> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://2bd.l48a.de/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # How Ada Works > Your executive assistant and the ritual loop that keeps your system running. ## Ada is your interface Ada is your Executive Assistant - the primary way you interact with 2bd. Rather than managing templates, archives, and workflows manually, you simply talk to Ada. She coordinates everything behind the scenes. When you say "Ada, run my morning ritual" or invoke `/ada plan daily`, Ada orchestrates a team of specialized assistants to prepare your day, fetch calendar context, and compose your working notes. ## The ritual loop 2bd operates on a simple cycle: **plan - work - reflect - archive**. This loop is powered by the [GPS methodology](/assistants/goals) - Goal, Plan, System - which cascades from yearly vision down to daily execution. Planning and review cycles across time scales ## Metabolic states 2bd organizes notes by **metabolic state** - how active and volatile they are - rather than by topic. | State | Purpose | Location | | ------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | --------------------- | | **Captive** | Working notes - high-velocity, volatile intake | `00_Brain/Captive/` | | **Synthetic** | Active drafts - projects in progress | `00_Brain/Synthetic/` | | **Periodic** | Archives - the permanent timeline | `00_Brain/Periodic/` | | **Semantic** | Reference - crystallized knowledge | `00_Brain/Semantic/` | | **Systemic** | Structure - templates, workflows | `00_Brain/Systemic/` | Metabolic states solve the "where does this go?" problem by organizing around **information lifecycle**. Fresh notes go to Captive. Active work lives in Synthetic. Completed work archives to Periodic. The system moves information naturally without you deciding where things belong. ## Ada's assistant team Ada manages a team of domain-specific assistants: | Assistant | Handles | | ------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | brief | Context synthesis, leadership intention | | goals | 1-3-5, Major Moves, Quests, Annual Goals | | calendar | Meeting prep and review | | journal | Reflection and personal insights | | achievements | Win capture and impact evidence | | relationships | People touchpoints | | projects | Project status tracking | Each assistant specializes in one domain and knows how to handle that domain across all timescales. ## How rituals run ### The orchestration process 1. Parse the action (plan/reflect) and timescale 2. Run each assistant's action for that timescale 3. Each assistant writes to `Synthetic/Assistants/{name}/` 4. Compose outputs into Captive (plan) or Periodic (reflect) 5. Learn patterns from observations ### Parallel Execution As of v1.2, Ada runs assistants in parallel for 70-80% faster rituals. **The parallel flow:** 1. **Draft generation** - All assistants run as background agents simultaneously 2. **Context analysis** - Each agent reads vault, generates template section with placeholders 3. **Draft collection** - Ada gathers all drafts and extracts questions 4. **Intelligent ordering** - Ada orders questions for natural conversation flow 5. **User interaction** - Ada asks questions, collects answers 6. **Placeholder filling** - Ada fills all placeholders with answers 7. **Composition** - Ada assembles final note from filled sections **Placeholder format:** Assistants use HTML comment syntax for unknowns: ```markdown theme={null} ``` After you answer, Ada replaces placeholders with your responses. **Error handling:** If an assistant agent fails: * Other assistants continue normally * Failed sections noted in final output * Partial results still usable **Configuration:** Control via `vault/00_Brain/Systemic/Config/ada.yaml`: ```yaml theme={null} parallel_execution: true ``` Set to `false` to use legacy sequential mode. ### Template architecture Templates are split between Ada and assistants: | Location | Purpose | | ------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------- | | `.claude/skills/ada/templates/` | Ada's base templates (frontmatter, navigation, changelog) | | `.claude/skills/_assistant-{name}/templates/` | Each assistant's section templates | | `vault/00_Brain/Systemic/Templates/Ada/` | Vault copy of Ada templates | | `vault/00_Brain/Systemic/Templates/Assistants/{name}/` | Vault copy of assistant templates | Ada composes Captive notes by: 1. Loading the base template for the timescale 2. Reading section order from `vault/00_Brain/Systemic/Ada/section-order.md` 3. Inserting assistant sections in the defined order 4. Each assistant owns specific H2 sections in the final document ### Reflect flow During reflection, each assistant: 1. Loads its template from vault 2. Compares plan output to actual capture note section 3. Returns findings (variance, coaching questions, entity learnings) to Ada 4. Ada aggregates findings into a coaching conversation 5. Confirmed entity learnings persist to vault (People, Projects) ### Quick reference ```bash theme={null} # Planning rituals /plan # Plan today (default) /plan daily # Morning ritual /plan weekly # Monday /plan quarterly # Start of quarter /plan yearly # Start of year # Reflection rituals /reflect # Reflect on today (default) /reflect daily # Evening ritual /reflect weekly # Sunday /reflect quarterly # End of quarter /reflect yearly # End of year ``` ### Planning rituals Run in the morning (or start of period): ```bash theme={null} /ada plan daily # or "Ada, run my morning ritual" /ada plan weekly /ada plan quarterly /ada plan yearly ``` Each assistant: * Loads context from higher timescales * Runs interactive conversation with you * Writes structured output to Synthetic ### Reflection rituals Run in the evening (or end of period): ```bash theme={null} /ada reflect daily # or "Ada, let's reflect on today" /ada reflect weekly /ada reflect quarterly /ada reflect yearly ``` Each assistant: * Reviews planned vs actual * Captures insights and patterns * Records observations for learning ## Time scales The loop runs at four scales, each nesting into the next: | Scale | Planning | Reflection | Working note | Archive | | --------- | -------- | -------------- | ------------ | ---------- | | Daily | Morning | Evening | Today.md | Daily/ | | Weekly | Monday | Sunday | Week.md | Weekly/ | | Quarterly | Start | End of quarter | Quarter.md | Quarterly/ | | Yearly | January | December | Year.md | Yearly/ | ## Information flow ``` Captive (composed by Ada) Periodic (archived by Ada) -------------------- ---------------------------- Today.md --reflect--> Daily/YYYY-MM-DD.md Week.md --reflect--> Weekly/YYYY-Www.md Quarter.md --reflect--> Quarterly/YYYY-QN.md Year.md --reflect--> Yearly/YYYY.md ``` Daily insights feed into weekly reviews. Weekly patterns inform quarterly direction. The system synthesizes upward automatically. ## Self-learning Ada's learn assistant analyzes patterns across all assistants: 1. **Observe** - Each assistant records observations 2. **Cluster** - Similar patterns are grouped 3. **Graduate** - High-confidence clusters move to Semantic 4. **Remember** - Graduated insights inform future sessions Your rituals evolve to match how you actually work.