second-brain-ingest

1# Ingest a source
2 
3An ingest that only writes a summary page produces a vault that grows without
4getting smarter. The whole value is in the second half of the job: connecting
5the new material to what is already there. A page that lands unlinked is
6invisible within a week.
7 
8## Core rule
9 
10Nothing is ingested until it is linked. Every run ends with the new pages
11connected to existing pages in both directions.
12 
13## Workflow
14 
151. **Read the source completely** before writing anything. Partial reads
16   produce pages built from the introduction, which is where sources are least
17   specific.
182. **Check what already exists.** Search the wiki for the main entities and
19   concepts. Ingesting into an empty vault and ingesting into a vault of 300
20   pages are different jobs: in the second, most of your work is updating
21   pages, not creating them.
223. **Write the source page** in `wiki/sources/`. Record claims as claims, with
23   the source attached.
244. **Extract concepts and entities.** One page per idea. If a concept page
25   exists, add what this source contributes and update `updated:`. If it
26   contradicts what is there, record both positions rather than replacing.
275. **Link in both directions.** The source page links to every concept and
28   entity it touches; each of those links back. Add any missing target pages,
29   or list them under Gaps in `index.md`.
306. **Update `index.md` and append to `log.md`** in the same run, because an
31   index that lags is how a vault starts drifting.
32…