Agentic notebook mini

Notebook Mini — grounded notebook for small contexts

You are a small model with a small context. These rules make you accurate AND complete without running out of context. Numbers are hard limits. Exact commands are given — copy them, replacing <folder>, IDs, and queries. $SKILL = this skill's directory.

6 golden rules (these override everything else)

1. Sources are the only truth. Never add facts, amounts, dates, or names from your own knowledge. Missing info = write "(not in sources)".
2. Cite every claim with [1] markers + a Sources footer (template below).
3. Snippets and TOC lines are NOT quotable. You may only cite text you printed in full with --get.
4. Never read anything twice. Extracted = written to file = forgotten.
5. "Not in the sources" is a claim — allowed only after the Absence drill.
6. Sources disagree → show both sides with citations. A source says "may" → you say "may".

Setup (start of every session)

python3 $SKILL/scripts/build_index.py <folder>
python3 $SKILL/scripts/search_index.py <folder> --list
python3 $SKILL/scripts/checkpoint.py <folder> list

Show the user the source table in 1-2 sentences + offer: questions, find-all extractions, or artifacts. If checkpoint list shows an unfinished task, offer to continue it. Do NOT read sources to "get familiar" — read only to answer.

Unreadable sources: scanned PDFs/images → rerun build with --ocr (add --ocr-lang bul+eng etc.). Audio/video → transcribe if you have a tool, then build_index.py <folder> --from-text "file.mp3" /tmp/transcript.txt. Neither possible → tell the user which sources are excluded, continue with the rest.

Command card (the only commands you need)

SEARCH  python3 $SKILL/scripts/search_index.py <folder> "q1" "q2" "q3" --grep "фурна на 180"
GREP    python3 $SKILL/scripts/search_index.py <folder> --grep "с\.л\.|tbsp"
READ    python3 $SKILL/scripts/search_index.py <folder> --get S2#014
        (--context 1 ONLY if the text is visibly cut mid-thought)
SKIM    python3 $SKILL/scripts/search_index.py <folder> --toc S2 [--from 120]
LIST    python3 $SKILL/scripts/search_index.py <folder> --list
LEDGER  python3 $SKILL/scripts/checkpoint.py <folder> ...
VERIFY  python3 $SKILL/scripts/verify_citations.py <folder> <file.md>

SEARCH takes all your queries AND greps in ONE call and fuses them: one line per chunk, deduped. q1,g2 shows which probes hit — multi-hit chunks are usually best; * = new this session. The footer matters:

• COVERAGE S1:0 S2:4 ... silent: S1,S3 — hits per source; silent sources matched nothing (your evidence for the Absence drill).
• SATURATION new 0/10 — nothing you haven't already seen: STOP searching, start reading. GREP alone shows text fragments (good for eyeballing candidates); it scans every chunk's FULL text, so it catches items buried mid-chunk. Scope any command to sources with --sources S1,S3.

Mode A — answering a question

1. ONE SEARCH call, 3-5 queries + 1-2 greps: the user's words + 1-2 synonyms + the term the sources themselves would use + (if sources are in another language) translated terms with 2-3 inflected variants ("рецепта" "рецепти" "рецептата"). Greps = exact rare strings: names, numbers, units.
2. READ the best 2-4 hits with --get. Prefer hits from different sources. Do not read more than 4 chunks before attempting an answer.
3. Not fully covered? ONE more SEARCH reusing vocabulary you just saw in the chunks. SATURATION new 0 → stop searching — say what is and isn't covered.
4. Write the answer using the template below. Keep the sources' own terms, numbers, and hedges.
5. 3+ citations → run VERIFY on the answer file and fix every FAIL (correct the quote, re-attribute, or cut the claim) before delivering.

Follow-up questions: re-search for every new factual claim. Never answer from conversation memory — chunks scroll out of your context; the index doesn't.

Absence drill (before "the sources don't cover X")

All three, minimum:

• 6 total queries across both languages (Mode A steps 1+3 count) whose COVERAGE line shows the relevant sources silent,
• GREP on 2 spellings/variants of X's key term,
• for each big source still in doubt: a --toc skim of its outline. Then say: "The sources don't contain X. Closest related material: ... [1]". A brief mention still counts as coverage — report it, don't call it absence.

Answer template (copy exactly)

<answer prose with [1] markers; short answers stay short — no bullet-padding>

Sources
[1] S2 · deep-work.pdf · p.41 · "verbatim 5-15 word quote copied from --get output"
[2] S1 · notes.md · - · "another exact quote"

The quote must appear verbatim in the chunk — VERIFY greps for it. Prefer a quote containing the claim's key number or term.

Mode B — find-all extraction ("find every recipe / principle / quote...")

Search alone WILL miss items. Use the ledger loop — it is your memory, so a context wipe can never lose work:

1. Init: checkpoint.py <folder> init "find all recipes" → note the TASK slug and output file it prints.
2. Triage in ONE SEARCH call, feeding the ledger directly — target's fingerprint greps + 4-6 semantic queries, both languages:

   search_index.py <folder> "рецепта продукти" "recipe ingredients" \
     "запържи свари фурна" "simmer fry oven" \
     --grep "с\.л\.|ч\.л\.|tbsp|tsp| гр |ml |мин\.|градуса|°C" \
     --add-to TASK
   

   recipes → units/times regex above; principles → --grep "always|never|винаги|никога|note to self|I will|my rule". --add-to pushes the fused top AND every grep hit into the ledger — no retyping IDs. Do not read anything yet. Wrong candidates get skipped later; adding is free.
3. Process loop, one chunk at a time: checkpoint.py <folder> TASK next 5, then for each ID:
   • --get ID (add --context 1 only if the item is visibly cut off),
   • append the finding to the output file — never rewrite it:

     cat >> <folder>/.notebook/studio/TASK.md << 'XEOF'
     ## <label>
     <the finding, faithful to the source>
     [n] S2 · file · loc · "verbatim anchor quote"
     XEOF
     

   • checkpoint.py <folder> TASK done ID --note "<label>" (not a match → skip ID --note "why"). Then forget it. Never reopen the output file, never re-get a done chunk.
4. Fullness sweep — this is what search misses. For EVERY source: --toc S# (batches, --from N). TOC lines show each chunk's start plus a nums:N flag for digit-dense chunks. checkpoint.py <folder> TASK add <IDs> for any line whose start looks target-shaped AND any high-nums chunk you can't rule out (step 2's grep already covered mid-chunk literal patterns; nums catches the rest). Then checkpoint.py <folder> TASK sweep S#. Process new candidates via step 3.
5. Finish: status must print COMPLETE. Then notes → merge duplicate labels in the output file (same dish/principle found twice = one entry, both citations). Then VERIFY the output file and fix every FAIL.

Found a new lead mid-task (a dish name, a term)? SEARCH it with --add-to TASK — do not chase it in your head.

Context guard

STOP CLEANLY and hand over when any of these happens:

• you have made ~25 tool calls since the last clean point,
• earlier turns of this conversation look summarized or missing,
• the user's task will clearly not fit in one session.

Stopping cleanly = the ledger is already saved; just run checkpoint.py <folder> TASK status, then tell the user: "X done, Y pending — say continue TASK in a fresh chat." Resuming = init or status + next 5. Read nothing else. Never try to finish in one breath at the cost of truncating your own work.

Studio artifacts (briefing, study guide, FAQ, flashcards, quiz, podcast...)

Only when asked. Read $SKILL/references/studio.md first (short), build the artifact from targeted searches/reads (for "over everything" artifacts, run a Mode B ledger over the key claims first), save to <folder>/.notebook/studio/<name>-<date>.md, VERIFY it, then show or link it.

Bans (violating any of these = start the step over)

• --get S# --full on sources over ~2,500 words (the tool refuses; use --toc + targeted --get instead — never --force unless the user asks)
• repeating a search or grep you already ran this session (SATURATION new 0 = you are repeating yourself)
• citing from a snippet, a TOC line, or your memory of a chunk
• filling gaps (amounts, dates, names) from your own knowledge
• re-reading the output file or done chunks "to check" — use notes
• answering follow-ups without re-searching
• padding: no bullet lists for one-fact answers, no restating the question