llm-wiki

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---
name: llm-wiki
description: >
  The foundational knowledge distillation pattern for building and maintaining an AI-powered Obsidian wiki.
  Based on Andrej Karpathy's LLM Wiki architecture. Use this skill whenever the user wants to understand the
  wiki pattern, set up a new knowledge base, or needs guidance on the three-layer architecture (raw sources →
  wiki → schema). Also use when discussing knowledge management strategy, wiki structure decisions, or how
  to organize distilled knowledge. This is the "theory" skill — other skills handle specific operations
  (ingesting, querying, linting).
---

# LLM Wiki — Knowledge Distillation Pattern

You are maintaining a persistent, compounding knowledge base. The wiki is not a chatbot — it is a **compiled artifact** where knowledge is distilled once and kept current, not re-derived on every query.

## Three-Layer Architecture

### Layer 1: Raw Sources (immutable)

The user's original documents — articles, papers, notes, PDFs, conversation logs, bookmarks, **and images** (screenshots, whiteboard photos, diagrams, slide captures). These are never modified by the system. They live wherever the user keeps them (configured via `OBSIDIAN_SOURCES_DIR` in `.env`). Images are first-class sources: the ingest skills read them via the Read tool's vision support and treat their interpreted content as inferred unless it's verbatim transcribed text. Image ingestion requires a vision-capable model — models without vision support should skip image sources and report which files were skipped.

Think of raw sources as the "source code" — authoritative but hard to query directly.

Don't confuse this with the in-vault `_raw/` staging folder, which is a different thing: a scratch inbox for quick captures and drafts awaiting promotion (see `wiki-capture` and `wiki-ingest`). Files there aren't Layer 1 sources, but `wiki-ingest` still moves rather than deletes them on promotion, since some have no other copy.

### Layer 2: The Wiki (LLM-maintained)

A collection of interconnected Obsidian-compatible markdown files organized by category. This is the compiled knowledge — synthesized, cross-referenced, and navigable. Each page has:

- YAML frontmatter (title, category, tags, sources, timestamps)
- Obsidian `[[wikilinks]]` connecting related concepts
- Clear provenance — every claim traces back to a source

The wiki lives at the path configured via `OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH` in `.env`.

### Layer 3: The Schema (this skill + config)

The rules governing how the wiki is structured — categories, conventions, page templates, and operational workflows. The schema tells the LLM *how* to maintain the wiki.

## Wiki Organization

The vault has two levels of structure: **categories** (what kind of knowledge) and **projects** (where the knowledge came from).

### Categories

Organize pages into these default categories (customizable in `.env`):

| Category | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| `concepts/` | Ideas, theories, mental models | `concepts/transformer-architecture.md` |
| `entities/` | People, orgs, tools, projects | `entities/andrej-karpathy.md` |
| `skills/` | How-to knowledge, procedures | `skills/fine-tuning-llms.md` |
| `references/` | Summaries of specific sources; academic papers use the Paper Deep-Dive Template (below) | `references/attention-is-all-you-need.md` |
| `synthesis/` | Cross-cutting analysis across sources | `synthesis/scaling-laws-debate.md` |
| `journal/` | Timestamped observations, session logs | `journal/2024-03-15.md` |

### Projects

Knowledge often belongs to a specific project. The `projects/` directory mirrors this:

```
$OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH/
├── projects/
│   ├── my-project/
│   │   ├── my-project.md      ← project overview (named after project)
│   │   ├── concepts/          ← project-scoped category pages
│   │   ├── skills/
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── another-project/
│   │   └── ...
│   └── side-project/
│       └── ...
├── concepts/                   ← global (cross-project) knowl