/ingest

name: ingest
description: Route content to specialized ingestion skills. Detects input type and delegates.
triggers:
  - "ingest this"
  - "save this to brain"
  - "process this meeting"
tools:
  - search
  - get_page
  - put_page
  - add_link
  - add_timeline_entry
  - sync_brain
mutating: true
writes_pages: true
writes_to:
  - people/
  - companies/
  - concepts/
  - meetings/
  - sources/

Ingest Skill

Ingest meetings, articles, media, documents, and conversations into the brain.

> **Filing rule:** Read `skills/_brain-filing-rules.md` before creating any new page.

Contract

• Every fact written to a brain page carries an inline `[Source: ...]` citation with date and provenance.
• Every entity mention creates a back-link from the entity's page to the page mentioning them (Iron Law).
• Raw sources are preserved for provenance via `gbrain files upload-raw` with automatic size routing.
• State sections are rewritten with current best understanding, never appended to.
• After the user's explicit automatic-capture opt-in (see `skills/signal-detector/SKILL.md`), entity detection fires on every substantive inbound message; notable entities get pages or updates. Without that opt-in, capture only what the user asks to save.
• Notability gate before any new entity page: existing pages are updated, and a NEW page is

created only for a notable entity and only with meaningful content from web search or existing brain context — no stubs. A non-notable mention stays an inline reference on the page that mentions it.

> **Convention:** See `skills/conventions/quality.md` for Iron Law back-linking.

Every mention of a person or company with a brain page MUST create a back-link FROM that entity's page TO the page mentioning them. An unlinked mention is a broken brain. See `skills/_brain-filing-rules.md` for format.

Citation Requirements (MANDATORY)

Every fact written to a brain page must carry an inline `[Source: ...]` citation.

• **User's statements:** `[Source: User, {context}, YYYY-MM-DD]`
• **Meeting data:** `[Source: Meeting "{title}", YYYY-MM-DD]`
• **Email/message:** `[Source: email from {name} re: {subject}, YYYY-MM-DD]`
• **Web content:** `[Source: {publication}, {URL}, YYYY-MM-DD]`
• **Social media:** `[Source: X/@handle, YYYY-MM-DD](URL)` (include link)
• **Synthesis:** `[Source: compiled from {sources}]`

Phases

> **Router note:** This skill is a router. For specialized ingestion, see: idea-ingest, media-ingest, meeting-ingestion.

1. **Parse the source.** Extract people, companies, dates, and events from the input. 2. **For each entity mentioned:**

• Read the entity's page from gbrain to check if it exists
• If exists: update compiled_truth (rewrite State section with new info, don't append)
• If new: check notability gate, then store the page in gbrain with the appropriate type and slug

3. **Append to timeline.** Add a timeline entry in gbrain for each event, with date, summary, and source citation. 4. **Create cross-reference links.** Link entities in gbrain for every entity pair mentioned together, using the appropriate relationship type. 5. **Back-link all entities.** Update EVERY mentioned entity's page with a back-link to this page (Iron Law). 6. **Timeline merge.** The same event appears on ALL mentioned entities' timelines. If Alice met Bob at Acme Corp, the event goes on Alice's page, Bob's page, and Acme Corp's page.

Entity Detection on Every Message (after opt-in)

Automatic capture is off by default. Once the user has explicitly opted in to automatic capture for this brain (the stored choice `skills/signal-detector/SKILL.md` checks before writing), production agents detect entity mentions on every substantive inbound message. This is the signal detection loop that makes the brain compound over time. Without the opt-in, write only what the user asks to save.

Protocol

1. **Scan the message** for entity mentions: people, companies, concepts, original thinking. With the opt-in recorded, fire on every substantive message (skip purely operational ones and honor narrower per-message instructions). 2. **For each entity detected:**

• `gbrain search "name"` -- does a page already exist?
• **If yes:** load context with `gbrain get <slug>`. Use the compiled truth to

inform your response. Update the page if the message contains new information.

• **If no:** assess notability (see `skills/_brain-filing-rules.md`). If the entity

is worth tracking, create a new page with `gbrain put <type/slug>` and populate with what you know. 3. **After creating or updating pages:** sync to gbrain:

   gbrain sync --no-pull --no-embed

4. **Don't block the conversation.** Entity detection and enrichment should happen alongside the response, not before it. The user shouldn't wait for brain writes to get an answer.

What counts as notable

• People the user interacts with or discusses (not random mentions)
• Companies relevant to the user's work or interests
• Concepts or frameworks the user references or creates
• The user's own original thinking (ideas, theses, observations) -- highest value
• See `skills/_brain-filing-rules.md` for the full notability gate

What to capture from the user's own thinking

Original thinking is the most valuable signal. Capture exact phrasing -- the user's language IS the insight. Don't paraphrase.

• Novel observations or theses
• Frameworks, mental models, heuristics
• Connections between ideas that others miss
• Contrarian positions with reasoning
• Strong reactions to external stimuli (what triggered it and why)

Media Workflows

Content the user encounters should be captured in the brain. File by PRIMARY SUBJECT, not by format (see `skills/_brain-filing-rules.md`).

Articles & Web Content

**Input:** URL shared by user, or article mentioned in conversation.

**Process:** 1. Fetch content (`web_fetch` or equivalent) 2. Extract: title, author, publication, date,