second-brain-query

What the source does

• FilesystemNone observedNo reads or writes in the source
• NetworkNone observedNo outbound calls in the source
• ShellNone observedNo commands run in the source
• DependenciesPinnedNothing floats
• SecretsNone foundNo keys in source

Five audit layers

Gates applied: no behavioural pass, no license.

Audit 0.4.1 · source sha f7a1cdab60be · 23 Oct 2026Report an issue or request a re-scan

• Publishernicholasspisak GitHub userOwner of the repository this skill is read from
• Source foldernicholasspisak/second-brain/skills/second-brain-queryThe exact folder we audited
• LicenceNot declaredAs the repository states it
• Commit pinned for this verdictf7a1cdab60beA new audit runs when the source changes
• Repository statusNot archivedLast push 199 days ago
• Sandboxed runNot runSkills are read, not executed; layer L4 is skipped

Its description: Answer questions against the knowledge base wiki. Use when the user asks a question about their collected knowledge, wants to explore connections between topics, says "what do I know about X", or wants to search their…

---
name: second-brain-query
description: >
  Answer questions against the knowledge base wiki. Use when the user
  asks a question about their collected knowledge, wants to explore
  connections between topics, says "what do I know about X", or wants
  to search their wiki.
allowed-tools: Bash Read Write Edit Glob Grep
---

# Second Brain — Query

Answer questions by searching and synthesizing knowledge from the wiki.

## Search Strategy

### 1. Start with the index

Read `wiki/index.md` to identify relevant pages. Scan all category sections (Sources, Entities, Concepts, Synthesis) for entries related to the question.

### 2. Use qmd for large wikis

If `qmd` is installed (check with `command -v qmd`), use it for search:

```bash
qmd search "query terms" --path wiki/
```

This is especially useful when the wiki has grown beyond ~100 pages where scanning the index becomes inefficient.

### 3. Read relevant pages

Read the wiki pages identified by the index or search. Follow `[[wikilinks]]` to pull in related context from linked pages. Read enough pages to give a thorough answer, but don't read the entire wiki.

### 4. Check raw sources if needed

If the wiki pages don't fully answer the question, check relevant source summaries in `wiki/sources/` for additional detail. Only go to files in `raw/` as a last resort.

## Synthesize the Answer

### Format

Match the answer format to the question:
- **Factual question** → direct answer with citations
- **Comparison** → table or structured comparison
- **Exploration** → narrative with linked concepts
- **List/catalog** → bulleted list with brief descriptions

### Citations

Always cite wiki pages using `[[wikilink]]` syntax. Example:

> According to [[Source - Article Title]], the key finding was X. This connects to the broader pattern described in [[Concept Name]], which [[Entity Name]] has also explored.

### Offer to save valuable answers

If the answer produces something worth keeping — a comparison, analysis, new connection, or synthesis — offer to save it:

> "This comparison might be useful to keep in your wiki. Want me to save it as a synthesis page?"

If the user agrees:
1. Create a new page in `wiki/synthesis/` with proper frontmatter
2. Add an entry to `wiki/index.md` under Synthesis
3. Append to `wiki/log.md`: `## [YYYY-MM-DD] query | Question summary`

## Conventions

- **Search the wiki first.** Only go to raw sources if the wiki doesn't have the answer.
- **Cite your sources.** Every factual claim should link to the wiki page it came from.
- **Valuable answers compound.** Encourage saving good analyses back into the wiki.
- Use `[[wikilinks]]` for all internal references. Never use raw file paths.

## Related Skills

- `/second-brain-ingest` — process new sources into wiki pages
- `/second-brain-lint` — health-check the wiki for issues

Excerpt, first 2,844 characters of SKILL.md, verbatim from the audited commit. It is text from someone else’s repository, quoted so you can judge it before your agent reads it.

git clone https://github.com/nicholasspisak/second-brain
git -C second-brain checkout f7a1cdab60be

Works in

1. 2026-10-23
   ✓SAFE B 89 / 100

   first audit · source f7a1cdab60be

Questions about second-brain-query

• github.com/nicholasspisak/second-brain/tree/main/skills/second-b — the audited source at commit f7a1cdab60be and every finding aboveObserved · 23 Oct 2026

Spotted something wrong? Report a correction · Methodology