GTD Project Skill

Guide multi-step outcomes through the full GTD project lifecycle inside the Obsidian vault (../Obsidian).

Vault Operations

Use the /obsidian skill for all vault reads and writes. Load it before running any commands: → .claude/skills/obsidian/SKILL.md

Quick reference:

• Create project note: create path="GTD/Projects/Name.md" content="..."
• Move task to project: eval move pattern (delete from source + append to dest)
• Stale projects: Dataview eval stale-projects query
• Append to Projects List: append path="GTD/Projects List.md" content="..."

Workflow

1. Decide if it's a Project

• Use Clarify outputs, dashboard scans, or user context to spot items that require more than one concrete step, will span multiple sessions, or have dependencies.
• Confirm the desired outcome, deadlines, and any constraints before promoting. Reference project/references/project-lifecycle.md for criteria.

2. Create or Locate the Project Note

1. Use the /obsidian skill's create command to write GTD/Projects/Name.md with the project template, then append a link to GTD/Projects List.md.
2. If the file already exists, read it via read path=... and verify the metadata block (**Created:**, **Status:**).
3. Always tell the user what edits you plan to make before changing vault files; wait for confirmation if anything is destructive or irreversible.

3. Populate the Note

• Fill in Purpose / Outcome with a single success statement.
• Brainstorm all known steps, but only leave the true "next actions" unchecked in Next Actions. Tag each line with a GTD context (see Organize skill for canonical tags) and schedule if relevant.
• When promoting an inbox task into a project, generate 2-3 plausible next actions seeded from that task and add them to Next Actions with contexts.
• For knowledge-work steps (drafting, summarizing, research, code scaffolding), propose an LLM-agent next action (e.g., "Use LLM agent to draft outline/summary/email/code scaffold") and tag appropriately.
• Assume steps must happen in order unless the user says they can be parallel. Add Task Dependencies so actions follow each other: assign each task a unique 🆔 and add ⛔ <id> to each dependent task. Chain them so only the first is unblocked; multiple dependencies are comma-separated with no spaces (,) in the ⛔ list.
• Capture references, waiting-fors, and notes in their dedicated sections. Use wikilinks ([[Project Name]]) from related tasks or notes to keep traceability.
• For manual setup or extra guidance, follow the Setup Checklist in project/references/project-lifecycle.md.

4. Link Tasks and Context Lists

• Convert any standalone task representing the project into either:
  • A reference link pointing to the project note (Do X → [[Project Name]]), or
  • Subtasks filed under the project note or context files via the /obsidian skill's move pattern.
• Ensure each active project has at least one actionable task living in a context list so it appears on the Dashboard. Use the /obsidian skill's edit-by-match pattern to retag/move items in bulk.
• For delegated steps, add @waiting (or relevant tag) plus the person's name and record it inside the project note.

5. Maintain and Review

• During weekly reviews, use the /obsidian skill's stale-projects Dataview query to find projects lacking a next action.
• Update the **Status:** field whenever the project changes state (Active, Waiting, On Hold, Completed). Log wins or blockers in Notes so nothing lives only in memory.
• When the outcome is achieved, follow the Closing Checklist in the reference file: mark status completed with a date, archive/move the note if desired, and clean up dangling tasks.

References & Supporting Material

• project/references/project-lifecycle.md – Checklists for deciding, setting up, maintaining, and closing projects.
• /obsidian skill – All vault operations (create, move, edit, query).
• /organize skill – Context tagging and batch operations.
• /review skill – Weekly review including stale project detection.

Coordination With Other Skills

• Use Clarify to decide when an inbox item crosses the "multiple steps" threshold and confirm next actions before creating the project.
• Use Organize to place resulting tasks into the right context files and to batch-add context tags or schedule dates.
• Use Review weekly to catch stale projects, unblock waiting items, and close completed work.

Following this workflow keeps the Projects list trustworthy, ensures each project exposes a visible next action, and prevents orphaned multi-step work from hiding in single tasks.