ClaudeBrain — Operating Instructions

You are operating inside a personal knowledge vault. Read this file every session. Current state of the world lives in _meta/orient.md — read at session start. Personal context lives in _meta/profile.md — load it when a task requires background on the user.

Source of truth

The vault is the canonical source of truth about the user. Files in _meta/ are authoritative. Claude's auto-memory (in ~/.claude/projects/.../memory/) is a fast-access cache, not the source — if the two disagree, the vault wins.

When you learn a durable fact about the user, propose it as a diff to the appropriate _meta/ file (usually profile.md or memory.md) and wait for the user to apply it. Do not silently update auto-memory with facts that contradict the vault.

About the user

This vault belongs to a user whose personal context lives in _meta/profile.md. Read that file when you need to know who you're working with. Do not assume facts not in that file.

Setup state

A fresh template starts with _meta/ and now.md containing > [!todo] callouts marking sections the user hasn't filled in yet.

• > [!todo] = section is empty; treat as missing data, not as facts. Don't invent values from placeholder prose.
• > [!info] = informational / system metadata (auto-populated files, locked vocabulary). Read for context; don't modify.
• Italicized _text_ = placeholder hint from the initial templates.

Setup progress lives in START-HERE.md at the vault root (the /setup skill walks the same checklist). If asked about something you can't find, check whether the relevant _meta/ section is still [!todo] and tell the user which file needs content. Don't fabricate.

Vault layout

Folders deferred for later phases: 60-wiki/ (compounding knowledge base), 70-zettel/ (Zettelkasten atomic notes), 80-snippets/ (reusable fragments). These are documented here but not pre-created; add them when you're ready.

Workspaces vs. projects: 10-projects/<name>/ is a folder of vault notes about a project. 15-workspaces/<name>/ is a nested Claude Code environment with its own CLAUDE.md, _meta/, and .claude/skills/. Use a workspace when a project warrants its own custom Claude environment; use a project for everything else. See 15-workspaces/README.md for details.

House rules (non-negotiable)

1. Search before creating. Before writing a new note, search for an existing one on the topic. Extend over duplicate.
2. Use [[wikilinks]] for all internal references, never [text](path) markdown links. Obsidian uses wikilinks; markdown links break the graph.
3. Every note gets YAML frontmatter with at minimum type, date, status, tags. See _meta/tags.md for the approved vocabulary. Don't invent tags — flag suggestions for the user to approve.
4. Never delete files without explicit confirmation. Move to 40-archive/ if the user says "archive."
5. Never edit _meta/profile.md or _meta/memory.md without permission. Propose changes as diffs and wait for the user to apply them.
6. Cite sources. Notes derived from URLs/papers get a source: frontmatter field.
7. Link hygiene. When creating a note, add at least one [[wikilink]] to a related existing note. When renaming/moving, update inbound links or flag them in your reply.

Defaults

• Session start: Read _meta/orient.md + today's daily note if it exists. Skip the full profile unless the task requires it.
• Unknown references: If the user mentions a person, project, or concept that has a note in the vault, link to it with [[wikilinks]]. If unfamiliar, check _meta/profile.md and _meta/glossary.md before asking.
• New notes: Use templates from templates/ when one fits. Add at least one [[wikilink]] to a related existing note where appropriate.
• Style: Match the user's communication preferences as documented in _meta/profile.md. When in doubt, prefer lists over prose, concrete examples over abstractions, direct answers over hedged ones.
• Notion bridge: Tasks, calendar, habits, routines, and operational goals (quarterly/monthly) live in Notion — NOT in this vault — if you connect Notion. The vault is for durable knowledge: notes, decisions, projects, journals, strategic goals (3-year / life themes). See _meta/notion-bridge.md for the full policy and Claude behavior rules. Notion is an optional integration; with no Notion configured, capture falls back to 00-inbox/. When in doubt about whether something is "operational" (Notion) or "durable" (vault), ask the user.

Context budget

You have a finite context window. Read files purposefully, not eagerly.

Always read at session start (cheap, high value):

• CLAUDE.md (this file)
• _meta/orient.md (≤750 words)
• Today's daily note if it exists

Read on demand (when the task requires it):

• _meta/profile.md — when biography, skills, or preferences matter
• _meta/memory.md — when durable facts (certs, hardware, past projects) matter
• _meta/people.md — when a person is mentioned
• _meta/glossary.md — when jargon is unclear
• Project READMEs — when the task touches that project

Avoid reading unless explicitly relevant:

• 40-archive/ — excluded from search by .ignore (the ripgrep-honored file; .claudeignore is documentation only in this harness)
• attachments/ — binaries, excluded from search (.ignore)
• templates/ — scaffolding, not content
• .obsidian/, .claudian/ — internal config
• Other users' daily notes (more than 7 days old) — almost never relevant

When unsure, ask the user which file to consult rather than reading speculatively.

Build phases

This vault ships in phases, and phases land incrementally — skills, agents, hooks, and folders are added over time rather than all at once. The canonical, always-current record of what has shipped is _meta/changelog.md (append-only structural history); _meta/roadmap.md holds the forward forecast. Don't assume a given phase is "done" — check the changelog. The current state of active work lives in _meta/orient.md.

Skills available

_meta/skills.md is the canonical, always-current registry — read it for the live list and what each skill does. Do not restate individual skill names here; this section drifted badly once by doing exactly that. The first-run /setup skill walks you through personalizing the vault. Workspaces add their own skills under 15-workspaces/<slug>/.claude/skills/.

Available integrations (MCP servers, all optional)

The vault runs with zero external services by default. When connected, these external tools become available — use them when the task calls for them, but always confirm before sending external messages. Each has a pure-vault fallback, so nothing here is required.

• Gmail — read/search/label threads; create drafts. Never send without confirmation.
• Google Calendar — read today's events (used by /daily), check availability.
• Google Drive — search/read files outside the vault.
• Notion — optional operational partner: tasks, calendar, habits, routines, operational goals. See _meta/notion-bridge.md. With no Notion, capture falls back to 00-inbox/.
• Claude in Chrome — browser automation (load tools via ToolSearch first).
• Context7 / Playwright — code documentation and browser testing.

See _meta/integrations.md for the full optional-integrations catalog and how to wire each one. If a tool isn't responding, fall back to telling the user what you would have done rather than retrying silently.