Workdesk field guide

Workdesk is a shared folder for your knowledge, commitments and work with AI. Its six top-level folders are called zones. Each gives a different kind of information a home.

Six zones, six jobs

A meeting can produce a transcript, a decision, a recommendation and a task. Keeping these separate lets you check what was said, question an interpretation and find what you agreed to do. Links connect the records across zones.

SystemKeep the source

Original inputs and processing history let you trace a claim back to the conversation or document.

Transcripts · Bookmarks · Session logsExplore System → AtlasBuild the record

Sourced notes hold what you know about people, organizations, decisions and the work they own.

People · Clients · Initiatives · ProjectsExplore Atlas → IntelMake sense of it

AI analysis brings sources together into research, briefings and recommendations you can evaluate.

Daily plans · Research · SynthesesExplore Intel → GTDTrack your commitments

Getting Things Done separates next actions, things you are waiting for and possibilities for later. It also holds personal projects and reference.

Actions · Waiting · Someday · ReferenceExplore GTD → PersonalThink in your own words

Your daily notes, journal and practices stay under your authorship. Agents can read relevant entries for context; you make every edit here.

Daily notes · Journal · Reading logExplore Personal → ConfigDefine how assistance works

Shared rules and skills tell agents how to work. Application adapters connect those instructions to each supported tool.

Rules · Skills · Templates · IntegrationsExplore Config →

One meeting, four useful records

Imagine a project kickoff where the client chooses a launch date and you agree to send a revised plan. After processing and review, the same conversation supports different kinds of work:

System / transcriptThe original conversation

The speakers’ words remain available for checking dates, context and commitments.

Review the conversation, then create linked records

Atlas / decision“Launch on October 1.”

Record the agreed date with a link to the transcript and project.

Intel / analysis“The review window looks tight.”

An assessment to consider, with its reasoning and source.

GTD / action“Send the revised plan.”

Your next step, linked to the project, with any agreed due date.

The source stays in System. Each linked record has a distinct job: preserve the agreement, assess its implications or track the follow-through.

Personal supplies your own reflections and priorities. Config supplies the rules for processing and review. Together, they shape how you and the assistant use these records.

Put it to work

Start with one of the workflows below. Use the folder reference when you need to place a particular file.

Start your dayDaily notes, priorities and actions Run a projectPlan, resume and hand off Process a meetingTranscripts, decisions and follow-up

Start your day

Use today's daily note in Obsidian to record concerns, prepare for conversations and think through ideas.

Then run /daily-ops. It reads your note alongside project status, actions and connected sources such as your calendar, and saves a plan in intel/briefings/daily/. Check which sources it could read before choosing your priorities.

Agents can read Personal for context; they write plans and actions elsewhere.

Set up daily notes

Use Obsidian's configured daily-note command, or create personal/daily/YYYY-MM-DD.md yourself. Start with a date heading. Add headings only as you find a use for them: “On my mind,” “Notes from today” or “Before I leave.”

For a reusable layout, keep a template in config/templates/ and select it in your daily-note plugin. /define-practice can help design a reading log, journal or other recurring practice; you write the entries.

Turn a thought into a commitment

Suppose you write, “The onboarding guide needs work.” Clarify the next move before adding a task:

What you mean	Where it goes
“Ask the team which steps confuse new customers.”	Actions, linked to the guide project.
“I need the support lead's comments before revising it.”	Waiting, with the person and follow-up date.
“A video version might be useful later.”	Someday.
“Here is an example worth keeping.”	The project's Reference folder.

Ask the assistant to capture the commitment from your note. It should leave your original writing intact. When an action grows into several deliverables, use /promote-to-project.

First time using Workdesk?

Open the vault in your agent application and run /onboarding. It checks the supported runtime, asks about your work and records your preferences. Connect tools as you need them through /define-tool.

Run a project

Start with something you can finish. “Improve customer onboarding” is a continuing focus; “publish a guide that a new customer can follow without help” is a project outcome.

Plan it

Run /pobo and describe the result you want. The interview follows Purpose, Outcome, Brainstorm and Organize:

Explain why the work matters and which constraints must hold.
Describe what you could show to prove it worked.
List the work, questions and dependencies before sequencing them.
Review a plan with one deliverable per phase, then agree on the project name and location.

POBO creates the brief, plan and status. Read the first phase before starting: its completion criteria should let you judge the output without another planning conversation. Use /pobo --lite when an outcome, first action and completion signal are enough.

Choose its home

Work	Home
Work for a client	`atlas/clients/{client}/projects/{project}/`
Work advancing a business initiative	`atlas/businesses/{business}/initiatives/{initiative}/projects/{project}/`
Personal or standalone work	`gtd/projects/{project}/`

An initiative is a sustained focus for improvement. A Training initiative could contain projects for a first course, a revised assessment and a new instructor guide. A product can be the focus of an initiative; its releases or improvements can be projects.

Open the project for delivery, the initiative to consider its next improvements, or the business to work across initiatives. Existing unassigned business projects can stay in their established home until you choose an initiative for them.

Resume the work

Open the project and ask:

Read the shared instructions, then this project's brief and status. Work on the next incomplete phase in the plan. Finish by updating status with the output, any blocker and the next action.

If a phase still leaves important decisions to the builder, run /create-spec. A spec adds inputs, constraints and acceptance criteria for that deliverable, and lives in specs/.

At the end of a session, check the output against the phase's criteria. Record unfinished work and the precise next step in status.md. Use /extract to retain the conversation and decisions behind the work.

Know which document to open

Question	Document
Why are we doing this? What counts as success?	`brief.md`
What happens next? What is blocked?	`status.md`
How is the work sequenced?	`plan.md`
What exactly must this deliverable do?	The relevant file in `specs/`.
Where are the supporting files?	`index.md`

Keep working notes in notes/, inputs in reference/, and finished artifacts in deliverables/ or their authoritative repository. Use repo/ for repository handoff information and the existing archive folder for retired versions. AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md direct compatible assistants to the shared rules and project context.

Hand off or finish

Before changing assistants, save status and run /extract where supported. The next assistant should read those records before continuing. Verify its tool access separately; account permissions and runtime hooks belong to the application using them.

Session logs should preserve a summary and the available conversation, with export gaps stated explicitly. Full capture depends on the provider.

To close a project, verify its overall outcome, record where the final deliverable lives and name any remaining follow-up. Preserve the history when archiving it.

Process a meeting

Import the conversation with /get-transcripts, then run /process-transcripts. The first retrieves the source; the second creates a meeting note, updates related records and routes commitments.

Review three things before accepting the result:

Decisions. Did someone agree to the proposal, or merely discuss it?
Ownership. Is this your action, another person's internal task, or a dependency you need to track?
Uncertainty. Which names, dates or claims still need clarification?

“We could send a proposal Friday” should remain a possibility unless the conversation establishes a commitment. “The designer will send the files” belongs in Waiting if you are responsible for following up.

Keep the transcript linked to the meeting note. Let the processing workflow verify and complete the source transition so its records reflect what actually succeeded.

Check an import before running it

Use /get-transcripts --dry-run to see what would be retrieved, or --status to inspect importer progress. Select a configured source with --source granola, --source google or --source gemini.

/process-transcripts works interactively, one transcript at a time. --all selects batch processing. Review the source coverage and extraction setup before using it on a backlog.

Review your week

Run /weekly-review and work through its account of completed work, stalled items and upcoming commitments. Use --preview to inspect closure and promotion proposals before they become inbox review items.

For each active project, decide whether its next action still advances the outcome. For each Waiting item, decide whether to follow up, close it or change the dependency. Record those decisions so next week's review starts from current information.

A plan that no longer fits the work may need /pobo organize; a plan with questionable assumptions may need /pobo review. Suspected structural problems belong in /vault-improvements, which produces proposals for a separate decision.

Run a recurring procedure

Keep the reusable checklist in gtd/recurring/checklists/. Run /checklist {slug} to create this run's actions. Use --resume when continuing an existing run, and complete the actions rather than checking off the source template.

For example, a monthly-report checklist can generate actions to collect figures, explain variances, review the draft and distribute the approved report. Scheduling its next run requires a separate reminder or automation.

Keep useful material

A client's brand guide belongs with the client or project. A packing list belongs in GTD Reference. An article you intend to process belongs with captured sources in System.

When a source produces several kinds of work, separate them. For example, a customer interview might produce:

Result	Destination
The original conversation	System Transcripts.
Agreed requirements and the customer's context	Linked Atlas meeting and client records.
Your interpretation of a recurring problem	Intel Research or Syntheses, linked to the interviews.
A commitment to revise the onboarding guide	GTD Actions, linked to its project.

If the same kind of input recurs, use /define-source to establish its processing and retention. If you need a repeatable record shape, such as a book or vendor, use /define-object.

Skill directory

Invoke a skill through your app’s picker or ask for it by name. Availability depends on your installed release; the six optional extensions require separate installation.

Find a skill

26 standard · 6 optional

Get started

Set up your working profileonboarding

Checks the supported runtime, asks about your role and preferences, and guides you into a first project or daily note. Saves progress so you can resume setup.

Use --status to inspect setup or --update-profile to revise your context.

/onboarding

Work through a difficult topicunpack

Explains one idea at a time, checks your understanding and adjusts the depth before moving on. Bring a topic, document or plan you want to understand.

/unpack this project plan

Daily and weekly work

Choose today’s prioritiesdaily-ops

Reads daily notes, projects, actions and connected sources, then writes an Intel briefing with priorities and source coverage. Surfaces waiting items and unprocessed inputs that need attention.

Use --refresh after priorities change. --plan-only skips inbox surfacing.

/daily-ops

Review commitments and the coming weekweekly-review

Builds a briefing from completed work, active projects, waiting items and upcoming commitments. Adds proposed closures and promotions to your review queue.

Use --preview to see the proposals before adding inbox review items.

/weekly-review --preview

Run a recurring procedurechecklist

Turns an active checklist’s steps into dated actions linked to the procedure or project. The source template remains available for the next run.

Use --resume to continue an existing run. The named checklist must already exist.

/checklist monthly-report

Catch up on ClickUp activityteam-pulse

Combines task changes, comments and chat into a briefing related to your projects. Flags new work that may warrant a project.

Requires ClickUp access. Use --days 7 for a wider window; --dms includes direct messages. Reads ClickUp by default.

/team-pulse --days 7

Plan and deliver

Plan a multi-step projectpobo

Interviews you about purpose, outcome and constraints, then organizes the brainstorm into deliverable-sized phases. Creates the project brief, plan and status at the agreed location.

Use --lite for a small plan, organize to restructure one, or review to challenge its assumptions and gaps.

/pobo

Specify a deliverable before building itcreate-spec

Reads the project plan and clarifies inputs, constraints, exclusions and acceptance criteria. Saves the spec in the project and links it from status.

Name the project and phase. Settle unresolved acceptance criteria before handing the spec to a builder.

/create-spec

Give a growing action its own planpromote-to-project

Runs a short planning interview around an existing action, creates a project and keeps the action linked as its first step. Updates references where the meaning calls for the project.

Pass an existing action slug. --auto proposes candidates for your review.

/promote-to-project onboarding-guide

Build a branded HTML presentationdeck

Finds the brand system and existing deck conventions, then builds and checks the presentation for its audience and purpose. Uses the established publishing route when that is part of the task.

Provide a brand reference and destination. Missing brand or publishing conventions require a decision before building.

/deck

Work safely in a shared repositoryworkon

Creates an isolated working copy, reports other active sessions and hands completed changes off for review.

Use status to inspect active work and done to hand off. Requires the repository session tooling.

/workon example-repo improve-onboarding

Capture and connect knowledge

Retrieve original meeting conversationsget-transcripts

Imports transcripts from configured Granola, Google Meet or Notes by Gemini sources into System Intake. Checks known source identities to avoid repeat imports.

Default lookback: seven days. --dry-run previews, --status checks progress and --source selects an importer. Requires access to the service.

/get-transcripts --dry-run

Extract meeting outcomes and commitmentsprocess-transcripts

Uses Gemini extraction followed by factual review to create a meeting note, update related records and route actions by owner. Verifies outputs before marking the source complete.

Works one transcript at a time by default. --all selects a batch. Requires the extraction setup and access to the original transcripts.

/process-transcripts

Save an AI session for later referenceextract

Writes a summary of decisions and changed files alongside the available conversation. Links a summary made from an export back to that source.

Use --summarize {raw-file} for a known export or --auto for the latest unsummarized one. Capture coverage depends on the provider and should be stated in the record.

/extract

Format an Obsidian noteobsidian-markdown

Applies properties, wikilinks, embeds and callouts as appropriate to the note. Checks that internal links point to existing records.

Use obsidian-markdown to format this project note.

Extend Workdesk

Create a repeatable record typedefine-object

Defines the fields, source requirements, matching rules and lifecycle for something you repeatedly track, such as books or vendors. Saves the definition in Config.

/define-object book

Design a personal writing habitdefine-practice

Defines the naming, cadence, reading policy and optional template for a journal, reading log or similar practice. You create and write the entries.

/define-practice reading-log

Make a correction apply across workflowsdefine-rule

Turns a recurring correction or operating boundary into a rule with a clear scope, required behavior and examples. Checks the rule against the situations that prompted it.

/define-rule source-attribution

Define a recurring briefingdefine-signal

Specifies the question a briefing answers, the sources it reads, its output and cadence. Saves that contract in Config.

Scheduling is a separate step: identify the runner and verify an actual output.

/define-signal monthly-project-review

Define how an input gets processeddefine-source

Creates or revises an input’s identity, metadata, processing steps, destinations and retention rules. Checks which importer or processing components need to change.

A definition change leaves historical files in place unless migration is explicitly included.

/define-source screenshot

Connect an external tooldefine-tool

Sets up an approved CLI, connector or API, tests access and records working commands and limitations. Marks the tool connected only after the test passes.

Have the required account permissions ready. Keep credentials in the configured secret store.

/define-tool calendar

Maintain and recover

Investigate drift in the vaultvault-improvements

Reviews records, a bounded link sample and recurring failures. Produces sourced findings and proposed fixes for review.

Applying a proposal is a separate task.

/vault-improvements

Diagnose hooks and session captureworkdesk-doctor

Checks the documented safeguards, logging, entry scans, export behavior, latency and editor defaults. Saves results and repair guidance.

The documented checks target Claude Code. Verify other runtimes separately; Personal remains read-only during diagnostics.

/workdesk-doctor

Install a configuration releaseupdate

Compares installed and incoming files, walks through conflicts and takes a recovery snapshot before applying the selected changes.

Updates configuration, skills and supporting scripts. The Workdesk app/plugin has a separate update path.

/update

Report a bug or request a featurefeedback

Asks for the problem, its impact and the desired behavior, then files a structured GitHub issue through the authorized workflow.

Requires an authenticated GitHub CLI. Review the issue for private information before sharing it.

/feedback

Hand a blocked Claude task to Codexcodex-rescue

Records the objective, failed attempts, touched files and success criteria in a handoff brief. Runs the configured Codex environment and checks the returned work.

Requires an installed and authenticated Codex CLI.

/codex-rescue

Optional extensions

Plan a course from the learner’s outcomecourse-design

Defines what learners should be able to do and how they will demonstrate it, then organizes modules, lessons and required components. Produces an outline for the build.

Draft extension. Its output assumes a learning-library schema; adapt that schema for your destination.

Use course-design to plan a course on better meeting notes.

Write concise Claude instructionscreate-claude-md

Asks about the application, scope and work, then drafts a personal profile or project instructions for review.

Point project instructions to shared Workdesk rules where possible. Confirm the destination for your Claude application.

Use create-claude-md to write instructions for this project.

Capture your writing voicecreate-voice-skill

Studies your writing samples, identifies patterns and tests uncertain choices with short alternatives. Saves a reusable voice profile for future drafts.

Bring genuine samples across the formats you use. Exclude material you cannot share with the chosen environment.

Use create-voice-skill with these writing samples.

Prepare a podcast hostepisode-prep

Reads the show’s brief and interviews one host for their stories, positions and talking points. Saves a prep note for the episode.

Use episode-prep to interview me about this episode topic.

Build a recording outline from host prepepisode-outline

Combines prep notes into a sequence with speaking leads and production guidance. Labels newly proposed framing for approval.

Supply each host’s prep, or choose explicitly to proceed with one host’s material.

Use episode-outline to combine these host prep notes.

Connect existing knowledge noteslink-backfill

Previews links from eligible entity mentions to existing records. Can apply reviewed changes with backups while preserving source captures and existing markup.

Start with a bounded preview and resolve ambiguous names. Routine scope excludes Personal, raw sources and archives.

Use link-backfill to preview missing connections in this project.

Folder reference

Atlas

Sourced records about people, organizations, decisions and the work they own.

Folder or record	Use
`businesses/`	Business context and its initiatives.
`initiatives/`, within a business	Sustained improvement and its projects.
`projects/`, within a client or initiative	Bounded delivery in that scope.
`clients/`	Engagement scope, terms and delivery context.
`companies/`	Organization identity, including organizations without an engagement.
`people/`	Relationship context supported by sources.
`meetings/`	Conversation outcomes linked to transcripts.
`decisions/`	Decisions, their basis and affected work.

Business documents may cover offerings, pricing, customers, positioning, goals, brand identity and responsibilities. Client documents may include terms and a deliverable register. Keep these at the scope they describe.

GTD

Actions, dependencies and material retained for your own use.

Folder	Use
`inbox/`	Captures awaiting clarification and items needing review.
`actions/`	Your next executable steps.
`waiting/`	Dependencies you are tracking, with an owner and follow-up context.
`projects/`	Personal and standalone projects.
`recurring/checklists/`	Procedure templates.
`recurring/schedules/`	Recurring commitments and due dates.
`someday/`	Possibilities without a current commitment.
`reference/`	Personal reference, such as quotes, packing lists and saved examples.
`archive/`	Completed work and its history.

Intel

Agent-generated analysis, with sources and limitations visible.

Folder	Use
`concepts/`	Durable ideas and frameworks.
`research/`	Investigations and explanations.
`briefings/`	Time-specific views, including daily plans and weekly reviews.
`syntheses/`	Interpretation across sources and judgments about applicability.
`vault-improvements/`	Findings and proposed changes to Workdesk.
`reference/`, in older vaults	Material awaiting item-by-item classification.

System

Original inputs and the records of their processing.

Folder	Use
`intake/`	Inputs awaiting classification or processing completion.
`bookmarks/`	Captured articles and posts with source information.
`transcripts/`	Raw meeting conversations.
`session-log/`	AI conversations, summaries and processing receipts.
`processing/`	Coordination, deferred updates and recovery records.
`logs/` and `logs/events/`	Diagnostics and structured activity history.

Personal

Your own writing. daily/ holds daily notes; journal/ and other practices follow their declared naming and cadence. Agents may read relevant entries under your rules, but writing, editing and organizing this zone remain yours.

Config

Shared working instructions, definitions and application setup.

Item	Use
`operator-profile.md` and operator policy	Your context, preferences and operating agreements.
`rules/`	Constraints that apply across workflows.
`skills/`	Instructions for particular tasks.
`agents/`	Specialist roles.
`objects/`	Managed record formats.
`sources/`	Input formats, processing and retention rules.
`practices/`	Definitions for human-written habits.
`signals/`	Definitions for generated views and briefings.
`templates/`	Starting documents.
`tools/`	Integration setup and connection records.
`automations/`	References to schedules, runners and execution evidence.
`adapters/`	Application-specific wiring to shared instructions.
`scripts/` and `shell/`	Workflow programs and terminal helpers.
`appearance/`, `obsidian-defaults/`, `statusline/`	Styling, editor defaults and terminal status display.
`defaults/`	Baselines used to compare configuration during updates.
`source/`	Bundled product source material.
`state/`	Checkpoints and setup state; some state is host-local.
`VERSION`	Installed configuration release.

Edit the shared skill or rule at its authoritative location, then reload the application if needed. Keep private configuration and intentional overrides distinguishable from shipped defaults when reviewing updates. Assign each shared automation a runner so multiple devices do not execute the same job independently.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Next step
The assistant starts from outdated project context	Ask it to read the current brief and status before continuing.
The daily plan misses a commitment	Check the plan's source coverage, then the missing source's connection or date range.
A skill cannot be found	Check the installed catalog and the app's skill discovery; reload after configuration changes if required.
A listed integration fails	Verify the account and a small read operation in the application you are using.
Hooks or session capture behave unexpectedly	Run `/workdesk-doctor` in its supported runtime and follow the reported repair.
Two sessions conflict	Preserve both versions, resolve the current record, and separate subsequent work. Use `/workon` for shared repositories.
The vault uses `_brief.md` or nested action folders	Keep the installed conventions until a migration has checked links, readers and automations. This guide uses the newer names.
Configuration needs an update	Run `/update` and review conflicts. The app/plugin is updated separately.
You need to report a product problem	Use `/feedback` and review the issue for private information before sharing it.