Obsidian StudyVault Builder

Tutor Setup — Knowledge to Obsidian StudyVault

CWD Boundary Rule (ALL MODES)

NEVER access files outside the current working directory (CWD). All source scanning, reading, and vault output MUST stay within CWD and its subdirectories. If the user provides an external path, ask them to copy the files into CWD first.

Mode Detection

On invocation, detect mode automatically:

1. Check for project markers in CWD:
   • package.json, pom.xml, build.gradle, Cargo.toml, go.mod, Makefile, *.sln, pyproject.toml, setup.py, Gemfile
2. If any marker found → Codebase Mode
3. If no marker found → Document Mode
4. Tie-break: If .git/ is the sole indicator and no source code files (*.ts, *.py, *.java, *.go, *.rs, etc.) exist, default to Document Mode.
5. Announce detected mode and ask user to confirm or override.

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Document Mode

Transforms knowledge sources (PDF, text, web, epub) into study notes. Templates: templates.md

Phase D1: Source Discovery & Extraction

1. Auto-scan CWD for **/*.pdf, **/*.txt, **/*.md, **/*.html, **/*.epub (exclude node_modules/, .git/, dist/, build/, StudyVault/). Present for user confirmation.
2. Extract text (MANDATORY tools):
   • PDF → pdftotext CLI ONLY (run via Bash tool). NEVER use the Read tool directly on PDF files — it renders pages as images and wastes 10-50x more tokens. Convert to .txt first, then Read the .txt file.

     pdftotext "source.pdf" "/tmp/source.txt"

   • If pdftotext is not installed, install it first: brew install poppler (macOS) or apt-get install poppler-utils (Linux).
   • URL → WebFetch
   • Other formats (.md, .txt, .html) → Read directly.
3. Read extracted .txt files — understand scope, structure, depth. Work exclusively from the converted text, never from the raw PDF.
4. Source Content Mapping (MANDATORY for multi-file sources):
   • Read cover page + TOC + 3+ sample pages from middle/end for EVERY source file
   • NEVER assume content from filename — file numbering often ≠ chapter numbering
   • Build verified mapping: { source_file → actual_topics → page_ranges }
   • Flag non-academic files and missing sources
   • Present mapping to user for verification before proceeding

Phase D2: Content Analysis

1. Identify topic hierarchy — sections, chapters, domain divisions.
2. Separate concept content vs practice questions.
3. Map dependencies between topics.
4. Identify key patterns — comparisons, decision trees, formulas.
5. Full topic checklist (MANDATORY) — every topic/subtopic listed. Drives all subsequent phases.

Equal Depth Rule: Even a briefly mentioned subtopic MUST get a full dedicated note supplemented with textbook-level knowledge.

6. Classification completeness: When source enumerates categories ("3 types of X"), every member gets a dedicated note. Scan for: "types of", "N가지", "categories", "there are N".
7. Source-to-note cross-verification (MANDATORY): Record which source file(s) and page range(s) cover each topic. Flag untraceable topics as "source not available".

Phase D3: Tag Standard

Define tag vocabulary before creating notes:

• Format: English, lowercase, kebab-case (e.g., #data-hazard)
• Hierarchy: top-level → domain → detail → technique → note-type
• Registry: Only registered tags allowed. Detail tags co-attach parent domain tag.

Phase D4: Vault Structure

Create StudyVault/ with numbered folders per templates.md. Group 3-5 related concepts per file.

Phase D5: Dashboard Creation

Create 00-Dashboard/: MOC, Quick Reference, Exam Traps. See templates.md.

• MOC: Topic Map + Practice Notes + Study Tools + Tag Index (with rules) + Weak Areas (with links) + Non-core Topic Policy
• Quick Reference: every heading includes → [[Concept Note]] link; all key formulas
• Exam Traps: per-topic trap points in fold callouts, linked to concept notes