alive:capture-context

Capture

Bring context in. The most important skill in the system.

If capture is hard, people skip it. If people skip it, the system dies. Capture must feel instant.

When It Fires

• File pasted or dropped into conversation
• Email forwarded or pulled via API
• Transcript from a call or meeting
• Screenshot shared
• Content pasted from another app
• API context pulled (Gmail, Slack, Calendar)
• Research completed during a session
• The human says "capture this" or "add this"
• Squirrel detects external content and offers to capture
• The human says "check inbox", "clear inputs", or "what's in my inbox"
• Capture is invoked with no obvious in-conversation content (triggers inbox scan — see below)

Capture is one of two operations that writes mid-session (the other is bundle drafts). Everything else waits for save.

Three Stages

Stage 0 — Detect and Classify (instant)

No processing. Just identification.

• ref_type — email, transcript, screenshot, document, message, article, research
• sensitivity — public, private, restricted (default: private)
• source — gmail, slack, web, manual, in-session

Stage 1 — Store Raw + Route to Bundle (always happens, non-negotiable)

Even if extraction fails or is skipped, the raw content is preserved.

Pre-capture check: Before proposing a destination, grep the target walnut's bundle manifests and brief.md files for the inbox filename. If found, the file is already referenced — route into that bundle's raw/ with a note "file was already cited by this bundle" rather than creating a duplicate reference elsewhere.

Routing decision: Check _kernel/now.json for an active bundle: field.

If active bundle exists — all three steps are mandatory, not optional:

1. Write raw file → {bundle}/raw/[name].[ext] with frontmatter added (type, date, source, squirrel — see type-specific templates below)
2. Update manifest → add entry to context_routes: list in {bundle}/context.manifest.yaml with path:, description:, type:, date: (see Manifest Enrichment below)
3. Add inline summary → append structured summary to manifest body (## Summary, ## Key Points, ## Action Items) so the raw file rarely needs to be re-read

Do not skip steps 2 or 3. A raw file without a manifest entry is invisible to the context system. A manifest entry without a summary means every future session has to re-read the raw file. Both waste tokens and lose context.

If no active bundle:

╭─ 🐿️ captured content — where does it go?
│
│   1. Create new bundle for this
│   2. Add to existing bundle: [list bundle names from walnut root]
│   3. Capture standalone (legacy _references/ style)
╰─

If creating a new bundle: scaffold {name}/context.manifest.yaml from templates/bundle/context.manifest.yaml, then route raw into its raw/.

If standalone (backward compat or no bundle fits): write to _inbox/raw/[name].[ext] with a minimal manifest entry. The _inbox bundle is a holding pen — route out at next save.

Manifest enrichment. Whether updating a bundle manifest or creating a standalone manifest, always write:

Frontmatter (scan tier) — the context_routes: entry in the bundle manifest includes:

• path: — relative path to raw file
• description: — one-line summary of what this contains
• type: — email, transcript, screenshot, document, message, article, research
• date: — when captured

Inline summary (read tier) — if the raw content is rich enough, add a structured summary to the bundle manifest body. Default sections:

• ## Summary — 2-5 sentences on what this is and why it matters
• ## Key Points — specific facts, data, claims
• ## Action Items — tasks, commitments, deadlines

Type-specific manifest templates (in templates/manifest/) can guide the summary structure. Use the template sections when one exists.

The summary should be detailed enough that you rarely need the raw file. Write it like someone who has 30 seconds to understand what this reference contains.

File naming: YYYY-MM-DD-descriptive-name.ext Garbage filenames (CleanShot timestamps, IMG_xxxx) get renamed on import.

Backward compat: If the walnut still uses _kernel/_references/, route there instead. The bundle routing is for walnuts that have bundles (detected by context.manifest.yaml files).

Stage 2 — Extract, Stash, Route (bounded, optional)

Extract actionable content. Bounded by content type — don't over-extract.

| Type | Extract | |------|---------| | Email | Tasks, commitments, deadlines, people mentioned | | Transcript | Decisions, action items, named entities, key quotes | | Screenshot | Visual analysis summary | | Document | Key claims, relevant sections, metadata | | Message | Action items, people, context | | Article | Key arguments, relevant quotes, source credibility | | Research | Synthesis, sources consulted, open questions |

Extracted items become stash items tagged with destination walnuts. They route at save, not immediately.

Stash insights from references. When extracting, actively look for powerful phrases, domain knowledge, and standing truths. These should be stashed as insight candidates — bold, quotable, evergreen. Not everything — just the stuff that would change how the squirrel operates in this walnut. Example: a transcript reveals "we always lose 2 weeks to regulatory review" → stash as insight candidate.

Two Speeds

Fast capture (default): Stage 0 + 1 only. Store raw, create manifest entry, index. Done. Instant.

Deep capture (on request or for rich content): Stage 0 + 1 + 2. Full extraction and routing.

The squirrel offers deep capture for content that's clearly rich:

╭─ 🐿️ captured — transcript from Jax (45 min)
│  Stored: bundles/shielding-review/raw/2026-02-23-jax-shielding-review.md
│  Bundle manifest updated (sources + summary)
│
│  This looks rich. Deep extract for decisions + tasks?
╰─

Inbox Scan Mode

When capture is invoked with no content in the conversation — no pasted text, no dropped file, no "capture this" — fall back to checking $WORLD_ROOT/03_Inbox/.

If empty: "Nothing to capture, and your inbox is clear."

If items exist, enter inbox scan:

1. List — scan $WORLD_ROOT/03_Inbox/ for non-system files (exclude .DS_Store, .gitkeep). Present numbered list with detected type and filename.
2. Process — for each selected item: read the file, suggest destination walnut + bundle, rename garbage filenames per conventions, present for confirmation or redirect.
3. Capture — route raw to the chosen bundle's raw/, update bundle context.manifest.yaml context_routes:, stash insights/tasks, remove original from $WORLD_ROOT/03_Inbox/. If no bundle fits, create one or use _inbox/.
4. Continue or stop — after each item: "N remaining. Next, or done for now?" Partial clearing is fine.

╭─ 🐿️ inbox (3 items)
│
│  1. quarterly-report.pdf          document
│  2. IMG_4892.jpg                  screenshot
│  3. meeting-notes-kai.txt         transcript
│
│  Pick one, several (1,3), or "all".
╰─

Explicit inbox triggers (skip content check): "check inbox", "clear inputs", "what's in my inbox".

The alive-inbox-check hook also nudges after every save if 03_Inbox/ has items — passive reminder without requiring the human to invoke capture.

Type-Specific Manifest Frontmatter

# Email
---
type: email
from: jax@novastation.space
to: you@example.com
subject: Shielding vendor shortlist
date: 2026-02-23
squirrel: 2a8c95e9
---

# Transcript
---
type: transcript
participants: [[name], Jax Stellara, Dr. Elara Voss]
duration: 45m
platform: Fathom
date: 2026-02-23
squirrel: 2a8c95e9
---

# Screenshot
---
type: screenshot
source: Competitor orbital pricing page
analysis: Three tiers, lowest at $450K per seat, no group discount visible
date: 2026-02-23
squirrel: 2a8c95e9
---

# Document
---
type: document
author: Dr. Elar