Wiki Navigate

Read-only. Never edit wiki files here; hand edits to /wiki-maintain.

This skill hardcodes no path. A wiki is any folder holding both _index.md and _schema.md.

0. Locate the wiki (every invocation)

1. A path named in the user's request wins. Verify _index.md + _schema.md are both there.
2. Else, if your loaded memory names a wiki root, use it — but verify both files still exist before trusting it. If they do not, fall through to step 3 and say the saved path is stale.
3. Else search, in this order, stopping at the first level that yields a hit: the working directory; its immediate children; then each ancestor and that ancestor's immediate children.
4. Exactly one hit → use it. Several → list them and ask which; do not guess. None → say so and stop.
5. If the root came from step 3 or 4, ask once: "Found a wiki at <root>. Save this location for future sessions?" On yes, write a reference memory (name it for the wiki, description naming the path and the /wiki-navigate · /wiki-maintain skills) and add its line to MEMORY.md, per the memory conventions in your system prompt. On no, continue and do not ask again this session.

1. Discover (every invocation)

1. Read <root>\_index.md — the router. It lists the current domains, top-level files, and read protocol. Trust it over this skill.
2. Only if the router looks stale (names a folder that does not exist, or a NN-* folder is missing from its table): list <root>\NN-* folders and read each _index.md ## This stage block. Note the mismatch for the answer (§5).

Structural invariants (stable across wikis built to this contract):

• Domain = folder NN-slug; each has _index.md (## This stage · ## Decisions in order · ## Pages table · ## Pitfalls table) plus pages <slug>.md / pitfall-<slug>.md. One container level may exist: NN-container\<leaf>\, each leaf a domain with its own _index.md (## This surface · ## Pages in order · tables); the router names leaves as NN-container/leaf and links to them.
• Page id = <slug>.<filename-without-.md> where slug is the page's own folder. Frontmatter carries summary, depth, applies_when, not_for, sources, related; body opens with **Bottom line:**. Where a wiki has both a process spine and a reference series, process pages point into reference pages via related — follow that hop when the question is "how does this thing actually work".
• _catalog.yaml = generated copy of all frontmatter, one large file. Grep it; never load it whole.
• _schema.md = the page contract. Do not read it for navigation.
• _sources.md = what the sources are and how to reach them. Read only when the user wants the source.

2. Read protocol

1. Route — pick ≤2 domains from the router's Route here when / Not here columns.
2. Select — open each chosen <domain>\_index.md; pick ≤4 pages by summary, applies_when, and depth. Use not_for to reroute.
3. Read — load the pages. **Bottom line:** is the answer; the body is justification. Follow related only if a gap remains, ≤2 hops.
   • If the user is weighing a consequential decision, also read the ## Pitfalls table of the routed domain's _index.md and carry forward any whose symptom matches their situation.
4. Answer — per §4.

Shortcuts (use instead of steps 1–2 when they fit):

• "Where do I start / what next / in what order" → _playbook.md; read only the step the user is at.
• Term or acronym lookup → _glossary.md (| Term | Definition | See |; check ## Aliases if no hit). Follow See only if the definition is not enough.
• Symptom, keyword, or "what can go wrong" → grep _catalog.yaml on applies_when, topics, summary, or type: pitfall; take the id/file fields to the page.
• Exact source wording requested → the page's sources entry names the source and the exact heading inside it. Give the user that citation and, from _sources.md, where to reach the source. The wiki does not necessarily hold the source text; do not go looking for a local file unless _sources.md says one exists. A Maintainer/<date> § … source means the statement was verified against current documentation on that date — see the dated changelog line in _maintenance.md.

3. Depth

depth in frontmatter names the audience level, defined in _schema.md §5 (commonly L1/L2/L3, ranges allowed). Prefer pages whose depth covers the asker. Unknown asker: infer from the question's vocabulary; if still unclear, answer at the middle level and name the pages that exist at the others.

4. Answering

• Default: ≤150 words. Exceed only when the user asked for several distinct things, or for end-to-end mechanics. Never past 400. Count before sending.
• Lead with the answer in one or two sentences. No preamble, no restating the question.
• Zero tolerance for slop on output: plain language, no em dashes, no "·". Minimal jargon, analogy, or consulting phrasing. You have read the pages, the reader has not. Write from where they stand, not where you ended up: name a thing before relying on it, give the premise before the conclusion, and unpack a wiki term the first time it appears. Headings, sentences, and claims all have to land for someone who knows only their own question. If it only makes sense because you know what you read to get there, it is not finished.
• Report what the pages say. Do not steer; the user leads. Cut anything that does not change what they do next.
• No table unless it is shorter than the prose it replaces.
• Say so if the wiki is silent or partial. Label anything outside the wiki (outside the wiki). Never cite a page you did not open, or attribute a claim a page does not make.
• Restate the bottom line at the end only if the answer ran past 200 words.
• Close with Wiki pages referenced: and the ids, comma separated. Raw source quotes only on request, cited in the wiki's own source form.

Before sending, check both and fix what fails:

1. Read only your headings and labels. Would someone who has read nothing but their own question know what each section gives them?
2. Every load bearing claim names its page inline as id; everything else is covered by the closing list.

5. Failures

• Id or file missing → grep _catalog.yaml for the id; if absent, say the page does not exist and answer from what does.
• Domain index disagrees with page frontmatter → frontmatter wins; note it and suggest /wiki-maintain.
• Catalog stale (id in catalog but no file, or file with no catalog entry) → answer from the file; suggest /wiki-maintain to regenerate.
• Router stale (§1.2) → say which folders/tables disagree; suggest /wiki-maintain.
• Wiki is an empty shell (_bootstrap.md present, no NN-* folders) → say there is no content yet and point at /wiki-maintain plus _bootstrap.md. Do not answer from general knowledge as if it were the wiki.

6. Budget

Typical: router + 1 domain index + ≤3 pages ≈ 6–9k tokens. Ceiling: 2 domain indexes + 4 pages + 2 related hops ≈ 15k. Never load _catalog.yaml, _overview.md, or _schema.md whole for a query. Stop reading as soon as a bottom line answers the question.