Kb init

KB Init — PARA Knowledge Base Setup

Set up the Knowledge Base layer on an existing PARA-structured Obsidian vault.

What It Does

1. Detect vault — find .obsidian/ and existing .para-kb/config.json
2. Detect structure — use configured, numbered, or unnumbered PARA roots without renaming folders
3. Create portable config — write .para-kb/config.json without an absolute vault path
4. Create indexes and log — only for missing files, unless the user explicitly requests replacement
5. Install agent guidance — append a marker-bounded KB rules fragment to CLAUDE.md and/or AGENTS.md, preserving existing content
6. Detect Obsidian CLI — configure the preferred search/backlink path and fallback strategy

Prerequisites

An Obsidian vault with either numbered or unnumbered PARA folders. Numbered example:

Vault/
├── 0. Common/        (shared: daily notes, dashboard, etc.)
├── 1. Projects/      (active projects with deliverables)
├── 2. Areas/         (ongoing responsibilities, no end date)
├── 3. Resources/     (reference material by topic)
├── 4. Archive/       (completed or paused items)
└── Inbox/            (optional — raw input landing zone)

Standard unnumbered roots (Common/, Projects/, Areas/, Resources/, Archive/) are also supported. For another layout, create .para-kb/config.json from templates/para-kb.config.json and set para_roots explicitly. Inbox/ is optional in every profile.

Execution Flow

Step 1: Detect vault root and configuration
  Find .obsidian/ directory → that parent is the vault root
  If .para-kb/config.json exists → validate and use it as source of truth
  Else detect numbered or standard PARA roots
  If neither profile is unambiguous → stop before creating folders and request a custom config

Step 2: Create/adopt portable config
  Resolve the bundled helper from ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-${PLUGIN_ROOT:-}}
  Run: python3 "$PARA_KB_PLUGIN_ROOT/scripts/para_kb_telemetry.py" init-config --profile auto
  The config stores only vault-relative paths and never overwrites an existing valid config
  With --config-only or --adopt → stop after config + agent guidance; do not rewrite notes or indexes

Step 3: Check existing state
  If _index.md or index.md already exist:
    Default → preserve and adopt them
    --force-indexes → replace only after an explicit destructive confirmation
  Never overwrite CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, .para-kb/config.json, or a human log wholesale

Step 4: Scan and generate _index.md per category
  For each configured PARA directory:
    List subdirectories and standalone .md files
    Read overview files for status (0.*.md, *-Project.md, project-overview.md)
    Generate _index.md:
      - frontmatter: title, type: kb-index, updated: today
      - summary line with counts
      - one line per item: **name** — status/description
    Target: 10-20 lines of content per index

Step 5: Generate top-level {common}/index.md
  Aggregate from category indexes:
    Projects: count + highlights
    Areas: count + major areas
    Resources: count + categories
    Archive: completed/paused counts
    Recent: placeholder for log entries
  Target: ~30 lines

Step 6: Create {common}/log.md
  Header + initial entry:
    "[date] init | KB initialized | N index files created"

Step 7: Update agent guidance
  Render templates/KB-RULES.md.template with configured roots and paths
  If CLAUDE.md exists → append/update only the marker-bounded PARA KB section
  If AGENTS.md exists → append/update only the same marker-bounded section
  If neither exists → create the file appropriate to the active host from its wrapper template
  Never replace unrelated instructions in either file
  Shared rules include:
    Vault structure description
    KB operation rules (ingest/query/lint)
    Project lifecycle summary (promotion, durable-knowledge capture, decompose-before-archive — see templates/CLAUDE.md.template)
    Tag conventions (#proj/, #type/, #topic/)
    Wikilink rules
    Index management rules

Step 8: Detect tooling
  which obsidian → if found:
    Run: obsidian version
    Run: obsidian tags sort=count counts limit=20
    Log "obsidian CLI v{version} detected — search, backlinks, tags available"
    Record existing tag conventions for future ingest/lint use
  If not found:
    Log "obsidian CLI not available — using grep/glob fallback"
    Note: All skills fully functional without CLI

Tag Conventions (Established at Init)

Detect existing tag patterns first via obsidian tags sort=count counts (or Grep fallback). Adapt to the vault's established conventions rather than imposing new ones.

Common patterns found in PARA vaults:

Prefix	Purpose	Example
#proj/<name>	Project identifier	#proj/product-launch, #proj/research-dashboard
#study/paper/<topic>	Research papers	#study/paper/machine-learning, #study/paper/data-science
#type/<type>	Document type	#type/paper, #type/meeting
#topic/<topic>	Subject matter	#topic/productivity, #topic/ml

Important: If the vault already uses #study/paper instead of #type/paper, follow the existing convention. Consistency over idealism.

Arguments

Argument	Effect
--config-only	Create/validate .para-kb/config.json and agent guidance only; do not touch notes or indexes
--adopt	Alias for non-destructive config-only adoption of an existing vault
--profile numbered|standard|custom	Select a structure when auto-detection is ambiguous; custom requires an existing edited config
--force-indexes	Replace existing generated indexes only after explicit destructive confirmation

After Init

Run these as needed:

• /kb-ingest — process documents in Inbox
• /kb-query "question" — search the knowledge base
• /kb-lint — check vault health
• /kb-index — rebuild all indexes

Local consumers can now discover .para-kb/config.json automatically. Keep .para-kb/, the active telemetry JSONL, its archive directory, and runtime state out of knowledge indexes and normal query context.