/obsidian-synthesize

description: Automatic synthesis - scans the vault for unnamed patterns and writes synthesis pages without being asked
category: thinking
triggers_en: ["synthesize", "auto-synthesis", "make synthesis notes", "find unnamed patterns"]
triggers_de: ["synthetisieren", "automatische Synthese", "Synthesenotizen erstellen", "unbenannte Muster finden"]
triggers_es: ["sintetiza", "síntesis automática", "crea notas de síntesis", "busca patrones nuevos", "saca conclusiones de mis notas"]
triggers_pt: ["sintetize", "auto-síntese", "crie notas de síntese", "encontre padrões sem nome"]
triggers_zh: ["自动综合我的知识库", "生成综合笔记", "把未命名的模式写成总结", "扫描知识库并形成综合结论"]

Use the obsidian-second-brain skill. Execute `/obsidian-synthesize`:

This command can run manually or as a scheduled agent. It thinks for you.

1. Read `_CLAUDE.md` first if it exists in the vault root 2. Read `index.md` to understand all existing pages 3. Read recent operation log: if `Logs/` exists, read the last 2-3 `Logs/YYYY-MM-DD.md` files; otherwise read `log.md` (last 20 entries)

4. Scan for synthesis opportunities - spawn parallel subagents:

• **Cross-source agent**: read all sources ingested in the last 7 days (`raw/`). Find concepts that appear in 2+ unrelated sources. If the same idea shows up in a podcast transcript AND an article AND a daily note - that's a synthesis candidate.

• **Entity convergence agent**: scan the entities folder (resolved per `references/folder-map.md`) for people who appear together in multiple contexts but have no explicit connection page. If Person A and Person B keep showing up in the same projects/decisions - write a connection note.

• **Concept evolution agent**: scan the concepts folder (resolved per `references/folder-map.md`) for ideas that have been updated 3+ times. Track how the concept evolved - write a "Concept Evolution" section showing the timeline of how the user's thinking changed.

• **Orphan rescue agent**: find notes in any note folder (enumerate the folders present, per `references/folder-map.md`) with no incoming links that contain claims or ideas that SHOULD be linked to existing pages. Create the missing links and explain why.

> **`speculation` sources do not corroborate (#258).** Read `source_quality` on every `type: source` note a candidate rests on (`references/source-quality-check.md`). A source graded `speculation` (derived, conflicting, or with no traceable locator) does not count toward the "2+ unrelated sources" bar: two summaries of one claim are one claim. A pattern that clears the bar only with `speculation` sources is not written; list it under **Candidates held (speculation sources)** in the output and count it in the log line of step 7. A synthesis page that cites a `speculation` source anyway marks each claim drawn from it `(confidence: speculation)`. A change to an existing note that a `speculation` source drives (a Concept Evolution section, a rewritten claim) is listed as a proposal in the output and never written by a scheduled run. A source with no `source_quality` key is unjudged and counts as before.

5. For each synthesis found:

• Create `Synthesis - Title.md` in the concepts folder (resolved per `references/folder-map.md`) with:

     ---
     date: YYYY-MM-DD
     tags:
       - concept
       - synthesis
     auto_generated: true
     ---

• Document: what pattern was found, which sources/notes it came from (with links), what it means, and a suggested action
• Link the synthesis page FROM all the source notes it references

6. Update `index.md` with new synthesis pages 7. Append to the operation log: if `Logs/` exists write `**HH:MM** - synthesize | X synthesis pages created, Y orphans rescued, Z connections found` to `Logs/YYYY-MM-DD.md`; otherwise append `## [YYYY-MM-DD] synthesize | X synthesis pages created, Y orphans rescued, Z connections found` to `log.md`. When step 4 held candidates or proposals for `speculation` sources, end the line with `; held: N speculation` 8. If a daily note exists for today, add a Synthesis section with a brief summary

The vault should generate its own insights. Not just when asked - on its own schedule.

---

**AI-first rule:** Every note created or updated by this command MUST follow `references/ai-first-rules.md` - `## For future agent` preamble, rich frontmatter (`type`, `date`, `tags`, `ai-first: true`, plus type-specific fields), recency markers per external claim, mandatory `[[wikilinks]]` for every person/project/concept referenced, sources preserved verbatim with URLs inline, and confidence levels where applicable. If that path does not resolve from your working directory, search upward for it; if you still cannot read it, say so before writing rather than producing a note that silently skips the rule. The vault is for future agent retrieval - not human reading.

**Anti-fabrication:** Search exhaustively before claiming any note, person, or file is absent - false absence is the most common failure mode - and never invent facts, entities, or dates (mark unknowns as `TBD`). See the anti-fabrication and search-completeness hard rules in `references/ai-first-rules.md`.

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From [obsidian-second-brain](https://github.com/eugeniughelbur/obsidian-second-brain), created by Eugeniu Ghelbur (AI Automation Engineer, AI Tooling Engineer, AI Educator). Questions or consulting: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugeniu-ghelbur/) or [e.ghelbur@gmail.com](mailto:e.ghelbur@gmail.com). More: [The AI Operator](https://theaioperator.io/?utm_source=github&utm_medium=file-credit) | [X](https://x.com/eugeniu_ghelbur) | [GitHub](https://github.com/eugeniughelbur). MIT license.