asking-notes

Query your Second Brain with keyword search. Use when asked to "ask my notes", "what do I know about", "query my knowledge", "/ask", or when the user has a question that their notes might answer.

SKILL.md

GitHub

Ask Your Second Brain

This skill answers questions by searching your notes with keyword matching, reading the most relevant ones, and synthesizing an answer — all locally, no external API calls.

Workflow

1. Search — Find Relevant Notes

Use Grep and Glob to find notes matching the user's question:

# Search by keywords in content
Grep pattern="keyword" path="content/" glob="*.md"

# Search by tags
Grep pattern="tags:.*keyword" path="content/" glob="*.md"

# Search by title
Grep pattern="title:.*keyword" path="content/" glob="*.md"

Combine multiple keyword searches to find the most relevant notes.

2. Read — Understand the Content

Read the top 5 note files returned by the search (full markdown content). If the top 5 don't fully answer the question, read more from the results list.

3. Synthesize — Answer the Question

Combine insights across the notes into a direct answer. Follow these rules strictly:

  • Never invent information not present in the notes
  • Always cite which note each claim comes from using [[wiki-links]]
  • If no notes are relevant, say so honestly — don't guess
  • Connect ideas across notes when they complement each other
  • Note contradictions if different notes disagree

4. Extend — Identify Gaps and Follow-ups

After answering, highlight what's missing from the knowledge base and suggest related questions.

Output Format

## Answer

[Direct answer synthesized from notes, citing [[sources]] inline]

## Sources Used

| Note       | Type    | Relevance            |
| ---------- | ------- | -------------------- |
| [[slug-1]] | article | Core source on topic |
| [[slug-2]] | book    | Supporting framework |
| [[slug-3]] | podcast | Practical examples   |

## Gaps & Follow-ups

- No notes covering [subtopic X]
- Try asking: "What about [related question]?"

Quality Checklist

  • Searched with multiple relevant keywords
  • Read the top matching notes thoroughly
  • Every claim is attributed to a specific note via [[wiki-link]]
  • No information was invented or assumed
  • Contradictions between notes are flagged
  • Gaps in coverage are identified
  • Follow-up questions are suggested