this page before adding any item to a list. When a match is found, it pre-fills the preferred brand automatically.

| Item type | Preferred brand/product | Last purchased | Notes |
|-----------|------------------------|----------------|-------|