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Skills are the building blocks of 2bd. Ada is the central orchestrator that owns all logic. Entity skills and aliases dispatch to Ada.

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Skill architecture

Skills use a flat structure with naming conventions: 
.claude/skills/
├── ada/                      # Orchestrator - owns all logic
│   ├── SKILL.md
│   └── references/
│       ├── plan/daily.md     # Ritual sequences
│       ├── project/create.md # Entity actions
│       └── person/onboard.md
├── project/                  # Alias → dispatches to Ada
├── person/                   # Alias → dispatches to Ada
├── planning/                 # Alias → /ada plan
├── _assistant-goals/         # Internal assistant
└── _util-resolve-date/       # Internal utility
PrefixTypeUser-invokable
(none)Entity/AliasYes
_assistant-*AssistantNo
_util-*UtilityNo

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Skill file structure

Each skill lives in its own folder with SKILL.md: 
---
name: skill-name
description: What this skill does and when to use it
disable-model-invocation: false
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Bash(*)
argument-hint: "[argument description]"
---

# Skill Instructions

Instructions Claude follows when invoked.

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Writing style

Skills read as prose describing what happens, not scripts with directives. Do:
  • Write descriptive prose: “Load the vault path from context. Validate the structure exists.”
  • Organize into sections describing flow
  • Reference context naturally
Don’t:
  • Use template syntax: {{VAULT}}, {{#if}}
  • Use imperative directives: “Ask:”, “Check:”, numbered steps
  • Include bash code blocks for file operations

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Creating a skill

  1. Create folder: .claude/skills/{skill-name}/
  2. Add SKILL.md with frontmatter
  3. Write instructions as prose
  4. Test: claude skill run {skill-name}

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Assistant architecture

Assistants are conceptual domains that flow through all timescales. Each assistant has its own section in templates and its own phase in rituals. 
Ritual Structure:
├── Common: Setup
├── Assistant: Brief
├── Assistant: Goals
├── Assistant: Calendar
├── Assistant: Journal
├── Assistant: Achievements
├── Assistant: Relationships
├── Assistant: Projects
├── Common: Compose
├── Common: Persist
└── Common: Learning
Assistants are processed sequentially. Each assistant:
  • Has a consistent ## {Assistant} section in templates
  • Has a phase file per timescale in rituals
  • Cascades independently through timescales

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Draft Mode

Assistants run in draft mode during parallel execution.

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Draft Mode Contract

Each assistant must:
  1. Load context - Read vault files autonomously
  2. Analyze - Synthesize what it knows
  3. Generate draft - Create section with placeholders for unknowns
  4. Write output - Save to Synthetic/Assistants/{name}/{timescale}-draft.md

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Placeholder Syntax

Use HTML comments for questions: 
## Goals

Based on your week goals, here's the focus:

<!-- ASK:goals-priority
What's your #1 priority today?
-->
Placeholder ID format: {assistant}-{question-key}
  • Must be unique within assistant
  • Use kebab-case: goals-top-priority
  • Descriptive but concise

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Output Location

vault/00_Brain/Synthetic/Assistants/{assistant-name}/{timescale}-draft.md
Examples:
  • Synthetic/Assistants/goals/daily-draft.md
  • Synthetic/Assistants/calendar/weekly-draft.md

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Status Frontmatter

Include status in draft: 
---
status: ok | error
assistant: goals
action: plan | reflect
timescale: daily | weekly | quarterly | yearly
timestamp: 2026-02-28T10:30:00Z
error: "error message if status=error"
---

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Context Sources

Assistants should read:
  • Higher timescale notes (daily reads Week.md, weekly reads Quarter.md)
  • Relevant vault sections (projects, people, etc.)
  • Assistant memory: Semantic/Assistants/{name}/memory.md

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Example Conversion

Before (interactive): 
Ask the user: "What's your top priority?"
Write answer to section.
After (draft mode): 
Load Week.md to see weekly goals.
Identify potential priorities.
Write draft:

Based on weekly Major Moves:
- Launch feature (deadline Friday)
- Hire engineer (pipeline building)

<!-- ASK:goals-priority
What's your #1 priority for today?
-->

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Assistant matrix

AssistantDailyWeeklyQuarterlyYearly
BriefDay shape + context from WeekWeek overview + context from QuarterQuarter context from YearYear context + prior year synthesis
Goals1-3-5 (1 big, 3 medium, 5 small)Major Moves (which Quests to advance)Quests (90-day goals)Compass (Life Compass, 3-Year Sketch, Why, Anti-Goals)
CalendarDaily Meetings (prep, context, notes)Weekly Meetings (week’s key meetings)——
JournalCheck-In (energy, mindset, intention)Pulse Check (patterns, growth edge)Pivot (adjust approach, themes)Vision (leadership identity, development focus)
AchievementsCapture (log wins)Acknowledge (synthesize daily wins)Leverage (what wins enable)Celebrate (year-defining achievements)
RelationshipsTouchpoints (birthdays, personal moments)Connections (1:1 prep, notes)Network (key relationships, stakeholders)Circle (inner circle, mentors, sponsors)
ProjectsTasks (active project tasks)Progress (status updates)Portfolio (active projects, health)—
Use — for timescales where the assistant does not apply.

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Adding a new assistant

  1. Define the matrix row — For each timescale, define the section name (## {AssistantName}) and intent
  2. Add template sections — Add ## {AssistantName} to each Captive template where the assistant applies
  3. Create phase files — For each timescale, create .claude/skills/ritual-planning-{timescale}/references/{NN}-{assistantname}.md
  4. Update SKILL.md — Add the new phase to the ritual’s table of contents
  5. Update template contract — Add the new section to the template contract in SKILL.md

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Coach system

Each assistant has a coach that provides guidance and learns from usage.

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Coach files

ComponentPathPurpose
GuidanceSystemic/Coaching/{Assistant}/{timescale}.mdStatic guidance, prompts, agent selection
Insights (raw)Synthetic/Coaching/{Assistant}/insights.mdObservations, clusters
Insights (crystallized)Semantic/Coaching/{Assistant}/insights.mdGraduated, human-validated learnings

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Learning flow

  1. Each assistant phase captures observations → Synthetic/Coaching/{Assistant}/insights.md
  2. Observations auto-cluster with confidence scoring (0-5)
  3. Clusters graduate when confidence ≥ 4.5 AND stable for 3+ sessions
  4. User crystallizes insight → Semantic/Coaching/{Assistant}/insights.md
  5. Crystallized insights inform guidance updates