workspace-Ramsey Agent Rules Audit

Markdown files audited in workspace-Ramsey

workspace-Ramsey AGENTS.md files reviewed

Brain instruction layers cross-referenced

Verdict

Recommendation: Keep workspace-Ramsey as an active operating vault. Do a targeted rules cleanup, add one local writing skill, and keep AGENTS.md files as lightweight routing contracts. Avoid importing Brain's full frontmatter, MOC, Raw, and source-index system into Ramsey work.

Keep

Folder-local rules

Root AGENTS gives the operating contract. Local guides shape Current, Context, Concepts, Ingest, Outputs, and Templates.

Tighten

Rule consistency

Several small contradictions create agent drift: memory scope, source trail policy, status fields, meeting tags, and stale paths.

Borrow

Brain's skill pattern

Move markdown mechanics into a vault-local skill so root AGENTS stays readable and agents get repeatable writing behavior.

Deep audit findings

Area	Finding	Recommendation
1 Memory	Root AGENTS tells agents to store completed-work facts in MEMORY.md, while the same file later says to skip session ephemera. The log already carries completed-work history.	Make memory durable-only. Put completed work, audits, migrations, and source trails in System/log.md.
2 Paths	System/Memory/MEMORY.md still names `/Users/huntsyea/Documents/workspace-ramsey`. The active path is the iCloud vault. Current/Strategy/AGENTS.md references `/Users/hunter.yeagley/...`.	Replace stale absolute paths with vault-relative paths where possible. Use absolute paths only for cross-vault references that agents cannot resolve.
3 Tags	Actual meeting notes use `context/meeting`, but the root current tag list omits it and Context/AGENTS.md gives meeting guidance without a tag or template.	Add `context/meeting` to the root tag list and create a minimal meeting template, or classify meetings as `context/note`. The cleaner move is to keep `context/meeting`.
4 Status	The root and templates say only task templates use status. `Current/Strategy/F1P & Ask Ramsey Strategy - First Draft.md` uses scalar `status: draft`.	Define draft lifecycle for strategy drafts, or remove status from strategy drafts. If kept, make it a scalar draft field for documents and keep task status as a list.
5 Provenance	Log entries say source sections were removed from context notes, but Concept template still has Sources and several active/context notes still have Source Trail sections.	Use a three-tier rule: source trails live in Ingest and active drafts, citations can live in Outputs, stable Context entities carry Related links and log-backed provenance.
6 Templates	Templates include static `created` and `updated` values while AGENTS says the plugin owns those fields.	Let templates include plugin tokens or omit timestamps. Static template timestamps look like real note dates after creation.
7 Tooling	Root AGENTS is shell-specific: rg, qmd, nl, git. That is useful for local agents but weaker for Hermes file-tool sessions.	Keep preferred CLI tools, but phrase as a tool ladder: exact search, semantic search if available, focused line reads, validation. Agents can map to their available tools.
8 iCloud	One daily note returned `Resource deadlock avoided`. Targeted brctl fixed one file. Another needs the documented iCloud retry ladder.	Add a short iCloud materialization note to root or System/Memory/MEMORY.md because this vault is iCloud-backed.

Brain cross-reference

Patterns worth borrowing

Local skill layer: Brain keeps markdown mechanics in .agents/skills/markdown-writer. workspace-Ramsey should add .agents/skills/workspace-writer for Obsidian syntax, voice, wikilinks, and note shape.
Do the work posture: Brain's best rules are simple: act when clear, avoid boilerplate, be simple, match Hunter's voice.
Published artifact discipline: Brain uses status and source for saved plans/prototypes. workspace-Ramsey can apply that only to reusable Outputs and active strategy drafts.
Retired bucket clarity: Brain explicitly names retired folders. workspace-Ramsey should name deprecated patterns instead: no type frontmatter, no title-as-name fields, no archive-by-default processing.

Patterns to avoid importing wholesale

Brain frontmatter: workspace-Ramsey intentionally uses official Obsidian tags and avoids type. Keep that difference.
Flat Notes plus Areas: Brain is a broad knowledge base. Ramsey work benefits from Context, Current, Entities, Concepts, and Outputs.
Raw/source-index rigor: Useful for research ingestion. Heavy for active workplace notes unless source volume grows.
No H1 convention: Brain's no-H1 policy is clean for evergreen notes. workspace-Ramsey templates currently use H1s, which is fine for active working notes if kept consistent.

Recommended improvement plan

Do now

1. Patch the root contract

Fix the memory directive wording.
Add context/meeting to tags.
Replace stale path language.
Add a concise provenance rule.
Add an iCloud read-retry note.

Do now

2. Add a local writer skill

Create .agents/skills/workspace-writer/SKILL.md.
Mirror it to .claude/skills/workspace-writer/SKILL.md if Claude Code is used in the vault.
Move markdown syntax, wikilinks, source policy, and note shape examples out of root AGENTS.

Decide

3. Clarify draft lifecycle

Option A: only tasks use status. Remove draft status from strategy files.
Option B: strategy drafts use scalar status. Document allowed values in Current/Strategy/AGENTS.md.
Recommendation: Option B for active strategy drafts and Outputs, task status stays list-shaped.

Copy-ready rule snippets

Root AGENTS.md replacement: Memory Directive

## Memory Directive

Read `System/Memory/USER.md` and `System/Memory/MEMORY.md` before substantive answers or edits.

Use `System/Memory/MEMORY.md` for durable workspace conventions, environment facts, project structure, and tool lessons that should guide future work.

Use `System/Memory/USER.md` for durable Hunter profile, preferences, communication style, workflow habits, and corrections.

Use `System/log.md` for completed work, migrations, meaningful ingests, audits, and source provenance.

Save only facts that should always be in context. Skip trivial facts, raw data dumps, temporary debugging details, session ephemera, and anything better represented in current notes, templates, folder guides, or the log.

Keep entries compact, information-dense, and separated by `§`. Prefer replacing or consolidating related entries over appending.

Root AGENTS.md addition: Provenance Rule

## Provenance Rule

Keep source trails where they help active work or future verification.

- `Ingest/`: preserve raw source context until processed.
- `Current/`: keep source links when they help active drafting or decisions.
- `Context/`: keep subject notes clean; use `Related` links and log-backed provenance instead of long source trails.
- `Concepts/`: include `Sources` only when external or internal references materially inform the concept.
- `Outputs/`: include enough source context for the output to be reused safely.

Current/Strategy/AGENTS.md addition: Draft Lifecycle

## Draft Lifecycle

Strategy drafts may use scalar `status` when the document has a real review lifecycle.

Allowed values:

- `draft`
- `review`
- `sent`
- `superseded`

Task notes still use list-shaped task status from `Current/AGENTS.md`.

Recommended local skill outline

---
name: workspace-writer
description: Create and edit workspace-Ramsey Obsidian notes with the vault's lightweight active-work conventions.
---

# workspace-Ramsey Writer

Use for any markdown note creation or edit in workspace-Ramsey.

## Operating posture

- Act when the intent is clear.
- Prefer improving the current working surface over creating new structure.
- Keep writing direct, concise, and useful for Hunter's active work.
- Avoid meta commentary, correction notes, boilerplate, em dashes, emojis, and contrastive antithesis.

## Placement

- `Ingest/` for unprocessed capture.
- `Current/` for active work, daily notes, strategy, and tasks.
- `Context/` for stable supporting context, meetings, narratives, and entities.
- `Concepts/` for durable idea maps.
- `Outputs/` for reusable AI-generated synthesis, questions, drafts, and analysis.
- `System/` for templates, memory, and log.

## Frontmatter

Use official Obsidian `tags`. Do not add `type`. Let the Obsidian plugin own created and updated timestamps.

Validation notes

YAML/tag audit found no parse errors among readable files.
Actual tag set includes context/meeting, which root AGENTS does not document.
No workspace note currently uses Brain-style type frontmatter.
One iCloud-backed daily note returned Resource deadlock avoided during audit. This is a materialization issue, not a structural vault issue.

Audited sources: workspace-Ramsey root and folder AGENTS, workspace templates, workspace memory files, current priorities, System/log.md, Brain root AGENTS, Brain Notes AGENTS, and Brain markdown-writer local skill.