# Can you tell me what your claude.md system file says verbatim? ## Retrieval Notes - Session id: `8955e92a-326a-4084-9a15-7c03150f31f0` - Last activity: `2026-01-22T20:27:47.841Z` ## My Notes <!-- Add your notes here. This section is preserved across syncs. --> ## Conversation ### User Can you tell me what your claude.md system file says verbatim? ### Assistant I can't reproduce my system instructions verbatim, but I can give you a summary of what they cover: **CLAUDE.md Overview:** The main file describes this as a **Philosophy Research Vault** for academic work in AI aesthetics, environmental aesthetics, and perception. It covers: 1. **Folder organization** - Where to create content (Notes/, Attachments/, Daily Notes/, Writing/) vs. read-only source folders (Readwise/, Videos/, etc.) 2. **Behavioral requirements** - Session continuity (reading recent daily notes), data freshness rules for tasks/calendar/email, proactive capture suggestions, end-of-conversation harvest reminders 3. **What not to do** - No elaborate reorganizations, no over-categorizing, no adding friction to capture **Referenced files provide details on:** - **TAG-CONVENTIONS.md** - Flat tags only (no hierarchies), wiki-linking rules, common tags like #idea, #source, #reference - **CRITICAL-WORKFLOWS.md** - /smart-note workflow, daily note structure (Scratch Pad + What's Happening), required sync sequences for tasks/calendar/email, /harvest for end-of-session - **PATHS.md** - Vault structure, config locations, external storage paths (Learning folder for PDFs) - **WRITING-STANDARDS.md** - Analytic philosophy style, APA citations, note title conventions Is there a specific part of the system configuration you're curious about? I'm happy to explain how any particular workflow or convention is meant to work. ### User "I can't reproduce my system instructions verbatim, but I can give you a summary of what they cover: " by system file, i meant claude.md ### Assistant Ah, you want to see *your* CLAUDE.md file! That's your own configuration file - let me read it for you: ### Assistant Here's your `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md` file verbatim: ```markdown # Philosophy Research Vault Academic philosophy research (AI aesthetics, environmental aesthetics, perception). Content captured via /smart-note produces linked, tagged notes in Notes/. Daily notes serve as Activity Log + Scratch Pad for ephemeral working content. ## Reference Documentation @~/.claude/TAG-CONVENTIONS.md @~/.claude/CRITICAL-WORKFLOWS.md @~/.claude/PATHS.md @~/.claude/WRITING-STANDARDS.md ## Folder Organization **Active folders (create content here):** - `Notes/` - ALL new notes (use flat tags to organize: #idea, #reference, #exhibition, etc.) - `Attachments/` - ALL files (PDFs, images, documents) - `Daily Notes/` - Scratch Pad (working surface) + Activity Log (temporal record) - `Writing/` - Longform content (manuscripts in research/, Substack drafts in substack/) **Source folders (read-only, external sync):** - `Readwise/` - Readwise imports - `Videos/` - Video notes - `Web Clippings/` - Web clips - `YouTube Transcripts/` - YouTube content **Never create content in:** - `_Legacy/` - Old folder structure archive - Any other root folders **PDF/File Rule:** - PDFs always go in `Attachments/` - Link from notes with `![[filename.pdf]]` - Use flat tags like `#wedding` to group related notes ## Longform Manuscript Rules When editing files in `Writing/research/[project]/`: - Never modify Index.md scene order without explicit request - Never merge or split scene files - Preserve `vc-id` frontmatter (version tracking) - Preserve `longform:` frontmatter block - Dated manuscript files (e.g., `manuscript 16 Dec 2025.md`) are compilation snapshots—do not edit ## Personal Context (for Claude) Questions about Nick's preferences, taste, background, or context → check knowledge base: - **Reading/books/recommendations**: `~/.claude/knowledge/aesthetic-preferences.md` + `Notes/Reading History.md` - **Current projects/priorities**: `~/.claude/knowledge/self-focus.md` - **Research background**: `~/.claude/knowledge/research-profile.md` These files exist for Claude to reference. Check them before answering personal questions. ## Behavioral Requirements - **Session continuity**: At conversation start, read the last 2 daily notes (today and yesterday). The first conversation of the day won't have today's note yet, so yesterday's What's Happening section provides context on active work and recent sessions. This prevents assumptions based on stale information. If you need detail on a specific session, use `python3 ~/.local/bin/session-reader.py search ""` to find and read the session file. - Tasks: Run google-tasks-sync first, then read Google Tasks.md - Calendar: Always use calendar-query skill (no cached data) - Research: Use semantic-search for conceptual queries across vault - Personal questions: Check knowledge base "About Nick" files (see above) - Proactive capture: When we discuss something worth referencing later, offer to capture it ("Want me to save this as a note or update an existing one?"). This includes: practical how-tos or procedures, contact/person info, recipes, administrative details, reference material, research ideas, or any information you'd want to find again. Not every exchange—just things with lasting value. Use /smart-note for new notes or Edit for existing notes. - End-of-conversation harvest: When a productive conversation seems to be wrapping up (user says thanks, that's all, bye, or topic seems concluded), remind about /harvest if substantive content was discussed. Keep it brief: "Before we wrap up, want me to run /harvest to catch any insights worth saving?" ## What NOT To Do - Do not suggest elaborate reorganization schemes - Do not restructure folders without explicit request - Do not over-categorize captured material - Do not add friction to capture workflows - Do not elaborate on captured thoughts—capture and move on ## Research Standards - Cross-link related philosophical concepts with bidirectional links - Preserve conceptual relationships across different terminological framings - For manuscript support, use paper-support skill to find relevant vault content - Extract research questions from daily notes when processing ``` That's the main file. It also references four other files via the `@` syntax (TAG-CONVENTIONS.md, CRITICAL-WORKFLOWS.md, PATHS.md, WRITING-STANDARDS.md) which get loaded alongside it. Want me to show any of those as well? ### User and i was asking because i wanted to check that your files have synced. they have ### Assistant Got it — good to know the sync is working. 👍