Introduction
# BrainRepo
Your personal knowledge repository. Capture fast, organize automatically, retrieve instantly.
## Brain Location
**Fixed path:** `~/Documents/brainrepo/`
This is not configurable. All brain data lives here.
## First Run Check
**Before any action**, check if brainrepo is initialized:
1. Check if `~/Documents/brainrepo/` exists with expected structure (Inbox/, Projects/, Areas/) 2. If NOT found → **Run onboarding automatically** 3. If found → Proceed with user request
## Onboarding
Triggers automatically on first interaction, or when user says "set up brainrepo":
1. Create brain at `~/Documents/brainrepo/` 2. Create the folder structure:
```bash mkdir -p <path>/{Inbox,Projects,Areas/personal-growth,Areas/family,Notes,Resources,Journal,People,Tasks,Archive} ```
3. Create initial files from templates in `assets/templates/`: - `Tasks/index.md` — task hub - `Areas/personal-growth/index.md` — personal growth area - `Areas/family/index.md` — family area
4. Initialize git (optional): ```bash cd <path> && git init && git add -A && git commit -m "init: brainrepo" ```
5. Confirm setup and show quick start commands
## Core Concept
**DUMP → PROCESS → RETRIEVE**
1. **Dump** — Capture everything to Inbox/ (don't organize yet) 2. **Process** — Evening review: Inbox → permanent home 3. **Retrieve** — Ask AI to find anything
## Repository Structure
``` brainrepo/ ├── Inbox/ # Quick capture (clear daily) ├── Projects/ # Active work with deadlines ├── Areas/ # Ongoing responsibilities (no deadline) ├── Notes/ # Permanent atomic knowledge ├── Resources/ # External links, articles, references ├── Journal/ # Daily notes (YYYY-MM-DD.md) ├── People/ # One note per person ├── Tasks/ # Centralized task tracking └── Archive/ # Completed projects ```
See [references/structure.md](references/structure.md) for detailed breakdown.
## Capture Rules
### What to Capture (Immediately)
| Type | Destination | Example | |------|-------------|---------| | Quick thought | `Inbox/` | "Maybe we should..." | | Decision made | `Inbox/` or `Notes/` | "Decided to use Next.js" | | Person info | `People/` | New contact or update | | Project update | `Projects/<name>/` | Meeting notes, progress | | Task/Todo | `Tasks/index.md` | "Need to finish X" | | Link/Article | `Resources/` or `Inbox/` | URL with context | | Personal growth | `Areas/personal-growth/` | Health, habits, learning | | Family info | `Areas/family/` | Important dates, notes |
### What NOT to Capture
- Casual chat without information value - Temporary queries ("what time is it") - Information easily searchable online
## Note Format
Every note uses minimal frontmatter:
```markdown --- created: YYYY-MM-DD tags: [tag1, tag2] related: ["[[Other Note]]"] ---
# Title
Content here. Link to [[Related Notes]] freely. ```
Use templates from `assets/templates/` when creating new notes.
## Daily Workflow
### During Day - Dump everything to `Inbox/` - Don't organize — just capture
### Evening (5-10 min) Process Inbox/: 1. Each item → permanent home or delete 2. Update `Journal/YYYY-MM-DD.md` with summary 3. `git commit -am "daily processing"`
## Weekly Review (Sunday, 15 min)
1. Review all Projects/ — still active? 2. Check Areas/ — anything neglected? 3. Move completed projects to Archive/ 4. Update `Tasks/index.md`
See [references/workflows.md](references/workflows.md) for detailed workflows.
## Commands
| User says | Action | |-----------|--------| | "Set up brainrepo" | Run onboarding, create structure | | "Save this: [text]" | Capture to Inbox/ | | "New project: [name]" | Create Projects/name/ with template | | "Add person: [name]" | Create People/name.md with template | | "What do I know about X?" | Search & retrieve | | "Daily review" | Process Inbox/, update Journal/ | | "Weekly review" | Full system review |
## Linking
Use `[[wiki-links]]` to connect notes:
```markdown Met with [[People/john]] about [[Projects/acme/index|ACME Project]]. Relevant insight: [[Notes/negotiation-tactics]] ```
## Projects vs Areas
| Projects | Areas | |----------|-------| | Have deadlines | No end date | | Can be "done" | Maintained forever | | Specific outcome | Standard to uphold |
## File Naming
- Folders: `kebab-case/` - Files: `kebab-case.md` - Dates: `YYYY-MM-DD.md` - People: `firstname-lastname.md`
## References
- [Structure Guide](references/structure.md) — Detailed folder breakdown - [Workflows](references/workflows.md) — Daily/weekly/monthly workflows - [Templates](assets/templates/) — Note templates