Para Second Brain
Use this skill when the user wants to organize, classify, or maintain a PARA-method second brain. Triggers include asking where to file something, distinguishing projects from areas, processing an inbox, setting up a new project, completing or archiving a project, running a monthly review, validating system structure, or finding stale/orphaned content.
- Skill ID
- robdefeo/agent-skills/para-second-brain
- Publisher
- robdefeo
- Repository
- agent-skills
- Installs
- 0
- Files
- 18
- Synced
- Sep 23, 2026
Open any RiverX project, open the Skills panel in the chat, and search for this identifier. The files are fetched from the source repository at install time.
robdefeo/agent-skills/para-second-brainInstalls these files- SKILL.md
- references/common-problems.md
- references/decision-trees.md
- references/examples.md
- references/workflows.md
- scripts/validate.sh
- tests/fixture-second-brain/00_INBOX/inbox-note.md
- tests/fixture-second-brain/10_PROJECTS/Active/Hiring Sprint/AGENTS.md
- tests/fixture-second-brain/10_PROJECTS/Active/Q2 Campaign/AGENTS.md
- tests/fixture-second-brain/10_PROJECTS/Active/Q2 Campaign/Notes.md
- tests/fixture-second-brain/10_PROJECTS/Completed/Website Redesign/AGENTS.md
- tests/fixture-second-brain/10_PROJECTS/On Hold/.gitkeep
- tests/fixture-second-brain/20_AREAS/People Management/notes.md
- tests/fixture-second-brain/20_AREAS/Q2 Campaign handoff.md
- tests/fixture-second-brain/30_RESOURCES/Engineering/api-guidelines.md
- tests/fixture-second-brain/40_ARCHIVE/Areas/.gitkeep
- tests/fixture-second-brain/40_ARCHIVE/Projects/.gitkeep
- tests/fixture-second-brain/40_ARCHIVE/Resources/.gitkeep
What this skill tells the agent
PARA Method
Use this skill to help users organize and maintain a second brain using the PARA system (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives).
Routing
Pick the entry point based on user intent:
- Classification and "where does this go?" questions: read
references/decision-trees.md - Example requests and edge-case comparisons: read
references/examples.md - Operational process requests (inbox, review, setup, close-out, archive): read
references/workflows.md - Troubleshooting pain points and validation guidance: read
references/common-problems.md
If the request is broad or does not clearly match one route, default to references/decision-trees.md.
Output Convention
- Classification guidance and Q&A: answer in chat
- Validation workflows: run
scripts/validate.shand write report output toPARA-validation-YYYY-MM-DD.mdin the current working directory - Installation location: out of scope for this skill; installation is handled by separate tooling
Terminology
- Use "second brain" for the user's vault/folder structure
- Use "PARA system" only for the method/framework
Validation Workflow
When the user asks to validate structure or project health:
- Read
references/common-problems.mdfor interpretation guidance. - Run
scripts/validate.sh <path>(or omit path to use current directory). - Save report output to
PARA-validation-YYYY-MM-DD.mdif user wants a file. - Summarize critical findings and recommended next actions.
More from robdefeo
Use this skill in a project
Open any RiverX project, search the Skills panel for robdefeo/agent-skills/para-second-brain, and install it in one click.
