--- name: Braindump slug: braindump category: Writing description: Braindump captures stream-of-consciousness notes and turns them into structured analysis with themes, questions, decisions, and strategic insights. Use it when you want to get ideas out quickly and sort them by domain. github: "https://github.com/huytieu/COG-second-brain/tree/main/skills/braindump" language: HTML stars: 930 forks: 110 install: "npx degit https://github.com/huytieu/COG-second-brain/tree/main/skills/braindump ~/.claude/skills/braindump" installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/braindump source_path: skills/braindump/SKILL.md collection_size: 25 category_size: 1012 collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/huytieu/COG-second-brain" added: 2026-08-22T05:20:30.290Z last_synced: 2026-08-22T05:20:30.290Z canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/braindump" --- # Braindump Braindump captures stream-of-consciousness notes and turns them into structured analysis with themes, questions, decisions, and strategic insights. Use it when you want to get ideas out quickly and sort them by domain. **Install:** ```bash npx degit https://github.com/huytieu/COG-second-brain/tree/main/skills/braindump ~/.claude/skills/braindump ``` ## README # 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:** 1. Look for `00-inbox/MY-PROFILE.md` in the vault 2. 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? ``` 3. 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):** 1. Run `date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M'` using Bash to get the actual current date and time 2. Store this value and use it for ALL timestamp fields (`created:` frontmatter AND filename `HHMM` component) 3. NEVER guess or fabricate the time — always use the value returned by the `date` command ## 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: ```markdown --- 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-.md` - **Professional:** `03-professional/braindumps/braindump-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM-.md` - **Project:** `04-projects/[project-slug]/braindumps/braindump-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM-.md` - **Mixed:** `00-inbox/braindump-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM-.md` ### 5. Competitive Intelligence Extraction If competitive intelligence detected (mentions of companies/people from watchlist): Create/update: `04-projects/[project]/competitive/[company-slug].md` ```markdown --- 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: `true` or `false` - Numbers should NOT be quoted unless they are string identifiers - Ensure proper YAML syntax to prevent parsing errors in Obsidian **Examples:** ```yaml # 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