Seed

EXECUTE NOW

Target: $ARGUMENTS

The target MUST be a file path. If no target provided, list {DOMAIN:inbox}/ contents and ask which to seed.

Step 0: Read Vocabulary

Read ops/derivation-manifest.md (or fall back to ops/derivation.md) for domain vocabulary mapping. All output must use domain-native terms. If neither file exists, use universal terms.

START NOW. Seed the source file into the processing queue.

Step 1: Validate Source

Confirm the target file exists. If it does not, check common locations:

• {DOMAIN:inbox}/{filename}
• Subdirectories of {DOMAIN:inbox}/

If the file cannot be found, report error and stop:

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ERROR: Source file not found: {path}
Checked: {locations checked}

Read the file to understand:

• Content type: what kind of material is this? (research article, documentation, transcript, etc.)
• Size: line count (affects chunking decisions in /reduce)
• Format: markdown, plain text, structured data

Step 2: Duplicate Detection

Check if this source has already been processed. Two levels of detection:

2a. Filename Match

Search the queue file and archive folders for matching source names:

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SOURCE_NAME=$(basename "$FILE" .md | tr ' ' '-' | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')

# Check queue for existing entry
# Search in ops/queue.yaml, ops/queue/queue.yaml, or ops/queue/queue.json
grep -l "$SOURCE_NAME" ops/queue*.yaml ops/queue/*.yaml ops/queue/*.json 2>/dev/null

# Check archive folders
ls -d ops/queue/archive/*-${SOURCE_NAME}* 2>/dev/null

2b. Content Similarity (if semantic search available)

If semantic search is available (qmd MCP tools or CLI), check for content overlap:

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mcp__qmd__search query="claims from {source filename}" limit=5

Or via keyword search in the {DOMAIN:notes}/ directory:

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grep -rl "{key terms from source title}" {DOMAIN:notes}/ 2>/dev/null | head -5

2c. Report Duplicates

If either check finds a match:

• Show what was found (filename match or content overlap)
• Ask: "This source may have been processed before. Proceed anyway? (y/n)"
• If the user declines, stop cleanly
• If the user confirms (or no duplicate found), continue

Step 3: Create Archive Structure

Create the archive folder. The date-prefixed folder name ensures uniqueness.

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DATE=$(date -u +"%Y-%m-%d")
SOURCE_BASENAME=$(basename "$FILE" .md | tr ' ' '-' | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
ARCHIVE_DIR="ops/queue/archive/${DATE}-${SOURCE_BASENAME}"
mkdir -p "$ARCHIVE_DIR"

The archive folder serves two purposes:

1. Permanent home for the source file (moved from {DOMAIN:inbox})
2. Destination for task files after batch completion (/archive-batch moves them here)

Step 4: Move Source to Archive

Move the source file from its current location to the archive folder. This is the claiming step — once moved, the source is owned by this processing batch.

{DOMAIN:inbox} sources get moved:

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if [[ "$FILE" == *"{DOMAIN:inbox}"* ]] || [[ "$FILE" == *"inbox"* ]]; then
  mv "$FILE" "$ARCHIVE_DIR/"
  FINAL_SOURCE="$ARCHIVE_DIR/$(basename "$FILE")"
fi

Sources outside {DOMAIN:inbox} stay in place:

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# Living docs (like configuration files) stay where they are
# Archive folder is still created for task files
FINAL_SOURCE="$FILE"

Use $FINAL_SOURCE in the task file — this is the path all downstream phases reference.

Why move immediately: All references (task files, {DOMAIN:note_plural}' Source footers) use the final archived path from the start. No path updates needed later. If it is in {DOMAIN:inbox}, it is unclaimed. Claimed sources live in archive.

Step 5: Determine Claim Numbering

Find the highest existing claim number across the queue and archive to ensure globally unique claim IDs.

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# Check queue for highest claim number in file references
QUEUE_MAX=$(grep -oE '[0-9]{3}\.md' ops/queue*.yaml ops/queue/*.yaml 2>/dev/null | \
  grep -oE '[0-9]{3}' | sort -n | tail -1)
QUEUE_MAX=${QUEUE_MAX:-0}

# Check archive for highest claim number
ARCHIVE_MAX=$(find ops/queue/archive -name "*-[0-9][0-9][0-9].md" 2>/dev/null | \
  grep -v summary | sed 's/.*-\([0-9][0-9][0-9]\)\.md/\1/' | sort -n | tail -1)
ARCHIVE_MAX=${ARCHIVE_MAX:-0}

# Next claim starts after the highest
NEXT_CLAIM_START=$((QUEUE_MAX > ARCHIVE_MAX ? QUEUE_MAX + 1 : ARCHIVE_MAX + 1))

Claim numbers are globally unique and never reused across batches. This ensures every claim file name ({source}-{NNN}.md) is unique vault-wide.

Step 6: Create Extract Task File

Write the task file to ops/queue/${SOURCE_BASENAME}.md:

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---
id: {SOURCE_BASENAME}
type: extract
source: {FINAL_SOURCE}
original_path: {original file path before move}
archive_folder: {ARCHIVE_DIR}
created: {UTC timestamp}
next_claim_start: {NEXT_CLAIM_START}
---

# Extract {DOMAIN:note_plural} from {source filename}

## Source
Original: {original file path}
Archived: {FINAL_SOURCE}
Size: {line count} lines
Content type: {detected type}

## Scope
{scope guidance if provided via --scope, otherwise: "Full document"}

## Acceptance Criteria
- Extract claims, implementation ideas, tensions, and testable hypotheses
- Duplicate check against {DOMAIN:notes}/ during extraction
- Near-duplicates create enrichment tasks (do not skip)
- Each output type gets appropriate handling

## Execution Notes
(filled by /reduce)

## Outputs
(filled by /reduce)

Step 7: Update Queue

Add the extract task entry to the queue file.

For YAML queues (ops/queue.yaml):

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- id: {SOURCE_BASENAME}
  type: extract
  status: pending
  source: "{FINAL_SOURCE}"
  file: "{SOURCE_BASENAME}.md"
  created: "{UTC timestamp}"
  next_claim_start: {NEXT_CLAIM_START}

For JSON queues (ops/queue/queue.json):

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{
  "id": "{SOURCE_BASENAME}",
  "type": "extract",
  "status": "pending",
  "source": "{FINAL_SOURCE}",
  "file": "{SOURCE_BASENAME}.md",
  "created": "{UTC timestamp}",
  "next_claim_start": {NEXT_CLAIM_START}
}

If no queue file exists: Create one with the appropriate schema header (phase_order definitions) and this first task entry.

Step 8: Report

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--=={ seed }==--

Seeded: {SOURCE_BASENAME}
Source: {original path} -> {FINAL_SOURCE}
Archive folder: {ARCHIVE_DIR}
Size: {line count} lines
Content type: {detected type}

Task file: ops/queue/{SOURCE_BASENAME}.md
Claims will start at: {NEXT_CLAIM_START}
Claim files will be: {SOURCE_BASENAME}-{NNN}.md (unique across vault)
Queue: updated with extract task

Next steps:
  /ralph 1 --batch {SOURCE_BASENAME}     (extract claims)
  /pipeline will handle this automatically

Why This Skill Exists

Manual queue management is error-prone. This skill:

• Ensures consistent task file format across batches
• Handles claim numbering automatically (globally unique)
• Checks for duplicates before creating unnecessary work
• Moves sources to their permanent archive location immediately
• Provides clear next steps for the user

Naming Convention

Task files use the source basename for human readability:

• Task file: {source-basename}.md
• Claim files: {source-basename}-{NNN}.md
• Summary: {source-basename}-summary.md
• Archive folder: {date}-{source-basename}/

Claim numbers (NNN) are globally unique across all batches, ensuring every filename is unique vault-wide. This is required because wiki links resolve by filename, not path.

Source Handling Patterns

{DOMAIN:inbox} source (most common):

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{DOMAIN:inbox}/research/article.md
    | /seed
    v
ops/queue/archive/2026-01-30-article/article.md  <- source moved here
ops/queue/article.md                               <- task file created

Living doc (outside {DOMAIN:inbox}):

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CLAUDE.md -> stays as CLAUDE.md (no move)
ops/queue/archive/2026-01-30-claude-md/           <- folder still created
ops/queue/claude-md.md                             <- task file created

When /archive-batch runs later, it moves task files into the existing archive folder and generates a summary.

Edge Cases

Source outside {DOMAIN:inbox}: Works — source stays in place, archive folder is created for task files only.

No queue file: Create ops/queue/queue.yaml (or .json) with schema header and this first entry.

Large source (2500+ lines): Note in output: "Large source ({N} lines) -- /reduce will chunk automatically."

Source is a URL or non-file: Report error: "/seed requires a file path."

No ops/derivation-manifest.md: Use universal vocabulary for all output.

Critical Constraints

never:

• Skip duplicate detection (prevents wasted processing)
• Move a source that is not in {DOMAIN:inbox} (living docs stay in place)
• Reuse claim numbers from previous batches (globally unique is required)
• Create a task file without updating the queue (both must happen together)

always:

• Ask before proceeding when duplicates are detected
• Create the archive folder even for living docs (task files need it)
• Use the archived path (not original) in the task file for {DOMAIN:inbox} sources
• Report next steps clearly so the user knows what to do next
• Compute next_claim_start from both queue AND archive (not just one)