Summarizing Conversations to Obsidian

Overview

Summarize conversations into atomic Zettelkasten-style notes for Obsidian.

Core principle: ALWAYS use Zettelkasten format, NEVER guess vault paths, focus on insights over transcripts.

When to Use

Use when user:

• Requests to save conversation to Obsidian
• Says "总结", "保存笔记", "整理成 markdown"
• Mentions "卡片笔记" or Zettelkasten
• Asks to create notes from current conversation

The Iron Law

NEVER GUESS THE OBSIDIAN VAULT PATH

No exceptions:

• Not for "stressed users"
• Not for "common paths"
• Not for "it's probably ~/Documents/Obsidian"
• Not for "action over asking"
• Not for "Desktop/Notes seems reasonable"

If user didn't provide path: ASK. If you guessed: DELETE the file. Start over.

Zettelkasten Format (ALWAYS)

Every note MUST be atomic, focused, and follow this structure:

---
date: YYYY-MM-DD
tags: [tag1, tag2, tag3]
type: technical-session | problem-solution | concept | reference
---

# Clear, Specific Title

## Core Insight/Problem

[1-2 paragraphs capturing the essence]

## Solution/Approach (if applicable)

[Key decisions and reasoning]

## Key Details

- Bullet points for important specifics
- Code snippets ONLY if essential
- Configuration examples if critical

## Related Concepts

[[Link to Related Note 1]]
[[Link to Related Note 2]]

## Reflection/Takeaway

[One paragraph: what's the lasting insight?]

What to INCLUDE:

• Core problems and solutions
• Key decisions and trade-offs
• Important code patterns (< 20 lines)
• Actionable insights
• Links to related concepts

What to EXCLUDE:

• Trial-and-error process
• Failed attempts (unless they teach something)
• Conversational tangents
• Philosophical debates (unless that's the point)
• All code (only essential snippets)

File Naming

Format: 主题 + 核心概念.md

Examples:

• ✅ React useEffect 依赖陷阱修复.md
• ✅ 分布式事务 Saga 模式对比.md
• ✅ TypeScript 泛型约束最佳实践.md
• ❌ 对话总结 2025-10-21.md (too generic)
• ❌ Notes.md (meaningless)

Rules:

• Descriptive and specific
• Include key technology/concept
• Use Chinese if user is Chinese-speaking
• Keep under 50 characters

Standard YAML Frontmatter

Required fields:

---
date: YYYY-MM-DD  # Today's date
tags: [max-5-tags]  # Specific, searchable tags
type: technical-session | problem-solution | concept | reference
---

Tag guidelines:

• Use technology names: react, typescript, postgres
• Use problem domains: authentication, performance, testing
• Use patterns: hooks, state-management, async
• Max 5 tags - be selective
• Lowercase, hyphenated

Workflow

1. Check for vault path

   • User provided path? → Use it
   • No path provided? → ASK: "你的 Obsidian vault 路径是？"

2. Analyze conversation

   • What was the core problem?
   • What was the key insight/solution?
   • What decisions were made and why?
   • What's worth remembering in 6 months?

3. Create atomic note

   • ONE main idea per note
   • If conversation covered 3 distinct topics → suggest 3 notes
   • Focus on insights, not transcript

4. Write the note

   • Use Zettelkasten structure above
   • Include YAML frontmatter
   • Meaningful filename
   • Essential code only (< 20 lines per snippet)

5. Save and confirm

   • Save to provided path
   • Show filename and path
   • Offer to create additional notes if needed

Handling Long Conversations

For 60+ minute conversations covering multiple topics:

DON'T create one giant 500-line document.

DO:

1. Identify 3-5 distinct atomic concepts
2. Suggest creating multiple notes
3. Create index note with links to sub-notes
4. Each sub-note follows Zettelkasten format

Example:

分布式系统架构讨论-索引.md  # Index note
├── Saga 模式实现要点.md
├── 事件溯源 vs CQRS 对比.md
├── 共识算法 Raft 简化理解.md
└── CAP 定理实践权衡.md

Content Curation Rules

Code snippets:

• Include if < 20 lines AND essential to understanding
• Show pattern, not implementation details
• Add comments explaining the key insight
• If longer: link to gist/repo instead

Failed attempts:

• EXCLUDE unless failure teaches important lesson
• Focus on "what worked" and "why it works"

Discussions and debates:

• INCLUDE conclusion and key arguments
• EXCLUDE back-and-forth unless it reveals insight

TODO items:

• CREATE separate "## Next Steps" section
• Use checkboxes: - [ ] Task description
• Be specific and actionable

Red Flags - STOP

• Guessing vault path ("probably ~/Documents/Obsidian")
• Creating 300+ line comprehensive documents
• "This was valuable, I should include everything"
• "'整理' means they want detailed docs"
• "User is stressed, I'll guess the path"
• "Action over asking"
• Including all code examples

All of these mean: STOP. Follow the rules.

Quick Reference

Situation	Action
No vault path provided	ASK for path, don't proceed
User says "整理"	Still Zettelkasten (atomic, focused)
90-min conversation	Suggest multiple atomic notes
Lots of code shared	Include < 20 lines of essential patterns only
Trial and error process	Exclude attempts, include solution
User seems stressed	Still ASK for path if needed

Example

Bad approach:

User: 总结一下保存到 Obsidian
Agent: [creates file at ~/Documents/Obsidian/Notes.md]

❌ Guessed path, generic filename

Good approach:

User: 总结一下保存到 Obsidian
Agent: 你的 Obsidian vault 路径是？
User: ~/Obsidian/技术笔记/
Agent: [creates atomic note with proper structure]
已保存到: ~/Obsidian/技术笔记/Node.js 内存泄漏排查方法.md

✅ Asked for path, specific filename, atomic note

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Guessing common paths	Always ask if not provided
"整理" = comprehensive docs	"整理" still means Zettelkasten
Including all code	Only essential patterns < 20 lines
One note for 5 topics	Create 5 atomic notes
Generic filenames	Specific: 技术 + 概念.md
Missing YAML frontmatter	Always include date, tags, type

The Bottom Line

Zettelkasten = atomic notes with insights, not transcripts.

Never guess paths. Always atomic. Focus on what matters in 6 months, not what happened in 90 minutes.