ClawVault
Commands

clawvault template

Manage document templates for consistent memory structure with 7 built-in templates and custom template creation.

clawvault template

The template command helps you create consistent, structured memory documents using pre-built templates or your own custom templates.

Usage

# List all available templates
clawvault template list

# Create a new document from a template
clawvault template create <name> [--title <title>] [-v <vault>]

# Add a custom template from an existing file
clawvault template add <file> --name <name> [-v <vault>]

Built-in Templates

ClawVault ships with 7 carefully designed templates for common memory types:

1. Person Template

Template: person Path: people/

Creates structured person records with contact info, relationship context, and interaction history.

---
title: Person Name
tags: [people]
created: 2024-01-15
---

# Person Name

## Contact
- Email: 
- Phone: 
- Role/Company: 

## Context
- How we met: 
- Relationship: 
- Important notes: 

## Recent Interactions
- **2024-01-15**: First meeting about...

## Projects Together
- [[project-name]] - Role and involvement

## Preferences & Notes
- Communication style: 
- Availability: 
- Interests:

2. Project Template

Template: project Path: projects/

Tracks project status, goals, blockers, and key decisions.

---
title: Project Name
tags: [projects, active]
status: planning
created: 2024-01-15
---

# Project Name

## Overview
Brief description of what this project accomplishes.

## Goals
- [ ] Primary goal
- [ ] Secondary goal
- [ ] Success metrics

## Current Status
**Status:** Planning | Active | On Hold | Complete
**Last Updated:** 2024-01-15
**Next Steps:** 

## Key People
- **Lead:** [[person-name]]
- **Stakeholders:** [[person-1]], [[person-2]]

## Decisions
- [[decision-name]] - Brief description

## Blockers & Challenges
- Current blocker description
- Dependencies waiting on

## Resources & Links
- Repository: 
- Documentation: 
- External resources:

3. Decision Template

Template: decision Path: decisions/

Documents important choices with reasoning, alternatives, and outcomes.

---
title: Decision Title
tags: [decisions]
status: decided
date: 2024-01-15
---

# Decision Title

## Context
Why this decision was needed and the circumstances.

## Options Considered
1. **Option A** - Pros: ... Cons: ...
2. **Option B** - Pros: ... Cons: ...
3. **Option C** - Pros: ... Cons: ...

## Decision
**Chosen:** Option A
**Reasoning:** Detailed explanation of why this was chosen.

## Implementation
- [ ] Step 1
- [ ] Step 2 
- [ ] Step 3

## Success Metrics
How we'll know if this was the right choice:
- Metric 1: Expected outcome
- Metric 2: Timeline goal

## Stakeholders
- **Decision Maker:** [[person-name]]
- **Affected:** [[person-1]], [[person-2]]
- **Informed:** [[person-3]]

## Follow-up Date
Review this decision on: 2024-03-15

4. Lesson Template

Template: lesson Path: lessons/

Captures insights, patterns, and learnings for future reference.

---
title: Lesson Title
tags: [lessons]
category: technical
date: 2024-01-15
---

# Lesson Title

## Situation
What happened and the context that led to this lesson.

## What I Learned
The key insight or pattern discovered.

## Why It Matters
The importance and broader implications.

## How to Apply
Concrete steps for using this knowledge in the future:
1. When to recognize this pattern
2. What actions to take
3. What to avoid

## Related
- [[similar-lesson]]
- [[relevant-project]]
- [[person-who-taught-me]]

## Evidence
Examples, data, or references that support this lesson:
- Link to specific example
- Data that validates the insight

5. Meeting Template

Template: meeting Path: inbox/ (process to appropriate category)

Structured meeting notes with decisions and action items.

---
title: Meeting - Topic
date: 2024-01-15
attendees: [person-1, person-2]
tags: [meetings]
---

# Meeting - Topic

**Date:** 2024-01-15 
**Attendees:** [[person-1]], [[person-2]], [[person-3]] 
**Duration:** 1 hour

## Agenda
1. Topic 1
2. Topic 2
3. Next steps

## Discussion

### Topic 1
Key points discussed and any conclusions reached.

### Topic 2 
Important insights or concerns raised.

## Decisions Made
- [[decision-title]] - Brief description
- Another decision with reasoning

## Action Items
- [ ] **[[person-1]]** - Task description (Due: 2024-01-20)
- [ ] **[[person-2]]** - Another task (Due: 2024-01-18)
- [ ] **Me** - Follow up on X (Due: 2024-01-16)

## Follow-up
Next meeting scheduled for: 2024-01-22

6. Goal Template

Template: goal Path: goals/

Tracks objectives with milestones and progress indicators.

---
title: Goal Name
tags: [goals]
timeframe: Q1 2024
status: active
created: 2024-01-15
---

# Goal Name

## Objective
Clear, specific description of what success looks like.

## Why This Matters
The motivation and larger purpose behind this goal.

## Success Metrics
- Quantifiable measure 1
- Quantifiable measure 2
- Qualitative indicator

## Milestones
- [ ] **Week 1:** First milestone
- [ ] **Week 4:** Major checkpoint 
- [ ] **Week 8:** Final milestone

## Progress Log
**2024-01-15:** Started goal, completed initial planning
**2024-01-18:** Made progress on X, blocked by Y

## Related Projects
- [[project-name]] - How it connects

## Resources Needed
- Time commitment: X hours/week
- Tools or materials required
- Support from [[person-name]]

## Review Schedule
- Weekly check-in: Fridays
- Major review: End of month

7. Daily Template

Template: daily Path: memory/

Structured daily notes with consistent format.

---
title: 2024-01-15
tags: [daily]
date: 2024-01-15
---

# Monday, January 15, 2024

## Priority Today
1. Most important task
2. Secondary priority
3. If time permits

## Completed
- [x] Task that was accomplished
- [x] Another completed item

## Notes & Observations
Random thoughts, insights, or things to remember.

## People Interactions
- **[[person-name]]** - Brief summary of interaction
- **[[person-2]]** - What we discussed

## Decisions Made
- [[decision-name]] - Quick note about choice made

## Tomorrow's Focus
Key items to prioritize tomorrow.

## Mood & Energy
Brief reflection on how the day went.

Template Commands

List Templates

clawvault template list

Shows all available templates with descriptions:

 Available Templates:

Built-in:
 person - Structured person records (→ people/)
 project - Project tracking (→ projects/) 
 decision - Decision documentation (→ decisions/)
 lesson - Learning capture (→ lessons/)
 meeting - Meeting notes (→ inbox/)
 goal - Goal tracking (→ goals/)
 daily - Daily notes (→ memory/)

Custom:
 weekly-review - Weekly reflection template
 client-brief - Client project brief format

Total: 9 templates (7 built-in, 2 custom)

Create from Template

# Create a new person file
clawvault template create person john-smith

# Create project documentation 
clawvault template create project pet-door-app

# Create decision record
clawvault template create decision database-choice

The command automatically:

  • Places files in the appropriate category folder
  • Sets the correct filename and path
  • Fills in template variables (dates, titles, etc.)
  • Creates missing directories if needed

Add Custom Template

# Create template from existing file
clawvault template add my-template path/to/source.md

# Create template from stdin
clawvault template add brief-template << EOF
---
title: {{title}}
tags: [briefs]
date: {{date}}
---

# {{title}}

## Summary
Brief overview of the topic.
EOF

Template Variables

Templates support variable substitution:

  • {{title}} - File title (derived from filename)
  • {{date}} - Current date (YYYY-MM-DD)
  • {{time}} - Current time (HH:MM)
  • {{filename}} - Target filename
  • {{category}} - Target category/folder

Examples

Creating a New Person Record

$ clawvault template create person pedro-santos

 Created people/pedro-santos.md from person template

Next steps:
 1. Fill in contact information
 2. Add context about how you met
 3. Link to any related projects

Daily Note Creation

$ clawvault template create daily $(date +%Y-%m-%d)

 Created memory/2024-01-15.md from daily template

Template filled with:
 - Today's date: Monday, January 15, 2024
 - Priority section ready for planning
 - Consistent structure for daily tracking

Best Practices

  1. Use built-in templates as starting points - they're battle-tested
  2. Customize gradually - modify templates based on your actual usage patterns
  3. Keep it simple - overly complex templates slow down capture
  4. Review regularly - update templates as your needs evolve

Custom templates are stored in templates/ within your vault. They're regular markdown files that you can edit directly or version control with git.

Integration with Memory Types

Templates align with ClawVault's memory type system:

  • Each template targets a specific memory category
  • Consistent frontmatter supports semantic search
  • Cross-references build your memory graph

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