Knowledge Synthesis Skill

Goal

Read multiple related notes from the vault and produce a coherent synthesis that follows the vault's conventions (no YAML, blockquote header, standard sections) — using summary-generator for processing and obsidian CLI for vault operations.

Prerequisites

pgrep -x Obsidian > /dev/null && echo "open" || echo "CLOSED"
# Read obsidian-cli skill before operating

⚠️ Never read or include content from: dataScienceKnowledgeBase/dswok

Step 1 — Gather source notes

Path A — user provides specific notes:

obsidian read file="<note 1>"
obsidian read file="<note 2>"

Path B — user provides a topic:

obsidian search query="<topic>" limit=10
obsidian search:context query="<topic>" limit=5
obsidian tag name="<related-tag>"

Read top 5–8 results. Confirm the source list with the user before proceeding.

Also check for existing backlinks that might add context:

obsidian backlinks file="<key note>" counts

Step 2 — Process with summary-generator

Use summary-generator to extract from each note:

• Central claim (1 sentence)
• Supporting evidence or examples
• Open questions or tensions

Then identify cross-note patterns:

• Agreements → high-confidence insights
• Tensions → surface explicitly, don't pick sides
• Progressions → sequence logically
• Gaps → mark as open threads

Step 3 — Validate with superpowers

Before writing:

• No hallucinated content
• No YAML frontmatter
• [[links]] in Related exist in the vault
• File name follows the naming convention
• Correct header blockquote

Step 4 — Write synthesis (vault conventions)

# Synthesis — <Topic>

> **Synthesis — <Topic>**
> Source: Multiple vault notes
> Date: Month Year
> Type: analysis
> Tags: #no-read-yet

## 📌 Key Takeaways
1. <most important insight>
2. ...
3. ...

## 1. <Main Topic>
<Paragraph synthesizing multiple notes, citing as [[Note A]], [[Note B]]>

## 2. <Tensions and Open Questions>
- [[Note A]] argues X, but [[Note C]] suggests Y — unresolved
- Why does Z happen? No note answers this yet

## Flashcards
Q: <key question>
A: <synthesized answer>

## Glossary
**Term**: Definition

## Related
- [[Note A]]
- [[Note B]]
- [[Note C]]

Step 5 — Save to vault

obsidian create path="<RootFolder>/<Category>/Synthesis — <Topic>.md" \
  content="<content>" silent

obsidian read file="Synthesis — <Topic>"   # verify

Optionally add backlink in source notes:

obsidian append file="<source note>" content="\n→ Synthesized in: [[Synthesis — <Topic>]]"

Constraints

• Never invent claims not present in source notes
• Surface tensions — never silently pick one side
• Synthesis: 300–800 words; split if longer
• Always attribute insights to source notes with wikilinks
• No YAML, no emojis outside of ## 📌 Key Takeaways

Examples

"Synthesize my notes on MCP"

obsidian search query="MCP Model Context Protocol" limit=10
obsidian files folder="dataScienceKnowledgeBase/AI Engineer/MCP" total
# read → summary-generator → validate → write to Syntheses or MCP folder

"Combine my notes on LangGraph and LangChain"

obsidian search query="LangGraph" limit=5
obsidian search query="LangChain" limit=5
# compare → structure as comparison synthesis