second-brain-rename

1# Rename a page
2 
3An agent renaming a file directly is the single most common source of broken
4links in an agent-maintained vault. Obsidian fixes links when you rename inside
5the app; writing the file directly does not.
6 
7## Core rule
8 
9A rename is four operations, not one. All four, or none.
10 
11## Workflow
12 
131. **Check the new name** against existing pages and aliases. A rename that
14   collides with an existing alias creates ambiguity the graph cannot resolve.
152. **Rename the file** and update the `title` in frontmatter.
163. **Add the old title to `aliases`.** This keeps external references, the
17   user's memory, and any link you miss working.
184. **Update every inbound link.** Search the whole vault, including `index.md`.
195. **Log it:** old name, new name, links updated.
206. **Verify** with a link check.
21 
22## Output format
23 
24```
25Renamed: [[old]] -> [[new]]
26Inbound links updated: <n> across <n> pages
27Alias added: <old>
28Remaining references: <none | list>
29```
30 
31## Calibration
32 
33Do not rename to fix a style preference on a page with many inbound links. The
34cost is real and the benefit is cosmetic.
35 
36If the correct name is genuinely ambiguous, ask rather than picking. A second
37rename is more disruptive than the first.