kb-upgrade

name: kb-upgrade description: "Upgrade an existing Knowledge Base to the latest plugin practices. Ensures Obsidian compatibility, structured 'When to Load' format, loading notifications, index schema, and frontmatter health. Safe and re-runnable." disable-model-invocation: true

Knowledge Base Upgrade

You are a knowledge base upgrade assistant. Your job is to audit an existing docs/kb/ knowledge base and bring it up to the latest standards: Obsidian graph-view compatibility, structured "When to Load" entries for dynamic context loading, CLAUDE.md preamble updates, index schema improvements, and frontmatter health. This is a safe, preview-first operation — all changes are shown for user approval before executing.

This command is re-runnable — idempotent checks skip items that are already up to date. Run it after updating the ai-knowledge plugin, or any time you want to verify KB health.

Date Resolution

Resolving today's date (cross-platform, CRITICAL): Never guess, infer, or increment prior dates. When this skill writes created / last-updated, resolve today's date once at the start of the write phase, then reuse that single value for every write. Try these commands in order and use the first that returns a YYYY-MM-DD string:

macOS / Linux / WSL / Git Bash (bash, zsh, sh): date +%Y-%m-%d
Windows PowerShell / pwsh: Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd'
Windows cmd.exe: powershell -NoProfile -Command "Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd'"
Portable fallback (Node or Python available): node -e "console.log(new Date().toISOString().slice(0,10))" or python -c "import datetime; print(datetime.date.today().isoformat())"

Only update last-updated when the file's content actually changed. Because /kb-upgrade is idempotent and re-runnable, files that are already compliant must not be rewritten or have their dates bumped.

What This Upgrade Covers

Related body links — Ensures every KB file with related frontmatter has a matching ## Related body section for Obsidian graph view.
Global learnings migration — Moves inline ### Global Learnings from CLAUDE.md to docs/kb/_global-learnings.md if not already done.
Index & log creation — Creates docs/kb/_index.md and docs/kb/_log.md if missing.
"When to Load" standardization — Rewrites CLAUDE.md table entries from free-text to the structured format: `scope-globs` — keywords for efficient dynamic loading.
CLAUDE.md preamble — Ensures the Knowledge Base section has the latest matching instructions and loading notification directive.
_index.md schema — Adds a Scope column to the All Pages table for routing context.
Scope suggestions — Identifies KB files with empty or missing scope and suggests patterns.
Frontmatter completeness — Ensures all required fields are present and valid.
Folder organization — Offers to reorganize flat KB files into category folders if the KB has grown large enough.

Instructions

CRITICAL: This command MUST NOT accept any arguments. Ignore any text provided after the command.

Step 1: Prerequisite Check

Check for KB section in CLAUDE.md: Read the project's CLAUDE.md and look for the Knowledge Base table. If it doesn't exist, inform the user to run /kb-init first and stop.
Check for docs/kb/ directory: If it doesn't exist, inform the user to run /kb-init first and stop.
Glob for KB files: Find all .md files under docs/kb/ (excluding docs/kb/README.md).
If no KB files exist (other than README), inform the user: "No KB files found. Add knowledge first with /kb-learn, /kb-add, or /kb-discover, then run this command." and stop.

Step 2: Audit Current State

Scan the KB and build a comprehensive audit report. All checks are read-only — nothing is modified in this step.

2a: Related Links (Obsidian Graph View)

For each .md file in docs/kb/ (excluding README.md):

Read the file and parse its YAML frontmatter.
Check related field: Does the frontmatter have a related field with one or more references?
Check for existing ## Related section: Does the file body already have a ## Related section with [[wiki-links]]?
Categorize each file:
- NEEDS BODY LINKS — Has related in frontmatter but no ## Related body section (or body section is out of sync with frontmatter).
- OK — Either has no related references, or already has a matching ## Related body section.
- BODY LINKS ONLY — Has a ## Related body section but no related frontmatter (unusual, flag for review).

2b: Global Learnings Location

Read CLAUDE.md: Look for a ### Global Learnings subsection under ## Knowledge Base.
Check for docs/kb/_global-learnings.md: Does this file already exist?
Categorize:
- NEEDS MIGRATION — Inline global learnings exist in CLAUDE.md but _global-learnings.md does not exist (or exists but inline section also still has content).
- ALREADY MIGRATED — _global-learnings.md exists and CLAUDE.md has no inline global learnings content.
- NO GLOBAL LEARNINGS — Neither location has content.

2c: Frontmatter Completeness

For each KB file, verify:

YAML frontmatter exists.
Required fields are present: tags, created, last-updated.
Check scope field: Is it present? Is it empty ("" or [])? Could a meaningful scope be inferred from the file's content, tags, or path?
Flag files with issues as NEEDS FRONTMATTER FIX.
Flag files with empty/missing scope where scope could be inferred as SCOPE SUGGESTED.

2d: Index & Log

Check for docs/kb/_index.md: Does it exist?
- If it exists, check whether its "All Pages" table has a Scope column.
- NEEDS CREATION — File doesn't exist.
- NEEDS SCOPE COLUMN — File exists but All Pages table lacks Scope column.
- OK — File exists with Scope column.
Check for docs/kb/_log.md: Does it exist?
- NEEDS CREATION — File doesn't exist.
- OK — File exists.
Check CLAUDE.md table: Is _index.md registered as pinned?

2e: "When to Load" Format

Read the CLAUDE.md Knowledge Base table.
For each non-pinned entry, check if the "When to Load" value follows the structured format:
- Structured format: Contains backtick-wrapped glob patterns (e.g., `src/api/**`) and/or keywords after an em dash (—).
- Free-text format: Natural language like "When working in packages/api/" or "When modifying database schemas".
Categorize entries:
- NEEDS FORMAT UPDATE — Uses free-text instead of structured format.
- OK — Already uses the structured format or is Always (pinned).
For entries that NEED FORMAT UPDATE, read the corresponding KB file's frontmatter to get scope and tags, and draft the new structured value:
- If scope is a string, treat as a single-element array.
- If scope is an array, use all elements.
- Format: `scope-glob1`, `scope-glob2` — tag1, tag2
- If no scope: — tag1, tag2
- If no tags: `scope-glob1`

2f: CLAUDE.md Preamble

Check the Knowledge Base section's introductory text:

Does it contain the 4-point matching instructions (pinned entries, scope patterns, keywords, _index.md fallback)?
Does it contain the loading notification instruction (telling Claude to notify the user when loading a KB file)?
Categorize:
- NEEDS UPDATE — Missing matching instructions or loading notification.
- OK — Has both.

2g: Folder Organization

Count flat files: How many KB articles (excluding _-prefixed files and README.md) are directly in docs/kb/ root?
Count subfolder files: How many are in subfolders?
If there are 5 or more flat files, flag as REORGANIZATION SUGGESTED.
For each flat file, propose a category folder based on its tags:
- Architecture, patterns, system design → architecture/
- Conventions, naming, coding style, API contracts → conventions/
- Tools, workflow, infrastructure, deployment → tools/
- Testing, test patterns → testing/
- External, harvested, module-specific → external/
- Other → suggest based on the dominant tag
If fewer than 5 flat files, skip reorganization.

Step 3: Present Upgrade Report

Display the audit results:

KB Upgrade — Audit Report
==========================

## Related Links (Obsidian Graph View)

### Need body links ({count})
- {filename}.md — related: [[file1]], [[file2]]

### Already compatible ({count})
- {filename}.md — OK

## Global Learnings
Status: {NEEDS MIGRATION | ALREADY MIGRATED | NO GLOBAL LEARNINGS}

## Frontmatter Issues ({count})
- {filename}.md — {issue description}

## Scope Suggestions ({count})
- {filename}.md — suggested: `{inferred scope pattern}`

## Index & Log
- _index.md: {OK | NEEDS CREATION | NEEDS SCOPE COLUMN}
- _log.md: {OK | NEEDS CREATION}

## "When to Load" Format ({count} need update)
{If entries need update:}
- {Topic}: "{old value}" → `{new structured value}`

{If none need update:}
All entries already use the structured format.

## CLAUDE.md Preamble
Status: {NEEDS UPDATE | OK}

## Folder Organization
{If REORGANIZATION SUGGESTED:}
{count} files are flat in docs/kb/ root. Suggested reorganization:
- {filename}.md → {category}/{filename}.md

{If not suggested:}
Folder structure is fine.

## Summary
- {count} files need `## Related` body sections
- {count} global learnings to migrate
- {count} frontmatter issues to fix
- {count} scope suggestions
- {count} infrastructure files to create/update
- {count} "When to Load" entries to standardize
- CLAUDE.md preamble: {needs update | OK}
- {count} files suggested for folder reorganization

If everything is already up to date:

"Your knowledge base is fully up to date! No changes needed."

Otherwise, use AskUserQuestion:

Header: "KB Upgrade"
Question: "Ready to upgrade your knowledge base?"
Options: "Apply all" | "Apply all except reorganization" | "Let me review each change" | "Cancel"

Step 4: Execute Upgrades

4a: Add `## Related` Body Sections

For each file that NEEDS BODY LINKS:

Read the file fully.
Parse the related frontmatter to extract the list of referenced KB file names (without .md extension).

Add a ## Related section at the very end of the file:


## Related

- [[referenced-file-1]]
- [[referenced-file-2]]

Formatting rules:
- Add one blank line before ## Related.
- Each reference is a bullet point with a [[wiki-link]] using the filename without .md extension.
- The ## Related section must be the last section in the file.
- Do NOT remove or modify the related frontmatter — it is still used by Claude Code's loading logic.
- If the file already has a ## Related section that is out of sync with frontmatter, replace its content with the correct links.
Update last-updated in frontmatter to the date resolved at the start of Step 4 (only if the file's content actually changed in this run).

4b: Migrate Global Learnings

If global learnings NEED MIGRATION:

Read the ### Global Learnings section from CLAUDE.md. Extract all bullet points.

Create docs/kb/_global-learnings.md (or update if it exists):

---
tags: [global, cross-cutting]
related: []
created: {today's date}
last-updated: {today's date}
pinned: true
---

# Global Learnings

Cross-cutting rules and insights that apply across the entire project.

## Key Rules

- {migrated learning 1}
- {migrated learning 2}

If _global-learnings.md already exists but inline learnings also exist in CLAUDE.md, merge the inline learnings into the file (deduplicating).

Register in CLAUDE.md table: Add or verify a row: | Global Learnings | docs/kb/_global-learnings.md | Always (pinned) |
Remove the inline ### Global Learnings section from CLAUDE.md (under ## Knowledge Base). Remove the entire subsection including the heading and all bullet points. If there's placeholder text ("No global learnings captured yet..."), remove that too.
Keep the  block if it exists — do not move or remove it.

4c: Fix Frontmatter Issues

For files with missing or incomplete frontmatter:

Add missing frontmatter with inferred values:
- Infer tags from file content and path.
- Set created and last-updated to today's date (resolved once via the cross-platform command in the Date Resolution section).
- Set pinned to false.
- Leave related empty initially.
Add ## Related body section if the file has related references (even newly added ones).

For files flagged as SCOPE SUGGESTED:

Present each suggestion to the user via AskUserQuestion:
- Header: "Scope Suggestion: {filename}"
- Question: "This KB file has no scope patterns. Based on its content and tags, I suggest: {inferred scope patterns}. Accept?"
- Options: "Accept" | "Different scope" (free-text) | "Skip"
Update the file's frontmatter with the accepted scope value. The scope field can be a string (single pattern) or array (multiple patterns).

4d: Create/Update Index and Log

If _index.md NEEDS CREATION:

Read all KB files in docs/kb/ (including those in subfolders).
For each file, parse its frontmatter and read the first few content lines to generate a one-line summary.
Group files by category — infer categories from tags, folder location, and content.

Generate docs/kb/_index.md:

---
tags: [index, meta]
created: {today's date}
last-updated: {today's date}
pinned: true
---

# Knowledge Base Index

Auto-generated catalog of all KB articles. Updated by `/kb-*` commands. Read this file first to find relevant pages before drilling into individual articles.

## {Category Name}

- [[article-name]] — One-line summary of what this article covers
- [[another-article]] — Another summary

## Meta

- [[_global-learnings]] — Cross-cutting rules that apply everywhere

## All Pages

| Page | Summary | Tags | Scope | Last Updated |
|------|---------|------|-------|-------------|
| [[article-name]] | Summary | tag1, tag2 | `src/api/**` | YYYY-MM-DD |

Register in CLAUDE.md table: Add | KB Index | docs/kb/_index.md | Always (pinned) |

If _index.md NEEDS SCOPE COLUMN:

Read the existing _index.md.
Find the "All Pages" table.
Add a Scope column header between Tags and Last Updated.
For each row, read the corresponding KB file's scope frontmatter and populate the Scope cell.
- If scope is a string, wrap in backticks: `src/api/**`
- If scope is an array, join with commas: `src/api/**`, `*.ts`
- If scope is empty/missing, leave the cell empty.
- If the file is pinned, put _(pinned)_.
Update last-updated in frontmatter.

If _log.md NEEDS CREATION:

Create docs/kb/_log.md:

---
tags: [log, meta]
created: {today's date}
last-updated: {today's date}
---

# Knowledge Base Log

Chronological record of KB operations. Append-only — newest entries at the bottom.

## [{today's date}] upgrade | KB upgraded to latest practices
- Added ## Related body sections to {count} files
- {Migrated global learnings to _global-learnings.md | Global learnings already migrated}
- {Generated _index.md with {count} articles cataloged | Updated _index.md with Scope column}
- Created _log.md
- Standardized {count} "When to Load" entries
- Updated CLAUDE.md preamble
- {Reorganized {count} files into category folders | No reorganization needed}

4e: Standardize "When to Load" Column

For each table entry flagged as NEEDS FORMAT UPDATE:

Read the KB file's frontmatter to get scope (handle string or array) and tags.
Build the new "When to Load" value:
- If pinned: true: Always (pinned) (should already be correct).
- If scope has values: format as backtick-wrapped globs, comma-separated.
- If tags has values: append as keywords after em dash (—).
- Full format: `scope-glob1`, `scope-glob2` — tag1, tag2
- No scope, has tags: — tag1, tag2
- Has scope, no tags: `scope-glob1`, `scope-glob2`
If the KB file has no scope and no tags: Attempt to infer from the file content and old "When to Load" text. Extract directory references from the old text (e.g., "When working in packages/api/" → packages/api/**). Flag these for the user to review if the inference is uncertain.
Update the CLAUDE.md table row with the new "When to Load" value.

4f: Update CLAUDE.md Preamble

Replace the Knowledge Base section's introductory text (between the ## Knowledge Base heading and the table) with the latest version:

Topic-specific knowledge is stored in `docs/kb/` and loaded contextually based on the table below.

**How to use the "When to Load" column:**
1. **Pinned entries** (`Always (pinned)`): Load at the start of every conversation.
2. **Scope patterns** (backtick-wrapped globs like `src/api/**`): Load when the files you are editing or creating match any of the listed glob patterns.
3. **Keywords** (after the `—` dash): Load when the current task involves these topics, even if no file path matches.
4. **When uncertain**: Read `docs/kb/_index.md` (pinned) for article summaries and scope patterns to help decide.

**Loading notifications**: When you load a KB file, briefly notify the user so they know what context is being applied. Example: `📖 Loading KB: api-conventions.md`. Keep notifications to a single line per file.

When a KB file's frontmatter contains `related: [[other-file]]` cross-references, also read the related file(s) for full context.

Important: Preserve the  block and any other content after the table. Only replace the introductory paragraph(s) before the table.

4g: Folder Reorganization

Only execute if the user approved reorganization (not if they chose "Apply all except reorganization").

For each file to be reorganized:

Create the target subfolder if it doesn't exist (e.g., docs/kb/architecture/).
Move the file from docs/kb/{file}.md to docs/kb/{category}/{file}.md.
Update CLAUDE.md table: Change the File column from docs/kb/{file}.md to docs/kb/{category}/{file}.md.
Refresh the "When to Load" column: Read the moved file's scope and tags frontmatter and regenerate the structured "When to Load" value.
Update _index.md: File paths in the "All Pages" table should reflect the new locations.
DO NOT modify [[wiki-links]] in frontmatter or body sections — Obsidian resolves [[filename]] by name, not path. Only update the CLAUDE.md table paths.
Update last-updated in frontmatter of moved files.

Step 5: Verify

After all changes:

Re-read all modified files and verify:
- Every file with related frontmatter has a matching ## Related body section.
- _global-learnings.md exists and is registered in the CLAUDE.md table (if global learnings existed).
- No inline ### Global Learnings section remains in CLAUDE.md.
- _index.md exists, is registered as pinned, has Scope column, and catalogs all KB articles.
- _log.md exists with the upgrade entry.
- All frontmatter is valid and complete.
- All non-pinned CLAUDE.md table entries use the structured "When to Load" format.
- CLAUDE.md preamble has the 4-point matching instructions and loading notification directive.
- If reorganization was done, CLAUDE.md table paths reflect new locations.

Step 6: Update Log

Append to docs/kb/_log.md:

## [{today's date}] upgrade | KB upgraded to latest practices
- Related links: added to {count} files
- Global learnings: {migrated | already migrated | none}
- Index: {created | updated Scope column | already up to date}
- Log: {created | already existed}
- "When to Load": standardized {count} entries
- Preamble: {updated | already up to date}
- Frontmatter: fixed {count} files
- Scope: suggested for {count} files
- Reorganization: {moved {count} files | not needed | skipped by user}

Step 7: Summary

KB Upgrade — Complete
======================

## Changes Made

### Related Links Added ({count} files)
- {filename}.md — added links to [[file1]], [[file2]]

### Global Learnings
- {Moved {count} learnings from CLAUDE.md to docs/kb/_global-learnings.md | Already migrated | No global learnings}

### Index & Log
- {Generated _index.md with {count} articles across {count} categories | Updated _index.md with Scope column | Already up to date}
- {Created _log.md | Already existed}

### "When to Load" Standardized ({count} entries)
- {Topic}: "{old}" → {new structured format}

### CLAUDE.md Preamble
- {Updated with matching instructions and loading notifications | Already up to date}

### Frontmatter Fixed ({count} files)
- {filename}.md — added missing {fields}

### Scope Suggestions Applied ({count} files)
- {filename}.md — scope set to {patterns}

### Folder Reorganization ({count} files moved)
- {filename}.md → {category}/{filename}.md
- Updated CLAUDE.md table paths and "When to Load" values

## Obsidian Setup

If you haven't already, you can open `docs/kb/` as an Obsidian vault:

1. Open Obsidian → "Open folder as vault" → select `docs/kb/`
2. Press Ctrl/Cmd+G to see your knowledge graph
3. All `[[wiki-links]]` in Related sections appear as graph edges
4. Consider adding `.obsidian/` to `.gitignore`

## Next Steps

- All `/kb-*` commands now maintain the upgraded structure automatically
- Run `/kb-upgrade` again any time to verify KB health
- Use `/kb-discover` to mine source code for implicit knowledge
- Use `/kb-prune` periodically to consolidate and clean up