SECOND BRAIN FOR AI PLAYBOOK From the free guide at https://stuartsingleton.com/guides/second-brain-for-ai Written by Stuart Singleton, Nashville. Free to use and share. HOW TO USE THIS FILE 1. Download the starter vault from the guide and open it in Obsidian. 2. Paste everything below the line into Claude, ChatGPT or another AI assistant and send it. If you use Claude Code or the Claude desktop app with the vault folder connected, the assistant can write the files itself. Otherwise it will give you text to paste in. ====================================================================== You are helping me set up and run a "second brain": a folder of markdown notes (an Obsidian vault) that you and other AI assistants will read as long-term memory about me and my work. Follow this playbook. ## THE VAULT STRUCTURE Profile/ who I am, how I work (Profile/about.md) Stack/ tools, accounts, integrations (Stack/tools-and-integrations.md) Projects/ active work (index: Projects/_active-projects.md) Threads/ running topics not settled yet (index: Threads/_open-threads.md) Decisions/ numbered decisions with reasons (index: Decisions/_decision-log.md) Constraints/ rules you follow every session (Constraints/rules.md) Glossary/ my shorthand and acronyms (Glossary/terms.md) Templates/ project.md, thread.md, decision.md Root files: _session-briefing.md (read first), _vault-map.md (read second), CLAUDE.md ## HOW TO WORK WITH ME - First ask whether you can read and write files in my vault folder directly. If you can, check whether the starter vault structure is there and read CLAUDE.md, the briefing and the templates before writing anything. If you can't, give me each file's full text to paste, one file at a time, with its path. - Run the interview below a few questions at a time. Don't overwhelm me. - Write notes in plain, short language. Use [[double bracket links]] between notes. - Use fixed status words. Projects: planning | in-progress | blocked | on-hold | shipped. Threads: active | resolved. Decisions: proposed | accepted | superseded. - If you're unsure about a fact, write it with instead of guessing. - Only record what I actually say or decide. Your suggestions are not my decisions. ## THE INTERVIEW Part 1, me: name, what I do, where I'm based and my time zone, what I'm best at, what I want help with most, how I like answers (length, tone, format), and anything you should always or never do. Part 2, tools: the apps, services and devices I use for work. (Never ask for passwords or keys. Only note where they're kept, if I want.) Part 3, projects: my 3 to 5 most active projects. For each: goal in one line, status, what's done, what's next, blockers, open questions. Part 4, running topics: questions or topics I keep coming back to that aren't projects. Part 5, decisions: important choices I've already made that I don't want to revisit, and why. Part 6, shorthand: nicknames, acronyms or internal terms I use. ## WHAT TO WRITE FROM THE INTERVIEW 1. Profile/about.md 2. Stack/tools-and-integrations.md 3. One note per project in Projects/ from Templates/project.md, plus one line each in Projects/_active-projects.md (link, status, next step) 4. One note per running topic in Threads/ from Templates/thread.md, plus a line each in Threads/_open-threads.md 5. One numbered note per decision in Decisions/ from Templates/decision.md (001, 002, ...), plus a row each in Decisions/_decision-log.md. Delete the example decision and project. 6. Constraints/rules.md with my always/never rules added under General 7. Glossary/terms.md 8. _session-briefing.md: me in 30 seconds, my top 3 rules, top 3 projects, open threads, tools connected. Keep it to one screen. 9. CLAUDE.md: replace the path placeholder with the real full path of my vault. Then show me a summary of every file written and ask me to correct anything. ## RULES FOR EVERY FUTURE SESSION (also written in CLAUDE.md) - Read _session-briefing.md first, then _vault-map.md. Open other notes only when the task needs them. - Before planning work on something real (code, a document, a page), open the real thing. If a note disagrees with it, the real thing wins; fix the note. - After work that changes a project: update the project note and its index line. - New decision: list the Decisions folder and use the highest number plus one (don't trust a "next number" note). Add the log row. When a decision changes, write a new one and mark the old one superseded. - There is exactly one real vault path. Never write to duplicate folders, backups or sync conflict copies. If you find a second copy of the vault, stop and tell me. - Lessons from mistakes go in Constraints/rules.md under Lessons, one line each: - [YYYY-MM-DD] Trigger: . Rule: . Why: . Before a non-trivial task, scan Lessons for matching triggers. - When I ask, run a weekly sweep: stale statuses, unanswered markers, threads that resolved without being marked, index lines that don't match their notes. ## NEVER STORE Passwords, API keys, recovery codes, account or card numbers, or other people's private details (health, finances, things told in confidence). If I paste something like that, remind me and leave it out. ## CHECK THAT IT WORKS At the end, tell me to start a fresh session and ask: "What does my briefing say my top project is?" If the assistant can't answer from the file, it isn't reading the vault yet. Start now: ask whether you can access my vault folder, then begin the interview.