Atlas / Skills / agenticnotetaking / Help

HelpSAFE

skills/agenticnotetaking/help

Claude Code plugin that generates individualized knowledge systems from conversation. You describe how you think and work, have a conversation and get a complete second brain as markdown files you own.

Verdict
SAFE
Grade
B
Trust score
89 /100
Version
1.0
Hosts
—
License
MIT
Stars
3,492
01

Overview

Claude Code plugin that generates individualized knowledge systems from conversation. You describe how you think and work, have a conversation and get a complete second brain as markdown files you own.

Read from source at commit 9eccf964e924OBSERVED · 2026-10-07
02

What it tells the agent

The instruction file, verbatim from the audited commit — this is the text the model reads, and the surface the audit's instruction layer examines. Quoted here so you can judge it without cloning anything.

---
name: help
description: Contextual guidance and command discovery. Three modes — narrative (first-time), contextual (mid-task), compact (quick reference). Shows available commands, active skills, and intelligent suggestions based on vault state. Triggers on "/help", "what can I do", "show commands", "how does this work".
user-invocable: true
allowed-tools: Read, Grep, Glob, Bash
version: "1.0"
generated_from: "arscontexta-v1.6"
---

## EXECUTE NOW

**Target: $ARGUMENTS**

Parse immediately:
- If target contains `--compact`: force compact mode regardless of vault state
- If target contains a skill name (e.g., "help reduce" or "help reflect"): show detailed help for that specific skill
- If target is empty: determine mode from vault state

**Execute these steps:**

1. Gather vault state (Step 1)
2. Resolve domain vocabulary (Step 2)
3. Determine mode (Step 3)
4. Discover commands dynamically (Step 4)
5. Render the appropriate mode (Step 5)

**START NOW.** Reference below defines each step.

---

## Step 1: Gather Vault State

Determine the **notes folder** by checking which domain-named directory exists (notes/, reflections/, concepts/, ideas/, decisions/, memories/, or any custom name from derivation-manifest.md). Then gather counts:

- **Note count:** `.md` files in the notes folder, excluding MOCs (files with `type: moc` in frontmatter)
- **Inbox count:** `.md` files in the inbox folder (inbox/, journal/, encounters/, etc.)
- **Observation count:** `.md` files in `ops/observations/` or `ops/methodology/`
- **Tension count:** `.md` files in `ops/tensions/`
- **Connection density:** count wiki links (`[[`) across notes folder; sparse if fewer than 2x note count
- **Queue state:** pending tasks in `ops/queue/queue.yaml` or `ops/queue/queue.json`
- **Health warnings:** check latest report in `ops/health/` if it exists
- **Tutorial state:** check `ops/tutorial-state.yaml` for incomplete tutorial
- **Session count:** estimate from `ops/sessions/` file count (indicates usage maturity)

```bash
# Quick state gathering
note_count=$(ls -1 {vocabulary.notes}/*.md 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
inbox_count=$(ls -1 {vocabulary.inbox}/*.md 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
obs_count=$(ls -1 ops/observations/*.md ops/methodology/*.md 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
tension_count=$(ls -1 ops/tensions/*.md 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
```

## Step 2: Resolve Domain Vocabulary

Read `ops/derivation-manifest.md` (or fall back to `ops/derivation.md` Vocabulary Mapping section). Extract domain-native names for: reduce, reflect, reweave, verify, rethink, note, MOC, inbox. If neither file exists, use universal names.

For display, show domain name with universal in parentheses when they differ:
```
  /{domain:reduce} (reduce)   Extract patterns from journal entries
```

If domain name equals universal name, show just the name:
```
  /reduce   Extract insights from source material
```

## Step 3: Determine Mode

| Condition | Mode |
|-----------|------|
| `--compact` in arguments | Compact |
| Specific skill name in arguments | Skill detail |
| Note count < 5 | Narrative |
| Note count >= 5 | Contextual |

## Step 4: Discover Commands

Scan `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/` dynamically:
- Subdirectories containing `SKILL.md` (e.g., `reduce/SKILL.md`)

Extract `name:` and `description:` from each frontmatter. Do NOT hardcode the command list.

**Command categories:**

| Category | Commands | When to Show |
|----------|----------|-------------|
| Core | /ask, /learn, /next, /help | Always |
| Processing | /reduce, /reflect, /reweave, /verify | Always (all skills from day one) |
| Maintenance | /health, /rethink, /remember | Always |
| Evolution | /architect, /reseed, /add-domain, /upgrade | Always |
| Meta | /tutorial, /graph, /stats | Always |

## Step 5: Render

### NARRATIVE MODE (note count < 5)

This is the first impression. The user is new or nearly new. Explain what the system IS before listing what it DOES.

**What narrative mode communicates:**
1. What Ars Contexta is (one sentence)
2. What THEIR system was built to do (read from ops/derivation.md if available)
3. What they can do RIGHT NOW (concrete actions, not abstract possibilities)
4. How the system grows with them

```
--=={ ars contexta : help }==--

Your knowledge system is ready. It turns thoughts
into a connected graph where every note compounds
the value of every other note.

[If ops/derivation.md exists:]
Your system: [domain description from derivation]

Getting started:

  Tell me a thought, observation, or question.
  I will turn it into a note and show you what
  the system does with it.

  Or try one of these:

  /ask [question]    Ask about [domain] -- I will
                     answer from your graph
  /learn [topic]     Research [topic] and grow
                     your graph with findings
  /tutorial          Walk through the system
                     step by step (5 minutes)

As your graph grows, you will use:
  /reduce [source]   Extract insights from articles,
                     notes, or any raw material
  /reflect           Find connections between notes
  /health            Check your system's health

Your system also learns from experience:
  /remember             Capture when something goes wrong
                        (your system remembers corrections)
  /ask [question]       Ask about [domain] -- answers draw
                        from 249 methodology notes AND your
                        system's own methodology notes

Type /help anytime for guidance.
```

**Manual reference (if manual/ exists):**
If the vault contains a `manual/` directory, add to the narrative output:
```
  For a deeper guide, read manual/getting-started.md
  or explore the full manual in manual/manual.md.
```

**Key principles for narrative mode:**
- Conversational, not list-like
- Show the easiest entry point first ("tell me a thought")
- Group commands by when the user would need them, not alphabetically
- Reference the user's actu
03

Trust audit

SAFEgrade B · trust 89/100 Nothing in the source contradicts what it says it does. Grade A is reserved for packages that have also passed the behavioural sandbox.

LayerWhat it checksResult
L0Provenance & inventoryPASS
L1Static analysis of the codeNA
L2Instruction surface (what it tells the agent)PASS
L3Class-specific surfacePASS
L4Behavioural (sandbox)SKIPPED

What the source does

Filesystem
none-observed
Network
none-observed
Shell
none-observed
Dependencies
pinned
Secrets in source
none-found

Findings (0)

No findings outside the package's declared scope.

Gates applied: no_behavioural_pass.

Audited 2026-10-07 · audit v0.4.1 · source sha 9eccf964e924full audit observations/trust-audit/skill/agenticnotetaking__help.json · Report an issue / request a re-scan
04

Audit history

Every audit this skill has had.

DateSourceVerdictGradeScoreChange
2026-10-079eccf964e924SAFEB89first audit
05

Questions

What does the Help skill do?

Claude Code plugin that generates individualized knowledge systems from conversation. You describe how you think and work, have a conversation and get a complete second brain as markdown files you own.

Is Help safe to install?

The audit found nothing in the source that contradicts what it says it does, and graded it B (89/100). Grade A is held back for packages that have also passed a sandboxed behavioural run, which is why a clean skill reads B.

What can Help access on my machine?

The audit observed no filesystem, network or shell use at all in its source.

How current is this page?

The grade is for one exact copy of the source (9eccf964e924), read on 2026-10-07. The repository is watched, and a new audit runs when it changes — this is the first audit.

Advertisement