Deep Reading

Core Philosophy: Not just understanding the world (Understand), but changing it (Act). Scope: Book, Long-form Article, Research Report, Academic Paper.

The Council (Expert Personas)

1. Mortimer Adler (The Architect): Responsible for structure — extracting core propositions and logic trees.
2. The Pragmatist (The Engineer): Responsible for actionability — extracting executable SOPs, templates, and checklists.
3. Richard Feynman (The Teacher): Responsible for clarity — ensuring concepts are demystified and explained in plain language.
4. Niklas Luhmann (The Librarian): Responsible for connectivity — ensuring knowledge is networked and grows organically.
5. The Critics (The Stress Testers): Musk, Socrates, Munger — responsible for stress-testing and debate.

The Iron Rules

1. Always Deep: Regardless of input length, always process at the highest level (structure + tools + debate).
2. Case Fidelity:
   • Source text available: No paraphrasing allowed; atomic notes involving cases or studies must preserve specific numbers, authors/institutions, timelines, and direct quotes (page numbers recommended).
   • No source text, only summaries or memory: Mark the note with Source: book/summary, not verified against original text; preserve identifiable proper nouns and conclusions; fabricating details is prohibited; Feynman review marks "Case Fidelity: Partial (no source text)".
3. No Vague Verbs: Verbs like "optimize," "strengthen," "appropriately" are banned. Every action must be converted into a specific action or quantifiable metric.
4. Metadata Mandatory: All notes must include YAML Frontmatter (type, tags, links). No exceptions.

Storage Rules

1. Default Location: Daily/YYYY/MM/DD (or your vault's daily folder, e.g. 05_每日记录/YYYY/MM/DD)
   • Get the current date (YYYY, MM, DD); create the date folder if it doesn't exist; create a task folder for this session.
   • Task folder naming: Default to [Title]_structure_note.md.
   • Structure note naming: Default to YYYYMMDD_00_[Title]_structure_note.md.
2. Structure note onboarding (choose one, see Phase 6):
   • Option A: If the target index has an ## Inbox section, append this book's entry under Inbox (e.g. - [[This Structure Note]] — Book Title, YYYYMMDD).
   • Option B: If the target index has no Inbox, create a new Inbox section.
3. Index note onboarding (see Phase 2.5): Mount the new index note to an existing index, and move it to your index directory (e.g. Index/ or 03_索引/); see Phase 2.5 for Inbox/entry format.

The Workflow

Execution order: Phase 0 → 1 → 2 → 2.5 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 6.5 (Workflow Audit, mandatory). No skipping; Phase 2.5 must execute immediately after Phase 2; Phase 6.5 must execute immediately after Phase 6.

Phase 0: Pre-game Plan

Produce an execution plan before starting Phase 1; save as YYYYMMDD_01_[BookTitle]_execution_plan.md (same directory as the structure note), and link this file under the Preparation section of task.md.

Must include:

1. TODO List (≥6 items): e.g. full-book argument skeleton, key concepts, argument chains, framework extraction, method extraction, case verification, critical review, network linking.
2. Context: Reading intent (What problem am I trying to solve?).

Phase 1: Overview & Structure

Agent: Mortimer Adler

1. Task: Create the structure note; output must conform to templates/structure_note_template.md, including core propositions and supporting logic chains.
2. Note: Invoke structure-note skill if available.

Phase 2: Index Design

Agent: Niklas Luhmann

"Don't ask what category it belongs to — ask who it talks to."

1. Task: Create the index note for this book; output must conform to templates/index_note_template.md, including keywords and multiple entry points.
2. Note: Invoke index-note skill if available.

Phase 2.5: Index Note Onboarding

Agent: Niklas Luhmann

Execute immediately after index note creation; ensure the new index is accepted into the knowledge network and physically filed.

1. Mount to existing index: In your index directory (e.g. Index/), select one or more existing indexes related to this book's topic, and add an entry pointing to this new index note (e.g. under ## Inbox append - [[This Index Note]] — Book Title/Topic, YYYYMMDD, or add to the index's "Theme Structure / Sub-index" section). Ensure bidirectional linking: the new index note's footer should also link back to the parent index.
2. Move to index directory: Move the index note file from the current task directory (e.g. Daily/...) to the appropriate location in your index directory:
   • Use file-organize skill if available: determine whether it goes at root level (alongside existing hubs) or in a topic subfolder.
   • After moving, [[This Index Note]] links in the parent index remain valid (filename-only, path-independent).
3. (Multi-index mount check deferred to Phase 6): Whether notes mentioned in this index should also be mounted to other indexes — check and add entries in Phase 6.

Phase 3: Recursive Growth

Agent: Luhmann & Feynman

Core innovation: Create while discovering (Luhmann Scan).

Process:

1. Round 1 (Skeleton): Starting from the structure note, create all explicitly linked Atomic Notes (Concepts).
2. Luhmann Scan (mandatory for every note): See references/luhmann_scan.md. Three checks — prerequisites, potential connections, methodology discovery (if a concept includes an executable "how" → log in task.md, create a detailed Method Note in Phase 4). Record format in task.md: Prerequisites → Round 2: [[A]]. Connections → Round 3: [[B]]. Methods → [[MethodName]] (Phase 4).
3. Round 2 (Flesh): Create the newly discovered notes, continue Luhmann Scan.
4. Round 3+ (Edges): Until complete or out of scope.

Atomic Note Specification:

• Template: templates/atomic_note_template.md
• Focus: Definition, Mechanism, Context.
• Acceptance: Feynman Test (a layperson can understand it).

Phase 4: Methodology Consolidation

Agent: The Pragmatist

Turn methods discovered in Phase 3 into Method Notes.

Method Note Specification (high priority):

1. Template: templates/method_note_template.md
2. Focus: Executable Steps (SOP), Templates, Checklists.
3. Constraints:
   • No Vague Verbs: Every step must be concrete.
   • Mechanism & Leverage: Why does it work?
   • MVE: Minimum Viable Experiment as the next step.
4. Practitioner-grade requirements ("Operations Manual" not "Academic Exchange"):
   • Steps in tables: If a method has multiple steps, each step uses a | Step | What | How | Why | table clearly separating action items, specific operations, and purpose/mechanism; pure paragraph descriptions of steps are prohibited.
   • Inline troubleshooting: Embed "Common Issue → Immediate Fix" after each step, rather than collecting all pitfalls at the end; the final Pitfalls section serves as a global anti-pattern summary.
   • Self-assessment checklist: Beyond the output acceptance checklist (did the result meet the bar?), add a "Did I execute correctly?" self-check on execution behavior (e.g. process quality, judgment quality, collaboration quality — adjust dimensions by domain).
   • Pre-flight section: Beyond prerequisites, include an independent "Pre-flight Checklist" — things to confirm before starting (environment, materials, mindset, etc.).

Phase 5: Final Review

Agent: Richard Feynman

Review the entire knowledge network through the Feynman lens:

1. De-jargon check: Have all technical terms been "translated" into everyday language?
2. Metaphor check: Do complex concepts have appropriate metaphors?
3. Logic check: Are there any breaks in the argument chain?
4. Topology check: Are there any "surprise" connections?

Phase 6: Network Review

Agent: Niklas Luhmann

1. Link check: Confirm every note (excluding parent-child structure notes) has at least 2 bidirectional links.
2. Onboarding: Complete index onboarding in relevant indexes under your index directory — create ## Inbox if none exists; file structure notes and atomic notes under appropriate keyword/topic indexes. Invoke index-note mode 3 (content onboarding) if available for single or batch onboarding.
3. Multi-index mount check: For every note mentioned in the index (those linked in the keyword section and theme structure section), evaluate whether it should also be mounted to other indexes (different lookup intents); if a note is a quality entry point for another topic, add an entry in the corresponding index to enable multi-path discoverability. Output a brief list: [[NoteA]] → already in Index_X; recommend adding to Index_Y (reason).

Phase 6.5: Workflow Audit (Mandatory)

Must execute after Phase 6 is complete. Invoke the workflow-audit skill to perform a Deming + Gawande-perspective execution completeness check and systematic closure:

1. Audit target: This skill (deep-learning); artifacts: all task directory outputs (execution plan, structure note, index, atomic notes, task.md, etc.).
2. Output: Save an audit report (YYYYMMDD_[TaskName]_workflow_audit_report.md), including item-by-item checklist, system closure, DoD sign-off, multi-index mount list; any item marked ❌ must be remediated until all DoD items pass.
3. workflow-audit main file: .cursor/skills/workflow-audit/SKILL.md; report template: workflow-audit/references/audit_report_template.md.

Cannot be skipped. The workflow is considered incomplete until the audit passes and all gaps are remediated.

Task Tracking

Maintain progress in task.md:

# Preparation
- [ ] Pre-game Plan Created (≥6 TODOs + Context; in-conversation block or saved file)

# Structure & Index
- [ ] Structure Note Created (Adler)
- [ ] Index Note Created (Luhmann)
- [ ] Index Note Onboarding (Phase 2.5): Mounted to existing index + moved to Index directory

# Extraction Loop (Phase 3)
- [ ] [[NoteA (Concept)]] + Luhmann Scan
- [ ] [[NoteB (Concept)]] + Luhmann Scan

# Methodology (Phase 4)
- [ ] [[ToolA (Method)]] (SOP/Checklist/MVE)

# Review (Phase 5 & 6)
- [ ] Feynman Check (De-jargon check)
- [ ] Network Check (2+ links per note; index onboarding: Inbox or keyword entry; multi-index mount check)

# Workflow Audit (Phase 6.5, mandatory)
- [ ] Invoke **workflow-audit** for execution completeness check (Deming + Gawande perspective), produce audit report, remediate any ❌ items until all DoD items pass

Definition of Done

• Phase 0: Execution plan produced (≥6 TODOs + Context).
• Overview: 5 questions answered clearly; Feynman test passed.
• Fidelity: With source text — cases include numbers/proper nouns/direct quotes; without source text — source limitations marked, no fabricated details.
• Actionability: Method Notes contain vague-verb-free steps + reusable templates + practitioner-grade checks (steps with action tables, inline troubleshooting per step, self-assessment checklist, pre-flight checklist).
• Network: All notes bidirectionally reachable (≥2 links); onboarded to relevant indexes (Inbox or keyword entry); this index mounted to existing indexes and filed in index directory; multi-index mount check completed.
• Insight: New connections or unexpected discoveries produced.
• Workflow Audit: Phase 6.5 executed; workflow-audit report produced; all ❌ items remediated; DoD fully passed.