Playbook · Knowledge
Build a knowledge base¶
Turn things worth keeping — articles, decisions, how-tos — into short notes your future self (and your AI) can actually use. Works best with a vault.
Want to see the payoff before you start? See a finished example.
Option 1 — Install it once (recommended)¶
Download the knowledge playbook
Version 1 · July 2026 · Updates always land at this same link, and this page notes what changed.
Never give an AI a file you haven't looked inside. Here's everything in this one.
What's inside this zip (read before handing it to your AI)
Two plain-text files you can open yourself:
knowledge-base-skill/INSTALL.md— install instructions for your AI. Full text below.knowledge-base-skill/SKILL.md— the playbook itself, saved to your vault during install.
Full text of INSTALL.md, word for word:
# INSTALL.md — instructions for the AI agent
You have been given this folder by the person you are helping.
Your job: install the skill inside it so they can reuse it in any
future conversation, then offer to run it now.
Follow these steps exactly.
1. **Find their home base.** Ask: "Where do you keep your permanent
notes or project files? (This is often called a vault or
workspace.)" If they don't have one, offer to create a folder
called `Vault` in the current location and use that.
2. **Install the skill.** Copy `SKILL.md` from this folder to:
`<their vault>/Skills/knowledge-base/SKILL.md`
Create the `Skills` folder if it doesn't exist. Do not modify
the file. Do not touch anything else in their vault.
3. **Confirm out loud.** Tell them exactly this:
"Installed. From now on, just say **'Start my knowledge playbook'**
and I'll walk you through it — no download needed. If we're in a
brand-new conversation, say: *Read Skills/knowledge-base/SKILL.md
and start it.*"
4. **Offer to run it now.** If they say yes, open `SKILL.md` and
follow it from the top.
Safety rules: stay inside the folder the person chose, ask before
creating or overwriting any file, and never send anything anywhere
without showing it to them first.
Give the zip to your AI and send:
Locate the most recently downloaded copy of knowledge-base-skill.zip, extract it, open INSTALL.md, and follow the instructions inside.
From then on, just say:
What happens next: it asks what you're saving and why, where notes live in your vault, and what it should link to. It shows you the finished note before saving — nothing is written without your OK.
Option 2 — Quick copy-paste (any AI chat)¶
Interview me one question at a time: the source I want to keep,
why it matters to me in one line, and how I organize my notes.
Then write a short note: what the source says in plain language,
why it matters to me, and a final "Source" line with where it
came from and today's date. Show me the note before I save it.
Keep your own opinions out, or label them "my read."
Before you save it¶
- Future-you would understand this note cold.
- The source line is there.
- Nothing was added that isn't in the source.
You're done when¶
The note is short, sourced, and filed where you'll find it — and adding the next one feels easy.
If this helped
This playbook just gave your notes a system. If it helped, a small tip keeps every guide here free. Tip on Ko-fi
Pairs well with: Research a topic: finished briefs are exactly the kind of source worth saving.