flowai-memex-ask

Memex Ask

Answer a question using only what the memex contains. Cite via [[wikilinks]]. Be honest about gaps.

When to invoke

Invoked when the user wants an answer drawn from the memex (e.g., "look this up in my memex", "ask the memex about X", /flowai-memex:memex-ask <question>). The argument is the natural-language question.

Memex Resolution

Resolve the active memex root in this order — first match wins:

1. --memex <path> flag → use that path.
2. Walk up from the current working directory. The first ancestor that contains BOTH AGENTS.md and a pages/ subdirectory is the active memex root.
3. If nothing matches, stop with: No memex found. Run flowai-memex-save <source> in this directory to scaffold one, or pass --memex <path>.

After resolution, read <memex-root>/AGENTS.md for conventions. If the memex contains .obsidian/, use dual-link format [[slug|Name]] ([Name](slug.md)); otherwise plain [[slug]].

Ask Steps

1. Read the index

Open <memex-root>/pages/index.md. This is the catalog. Skim it to identify which pages are likely relevant to the question — match on title, one-line description, or domain heading.

If index.md is missing, fall back to Glob over <memex-root>/pages/*.md and read each candidate's frontmatter. Suggest the user runs flowai-memex-audit after the answer to rebuild the index.

2. Open candidate pages

Read every page identified as relevant in step 1. Aim for the smallest set that covers the question — quality over quantity.

3. Follow one level of [[wikilinks]]

For each [[link]] in the candidate pages that looks relevant to the question, read the linked page too. ONE level deep — do not follow links from those pages further. This is the "1-hop expansion" — it surfaces connections without reading the entire memex.

4. Synthesize the answer

Write the answer in prose, with [[wikilinks]] as inline citations:

Markdown was created by [[john-gruber]] in 2004 with contributions from [[aaron-swartz]]. It was designed as a plain-text formatting syntax that converts cleanly to HTML — see [[history-of-markdown]] for the full timeline.

Format guidance:

• Default: prose with inline [[wikilink]] citations.
• Question contains "table" or "compare": markdown table with [[wikilinks]] in cells.
• Question contains "timeline" or "history": chronological bullet list with dates.

Quality rules:

• Honest gaps: if the memex does not contain the answer, say so explicitly. Suggest what to save. NEVER fall back on training-data knowledge to fill the gap — the answer must come from the memex only.
• Cite, do not summarize blindly: every non-trivial claim should reference at least one memex page via [[wikilink]].
• Note confidence: if pages disagree or carry [!WARNING] contradiction callouts, flag this in the answer rather than picking a side.

5. File the answer to pages/answers/

Always file the synthesized answer to <memex-root>/pages/answers/<question-slug>.md. No prompt — file every answer. Slug derivation: lowercase, hyphens, strip punctuation, max 60 chars (e.g., "Who created Markdown?" → who-created-markdown.md).

Frontmatter:

---
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: answer
question: "<original question text>"
status: filed
tags: [<derived from referenced pages>]
---

Body: the synthesized answer + a ## Sources section listing every [[wikilink]] cited.

If an answer file with the same slug already exists, append -2, -3, etc. — never overwrite past answers.

6. Offer promotion

Ask the user once: Promote this answer to a top-level concept page at pages/<slug>.md? (y/n)

• If yes: move the file from <memex-root>/pages/answers/ to <memex-root>/pages/, change frontmatter type from answer to concept, set status: promoted, and add an entry to pages/index.md under the appropriate domain.
• If no: leave it in answers/ and continue.

7. Append log.md

## [YYYY-MM-DD] ask | <question slug>
Answered with N citations across M pages. Filed to answers/<slug>.md.

If the user promoted, append a second entry:

## [YYYY-MM-DD] promote | <slug>
Promoted answer to pages/<slug>.md.

8. Report to user

Print:

• The answer (already shown in chat by step 4 — repeat the path, not the body).
• Filed to <memex-root>/pages/answers/<slug>.md.
• Promoted to pages/<slug>.md if applicable.
• Any gaps you flagged.

Honest-Gaps Rule

If after step 3 you have not found enough information to answer the question:

• Say so directly: The memex does not yet cover <topic>. To fill this gap, run flowai-memex-save with sources on <specific suggestions>.
• File an answer anyway — with status: gap instead of filed — so the gap is recorded.
• Do NOT fall back on general knowledge. The whole point of the memex is that answers compound from saved sources, not from your prior knowledge.

Constraints

• Read-only on raw/ — never modify raw sources during an ask.
• Use Read, Glob, Grep for searching; Write only for the answer file (and the optional promotion move). Edit for index.md and log.md.
• Never use plain markdown links for internal references — [[wikilinks]] only (or dual-link if the memex uses Obsidian).
• Do not run WebFetch or WebSearch while answering — answers come from the memex, not the web. If the memex lacks coverage, suggest saving a source; do not silently fetch.