How This Works
📋 How This Second Brain Works
Philosophy
This is a living knowledge base — it grows, gets refined, and links together over time.
Claude acts as the note-taker, organizer, and navigator across all conversations, not just
this project. You bring the knowledge and ideas; Claude structures, links, and maintains them.
Scope: All Claude Chats
The Second Brain is fed by every Claude conversation, not just this project.
| Chat Source | Behavior |
|---|---|
| This project (Second Brain) | Configure the system, process queued items, review structure |
| Other Claude Projects | Each project may have its own repo (e.g. Halden City). Notes relevant to that project go there; knowledge that is general goes to second-brain |
| General Claude chats (no project) | Content is prepped for upload here; tell Claude "save this to second brain" at any time |
Cross-Repo Rule
If a topic belongs to a specific project repo (e.g. world-building for Halden City), notes go there first, with a summary link added to the Second Brain master map. The Second Brain serves as the index of everything — not a duplicate.
Folder Conventions
| Folder | Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| `notes/` | Substantive notes by topic | `notes/programming/python.md` |
| `inbox/` | Quick captures, unprocessed | Raw ideas, links, phone captures |
| `maps/` | Navigation overviews | `maps/master-map.md` |
| `journal/` | Session logs, dated entries | `journal/2026-03-31.md` |
| `resources/` | External references | Bookmarks, citations |
| `meta/` | System docs | This file, conventions, repo index |
Device Workflow
💻 From Computer
- Claude has filesystem access via the Windows MCP tool
- Notes are written and updated in real time during or after conversation
- Run `sync.bat` or `sync.ps1` to push to GitHub after a session
📱 From Phone
- Claude cannot write to the filesystem
- Chat title is prefixed with `QUEUED-` as a flag
- A summary block is placed at the top of the chat for easy copy-paste later
- When back at computer: tell Claude "process queued items" or paste the conversation
Frontmatter (REQUIRED)
Because this repository is built as a dynamic React SPA on Cloudflare Pages, every markdown file must include YAML frontmatter. The central dashboard and navigation rely entirely on this metadata.
```yaml
title: [Human Readable Title, e.g. "My Great Note"]
domain: [Optional relevant domain, e.g. "health"]
status: [active, paused, or loop]
tags:
- [tag-name]
```
Note: Always use `status: loop` or a `loop` tag for items that need to surface on the dashboard's "Open Loops" list.File Naming
- Lowercase, hyphen-separated: `my-topic-name.md`
- Dates in ISO format: `2026-03-31.md`
- Topic maps end in `-map.md`: `maps/programming-map.md`
- Notes nested by topic: `notes/category/subject.md`
Updating the Master Map
Whenever a new major topic is introduced, Claude will:
1. Create or update a note in `notes/`
2. Create a topic map in `maps/` if the topic is broad
3. Add an entry to `maps/master-map.md`
4. Cross-link to relevant other notes and repos
Repo Index
Other repositories Claude is aware of and may route notes to:
| Repo | Location | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `second-brain` | `D:\Kaleb\second-brain` · GitHub | This knowledge base — master index |
| `halden-city` | (confirm local path) · (confirm GitHub URL) | World-building project |
> To add a repo: tell Claude the name, local path, and GitHub URL.
Session Log Convention
At the end of a productive session, Claude may write a brief journal entry to `journal/YYYY-MM-DD.md` noting what was discussed and what files were changed. This creates a searchable history.
Last updated: 2026-03-31