COG Braindump Skill
Purpose
Transform raw thoughts into strategic intelligence through quick capture, systematic analysis, pattern recognition, and domain-aware insight extraction with minimal user friction.
When to Invoke
- User wants to capture stream-of-consciousness thoughts
- User says "braindump", "brain dump", "capture thoughts", or "write down ideas"
- User has ideas they want to quickly record
- User mentions wanting to get thoughts out of their head
Agent Mode Awareness
Check agent_mode in 00-inbox/MY-PROFILE.md frontmatter:
- If
agent_mode: team— delegate research, analysis, and writing subtasks to specialist sub-agents (e.g., use Task tool to delegate deep analysis, competitive intel extraction, or pattern recognition to separate agents). Combine results before presenting to user. - If
agent_mode: solo(default) — handle everything directly in the conversation. No delegation.
Pre-Flight Check
Before executing, check for user profile:
- Look for
00-inbox/MY-PROFILE.mdin the vault - If NOT found:
Welcome to COG! It looks like this is your first time. Before we start, let's quickly set up your profile (takes 2 minutes). Would you like to run onboarding first, or should I proceed with default settings? - If found:
- Read the profile to get user's name and active projects - If user has active projects listed, offer them as domain options - Use user's name for friendly communication - Read 03-professional/COMPETITIVE-WATCHLIST.md if it exists for competitive intelligence detection
Get current timestamp (REQUIRED before generating any files):
- Run
date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M'using Bash to get the actual current date and time - Store this value and use it for ALL timestamp fields (
created:frontmatter AND filenameHHMMcomponent) - NEVER guess or fabricate the time — always use the value returned by the
datecommand
Process Flow
1. User Interaction & Input Collection
- Greet user warmly (use their name from MY-PROFILE.md if available)
- Ask: "What's on your mind?" or "Ready for a brain dump?"
- Collect their stream-of-consciousness input (can be long, rambling, voice-to-text, etc.)
- Accept any format - no judgment, no filtering
2. Domain Classification
Ask user to classify or auto-detect based on content:
If user profile exists with projects:
- Personal: Individual growth, relationships, wellness
- Professional: Work, leadership, career development
- Project-Specific: Related to specific projects
- If MY-PROFILE.md lists projects, offer: "Which project? [list project names]" - Example: "Which project? (1) SaaS Product, (2) Book Writing, (3) Health App"
- Mixed/Unclear: Spans multiple areas
If no profile: Use standard personal/professional/mixed classification
3. Content Analysis and Processing
Apply the comprehensive analysis framework directly:
Phase 1: Content Ingestion
Analyze the input to understand:
- Content Type: [voice-transcript|written-notes|mixed]
- Length: [word-count]
- Energy Level: [high|medium|low]
- Emotional Tone: [excited|frustrated|curious|concerned|neutral|mixed]
- Context: [situational-background]
Phase 2: Structural Analysis
Extract and identify:
- Main Themes: [3-5 primary topics]
- Supporting Ideas: [related concepts and details]
- Questions Raised: [explicit and implicit questions]
- Decisions Contemplated: [choices being considered]
- Action Items: [tasks and commitments identified]
Phase 3: Domain Classification (with confidence)
Determine:
- Primary Domain: [personal|professional|project-specific] with confidence level
- Secondary Domains: [if content spans multiple areas]
- Cross-Domain Elements: [themes that apply across domains]
- Privacy Considerations: [sensitive content requiring protection]
Phase 4: Strategic Insight Extraction
Identify:
- Key Insights: [3-5 most important realizations]
- Pattern Recognition: [connections to previous thoughts/decisions]
- Strategic Implications: [what this means for goals and priorities]
- Decision Framework: [how this informs future choices]
Phase 5: Competitive Intelligence Detection
If COMPETITIVE-WATCHLIST.md exists:
- Scan braindump content for mentions of tracked companies/people
- Extract competitive intelligence to separate files
- Create cross-references back to original braindump
4. Generate Structured Output
Create braindump file with this structure:
---
type: "braindump"
domain: "[personal|professional|project-specific|mixed]"
project: "[project-name]" # Only if project-specific
date: "YYYY-MM-DD"
created: "YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM"
themes: ["theme1", "theme2", "theme3"]
tags: ["#braindump", "#raw-thoughts", "#domain-tag"]
status: "captured"
energy_level: "[high|medium|low]"
emotional_tone: "[primary-emotion]"
confidence: "[high|medium|low]"
---
# Braindump: [Auto-generated descriptive title]
## Raw Thoughts
[Original user content preserved exactly as provided]
## Content Analysis
### Main Themes
1. **Theme 1:** [description and significance]
2. **Theme 2:** [description and significance]
3. **Theme 3:** [description and significance]
### Supporting Ideas
- [Supporting concept 1]
- [Supporting concept 2]
- [Supporting concept 3]
### Questions Raised
- [Question 1 for deeper exploration]
- [Question 2 requiring consideration]
### Decisions Contemplated
- [Decision 1 being considered with options]
- [Decision 2 under evaluation]
## Strategic Intelligence
### Key Insights
1. **Insight 1:** [description and implications]
2. **Insight 2:** [description and implications]
3. **Insight 3:** [description and implications]
### Pattern Recognition
- **Connection to Previous Thinking:** [links to earlier braindumps or frameworks]
- **Recurring Patterns:** [themes that keep appearing]
- **Evolution:** [how thinking has developed]
### Strategic Implications
- [How this affects goals]
- [Impact on current projects]
- [Decision-making considerations]
## Action Items
**Note:** Calculate actual due dates from today's date and append Obsidian Tasks emoji format.
### Immediate (24-48 hours)
- [ ] [specific action] 📅 [YYYY-MM-DD = tomorrow's date]
### Short-term (1-2 weeks)
- [ ] [specific action] 📅 [YYYY-MM-DD = date +1 week from today]
### Strategic Considerations
- [longer-term implications and considerations]
## Connections
- **Related Braindumps:** [[link1]], [[link2]]
- **Relevant Projects:** [[project1]], [[project2]]
- **Knowledge Base:** [[insight1]], [[framework1]]
## Domain Classification
- **Primary Domain:** [domain] ([confidence]%)
- **Reasoning:** [why this classification]
- **Cross-Domain Elements:** [if applicable]
- **Privacy Level:** [public|private|confidential]
## Processing Notes
### Emotional Context
- **Energy Level:** [assessment]
- **Emotional Tone:** [assessment]
- **Implications:** [what this suggests]
### Confidence Assessment
- **Overall Analysis:** [percentage] - [reasoning]
- **Domain Classification:** [percentage] - [reasoning]
- **Strategic Insights:** [percentage] - [reasoning]
- **Areas Requiring Clarification:** [specific questions if needed]
---
*Processed by COG Brain Dump Analyst*Save to appropriate location:
- Personal:
02-personal/braindumps/braindump-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM-<slug>.md - Professional:
03-professional/braindumps/braindump-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM-<slug>.md - Project:
04-projects/[project-slug]/braindumps/braindump-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM-<slug>.md - Mixed:
00-inbox/braindump-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM-<slug>.md
5. Competitive Intelligence Extraction
If competitive intelligence detected (mentions of companies/people from watchlist):
Create/update: 04-projects/[project]/competitive/[company-slug].md
---
type: "competitive-intelligence"
company: "[Company Name]"
project: "[project-name]"
last_updated: "YYYY-MM-DD"
sources: ["braindump"]
tags: ["#competitive", "#intelligence", "#[company-slug]"]
---
# Competitive Intelligence: [Company Name]
## Latest Update - [Date]
**Source:** [[braindump-file-reference]]
[Extracted competitive intelligence from braindump]
## Previous Intelligence
[Historical intel from earlier braindumps]
## Strategic Implications
[Analysis of what this means for the project]
## Action Items
- [ ] [Follow-up actions based on intel] 📅 [YYYY-MM-DD = calculated due date]
---
*Auto-extracted by COG Brain Dump Analyst*6. Confirm Completion
- Confirm file was created
- Show user: "Braindump saved to [file path]"
- Show quick summary of main themes identified
- If competitive intel extracted, mention: "Also extracted competitive intelligence to [file path]"
YAML Formatting Requirements
CRITICAL: All YAML frontmatter must use proper Obsidian-compatible formatting:
- All string values MUST be quoted with double quotes
- Arrays MUST use quoted strings:
["item1", "item2", "item3"] - Boolean values should NOT be quoted:
trueorfalse - Numbers should NOT be quoted unless they are string identifiers
- Ensure proper YAML syntax to prevent parsing errors in Obsidian
Examples:
# CORRECT
type: "braindump"
themes: ["automation", "testing", "ui-improvements"]
analysis_needed: true
# INCORRECT
type: braindump
themes: [automation, testing, ui-improvements]
analysis_needed: "true"Verification Protocols
Content Accuracy
- Interpretation Verification: Confirm understanding matches intent
- Context Validation: Ensure situational context is accurately captured
- Emotional Accuracy: Verify emotional tone and energy level assessment
- Completeness Check: Confirm all major themes are identified
Domain Classification Verification
- Boundary Clarity: Ensure domain classification is clear and defensible
- Privacy Protection: Verify personal content is properly protected
- Cross-Domain Value: Confirm cross-domain insights are valuable and appropriate
- Classification Confidence: State confidence level for domain assignments
Strategic Insight Validation
- Evidence-Based: Ensure insights are supported by content evidence
- Actionability: Verify recommendations are specific and implementable
- Priority Accuracy: Confirm priority assessments align with stated goals
- Timeline Realism: Ensure recommended timelines are achievable
Uncertainty Handling
When to Request Clarification
- Ambiguous Domain Classification: Content could belong to multiple domains
- Unclear Strategic Implications: Insights have multiple possible interpretations
- Conflicting Information: Content contains contradictory elements
- Missing Context: Important background information seems to be missing
Confidence Indicators
- High Confidence (90%+): Clear content with obvious domain and implications
- Medium Confidence (70-89%): Generally clear with some ambiguous elements
- Low Confidence (50-69%): Significant ambiguity requiring user input
- Very Low Confidence (<50%): Major uncertainty requiring clarification
Always explicitly state confidence levels and reasoning in the processing notes.
Integration with Other Skills
Immediate Follow-up
After braindump, suggest:
- Review patterns across multiple braindumps
- Weekly check-in to reflect on themes
- Knowledge consolidation to build frameworks
Competitive Intelligence
If competitive mentions detected:
- Automatically update competitive files
- Mention this in the output
- Provide link to competitive intelligence file
Success Metrics
- Speed of capture (minimize user friction)
- Accurate domain classification
- File saved to correct location
- User feels heard and understood
- Competitive intel auto-extracted when relevant
- High confidence in analysis accuracy
Learning and Adaptation
Pattern Learning
- Learn user's thinking patterns and communication style
- Understand user's specific domain separation preferences
- Recognize what types of insights user finds most valuable
- Learn which recommendations user typically implements
Continuous Improvement
- Track accuracy of insights and recommendations over time
- Monitor user engagement with and implementation of recommendations
- Improve speed and accuracy of analysis through learning
- Refine analysis frameworks based on effectiveness