Knowledge Base Manager

A personal knowledge management system using Obsidian + Git for long-term learning and research. This skill helps you create atomic notes, manage project work, and maintain a well-linked knowledge base.

Repository Structure

```

knowledge-base/

├── atomic/ # Single-concept notes (core knowledge)

├── projects/ # Project-specific work (thesis, courses, etc.)

├── templates/ # Note templates for consistency

└── claude.md # Project instructions

```

Core Principles

Atomic Notes

Note Naming Convention

Linking Strategy

Note Status Indicators

Instructions

When working with this knowledge base:

Creating Atomic Notes

1. Check if related concepts already exist using Grep or Glob tools

2. Read the template from `templates/atomic_note.md`

3. Create new note in `atomic/` using lowercase_with_underscores naming

4. Include proper frontmatter (date, tags, status)

5. Start with "What is this?" summary

6. Add detailed notes with clear, concise explanations

7. List connections to existing notes using `[[note_name]]` syntax

8. Include questions for future exploration

9. Suggest related concepts to explore next

Creating Code Implementations

1. Place code in `projects/[project-name]/code/`

2. Explain what the code does conceptually first

3. Include docstrings explaining the concept

4. Add comments linking to relevant atomic notes (e.g., `# See [[atomic_note_name]]`)

5. Reference mathematical formulations from atomic notes

6. Keep functions small and well-documented

Managing Project Work

1. Create project folder: `projects/[project-name]/`

2. Reference atomic notes for reusable concepts

3. Keep project-specific notes separate from general knowledge

4. Link back to atomic notes rather than duplicating content

Git Commit Messages

Use this format:

```

Type: Brief description

Types:

```

Examples:

Content Creation Approach

1. Go step-by-step, waiting for confirmation before proceeding

2. Present one logical section at a time

3. Explain the "why" before the "how"

4. Build up complexity gradually

5. For mathematical concepts, start simple and build up detail incrementally

6. Include code examples when relevant

Constraints

Example Usage

**User:** "Explain the REML criterion and create a note for it"

**Assistant:**

1. Search for existing notes on REML, maximum likelihood, or related statistical concepts

2. Read `templates/atomic_note.md` template

3. Create `atomic/reml_criterion.md` with:

- Frontmatter (date, tags: #statistics #estimation, status: 🌿)

- Simple "What is this?" explanation

- Mathematical formulation

- Connection to `[[maximum_likelihood]]` and other related notes

- Questions for future exploration

4. Suggest related concepts like restricted maximum likelihood vs full maximum likelihood