build-index

Build Index

INDEX.md is the central knowledge base for a meeting-heavy engagement. It organises meetings into typed tables, links summaries and transcripts via standard markdown links, tracks cross-session contradictions, and maintains a reference table of key people.

It is also the dependency for /sync-transcripts (which writes — placeholder rows when new transcripts land) and /summarize-transcripts (which replaces — with links to completed summaries). Build this file before running either of those skills.

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Step 1 — Define your meeting categories

Before writing anything, identify the types of meetings in your engagement. Common patterns:

Category	Description
Stakeholder Interviews	1:1 sessions with client team members
Kickoff & Progress Meetings	Stream kickoffs, weekly reviews
Technical Design Sessions	Architecture, workflow, or system design sessions
Internal Check-ins	Your own team's internal calls

Add, rename, or remove categories to match your engagement. Each becomes its own ## section with its own table. One hard constraint: Summary must be the first column in every table — /sync-transcripts writes — there and /summarize-transcripts reads from it.

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Step 2 — Write the file header

# <Engagement Name> — Knowledge Base Index

> <One-sentence description of the engagement and what this index covers>. Summaries are in `summaries/`; source transcripts are in `transcripts/`.

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Step 3 — Build each section's table

For each category from Step 1, add a ## section with a horizontal rule above it and a table below. Use the column patterns for the relevant type.

Stakeholder Interviews

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## Stakeholder Interviews

| Summary | Role | Date | Transcript |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Name — Role](summaries/YYYY-MM-DD_Name_Role.md) | Role Title | Mon DD | YYYY-MM-DD_Topic.md |

Internal Check-ins

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## Internal Check-ins

| Summary | Date | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|
| [Team Check-in](summaries/YYYY-MM-DD_Checkin.md) | Mon DD | Topic 1, topic 2 |

Kickoff & Progress Meetings

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## Kickoff & Progress Meetings

| Summary | Type | Date | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Stream 1 Kickoff](summaries/YYYY-MM-DD_Stream1_Kickoff.md) | Stream 1 Kickoff | Mon DD | Person A + Person B |

Technical Design Sessions

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## Technical Design Sessions

| Summary | Type | Date | Participants | Transcript |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Architecture Session](summaries/YYYY-MM-DD_Architecture.md) | Architecture Session | Mon DD | Person A + Person B | YYYY-MM-DD_Topic.md |

Custom categories

For any category not listed above, choose columns that are meaningful for that meeting type:

• Summary is always first
• Date is always present
• Add Transcript if transcripts exist for those meetings
• Keep column count consistent within a section — mixed counts break /summarize-transcripts

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Step 4 — Add Contradictions & Flags

Always include this section, even if empty at first. It captures cross-session conflicts that need resolution before system design is finalised.

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## Contradictions & Flags

> Cross-session contradictions that need resolution before system design is finalised.

1. **Short label — Person A vs. Person B:** One sentence describing the conflict. [Summary A](summaries/YYYY-MM-DD_A.md) says X; [Summary B](summaries/YYYY-MM-DD_B.md) says Y. → *Status: unresolved.*

If no contradictions exist yet, leave a placeholder rather than omitting the section:

## Contradictions & Flags

> Cross-session contradictions that need resolution before system design is finalised.

*None identified yet.*

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Step 5 — Add Key People Reference

Always the last section. One row per person, one key note — what matters most about them for the project.

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## Key People Reference

| Name | Role | Key Note |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Role Title | One-line note about their most important characteristic for the project |

Populate this as you add meeting rows. Keep it deduplicated — the same person may appear under a nickname or short name elsewhere in the index.

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Populating the index over time

Once the file exists, the other skills maintain it:

• /sync-transcripts — adds — placeholder rows as new transcripts are downloaded; leave these as-is
• /summarize-transcripts — replaces — with markdown links to completed summary files

Do not write summary links directly into the index — let /summarize-transcripts do it so the file naming convention stays consistent.