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Vault

The Vault class manages the markdown note storage layer.

Import

from ompa import Vault, Note, VaultConfig

Vault structure

vault_root/
├── brain/       # Persistent memory: north-star, active-agents, team, archive
├── work/        # Project work: decisions, incidents, wins, bugs, features, ...
├── org/         # Organization: people, teams, processes
└── perf/        # Performance: retros, blockers, reviews

Constructor

vault = Vault(vault_path="./workspace")

Initializes the folder structure if it doesn't exist.

Note CRUD

# List all notes
notes: list[Note] = vault.list_notes()

# Get brain note
note: Note | None = vault.get_brain_note("north-star")

# Update brain note
vault.update_brain_note("north-star", "My persistent goal", append=False)

# Search by name
notes = vault.search_by_name("postgres")

# Find orphans
orphans: list[Note] = vault.find_orphans()

Stats

stats: dict = vault.get_stats()
# {
#   "total_notes": 42,
#   "brain_notes": 5,
#   "orphans": 2,
# }

Validation

result: dict = vault.validate_write("work/decisions/postgres.md")
# {"warnings": [...], "errors": [...]}

Note

note = Note(
    path=Path("work/decisions/postgres.md"),
    frontmatter={"date": "2026-05-07", "tags": ["decision"]},
    content="We decided to use Postgres for the main DB.",
)
note.save()

# Load from file
note = Note.from_file(Path("work/decisions/postgres.md"))

ompa.vault.Vault

Manages the OMPA vault structure.

Source code in ompa/vault.py 
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class Vault:
    """Manages the OMPA vault structure."""

    # Folder structure
    STRUCTURE = {
        "brain": [
            "Memories.md",
            "Key Decisions.md",
            "Patterns.md",
            "Gotchas.md",
            "Skills.md",
            "North Star.md",
        ],
        "work/active": [],
        "work/archive": [],
        "work/incidents": [],
        "work/1-1": [],
        "org/people": [],
        "org/teams": [],
        "perf/competencies": [],
        "perf/brag": [],
        "thinking": [],
        "templates": [
            "Work Note.md",
            "Decision Record.md",
            "1-1 Meeting.md",
            "Incident.md",
            "Thinking Note.md",
        ],
    }

    def __init__(self, vault_path: str | Path):
        self.vault_path = Path(vault_path).resolve()
        self.config = VaultConfig(vault_path=self.vault_path)
        self._ensure_structure()

    def _ensure_structure(self) -> None:
        """Create vault folder structure if it doesn't exist."""
        for folder in self.STRUCTURE:
            folder_path = self.vault_path / folder
            folder_path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)

    def list_notes(self, exclude_patterns: list[str] = None) -> list[Note]:
        """List all markdown notes in the vault."""
        exclude_patterns = exclude_patterns or DEFAULT_EXCLUDE_PATTERNS
        notes = []

        for path in self.vault_path.rglob("*.md"):
            # Check exclusions
            if any(excl in str(path) for excl in exclude_patterns):
                continue
            notes.append(Note.from_file(path))

        return notes

    def _build_filename_index(self, notes: list[Note]) -> dict[str, Path]:
        """Build a case-insensitive filename → path index for wikilink resolution."""
        index = {}
        for note in notes:
            # Index by stem (without .md) — case-insensitive
            key = note.path.stem.lower()
            index[key] = note.path
            # Also index by full filename
            index[note.path.name.lower()] = note.path
        return index

    def _resolve_wikilink(self, link: str, filename_index: dict[str, Path]) -> Path | None:
        """Resolve a wikilink to a file path using multiple strategies."""
        link_lower = link.lower()

        # 1. Direct filename match (case-insensitive)
        if link_lower in filename_index:
            return filename_index[link_lower]

        # 2. Try with .md extension stripped
        if link_lower.endswith(".md"):
            stem = link_lower[:-3]
            if stem in filename_index:
                return filename_index[stem]

        # 3. Try exact path from vault root
        direct = self.vault_path / link
        if direct.exists():
            return direct
        with_ext = self.vault_path / f"{link}.md"
        if with_ext.exists():
            return with_ext

        return None

    def find_orphans(self) -> list[Note]:
        """Find notes with no incoming links from other notes."""
        all_notes = self.list_notes()
        filename_index = self._build_filename_index(all_notes)
        linked_files = set()

        for note in all_notes:
            for link in note.links:
                resolved = self._resolve_wikilink(link, filename_index)
                if resolved:
                    linked_files.add(resolved)

        return [
            n
            for n in all_notes
            if n.path not in linked_files and n.path.name not in ["Home.md", "README.md"]
        ]

    def search_by_name(self, query: str) -> list[Note]:
        """Search notes by filename."""
        query_lower = query.lower()
        return [n for n in self.list_notes() if query_lower in n.path.stem.lower()]

    def get_brain_note(self, name: str) -> Note | None:
        """Get a brain note by name. Name is sanitized to prevent path traversal."""
        # Reject names with path separators or parent-dir references
        if "/" in name or "\\" in name or ".." in name:
            raise ValueError(f"Invalid brain note name: {name!r}")
        safe_name = Path(name).name  # Strip any directory components
        path = self.config.brain_folder / f"{safe_name}.md"
        path = path.resolve()
        # Ensure we stay within brain folder
        try:
            path.relative_to(self.config.brain_folder.resolve())
        except ValueError:
            raise ValueError(f"Invalid brain note name: {name!r}") from None
        if path.exists():
            return Note.from_file(path)
        return None

    def update_brain_note(self, name: str, content: str, append: bool = False) -> None:
        """Update a brain note. Name is sanitized to prevent path traversal."""
        # Reject names with path separators or parent-dir references
        if "/" in name or "\\" in name or ".." in name:
            raise ValueError(f"Invalid brain note name: {name!r}")
        safe_name = Path(name).name  # Strip any directory components
        path = self.config.brain_folder / f"{safe_name}.md"
        path = path.resolve()
        try:
            path.relative_to(self.config.brain_folder.resolve())
        except ValueError:
            raise ValueError(f"Invalid brain note name: {name!r}") from None
        path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)

        if append and path.exists():
            note = Note.from_file(path)
            note.content += f"\n{content}"
        else:
            note = Note(path=path, content=content)

        note.save()

    def create_from_template(self, template_name: str, target_name: str, **kwargs) -> Note:
        """Create a new note from a template. Both names are sanitized."""
        # Sanitize template name
        safe_template = Path(template_name).name
        template_path = self.config.templates_folder / f"{safe_template}.md"
        if not template_path.exists():
            raise FileNotFoundError(f"Template not found: {template_name}")

        template = Note.from_file(template_path)

        # Replace placeholders
        content = template.content
        for key, value in kwargs.items():
            content = content.replace(f"{{{{{key}}}}}", str(value))

        # Sanitize and validate target path
        target_path = _safe_resolve(self.vault_path, target_name)
        note = Note(path=target_path, frontmatter=template.frontmatter, content=content)
        note.save()
        return note

    def get_stats(self) -> dict:
        """Get vault statistics."""
        notes = self.list_notes()
        filename_index = self._build_filename_index(notes)

        # Build linked set using smart wikilink resolution
        linked_files = set()
        for note in notes:
            for link in note.links:
                resolved = self._resolve_wikilink(link, filename_index)
                if resolved:
                    linked_files.add(resolved)

        orphan_count = sum(
            1
            for n in notes
            if n.path not in linked_files and n.path.name not in ["Home.md", "README.md"]
        )

        folder_counts: dict[str, int] = {}
        brain_count = 0
        for note in notes:
            folder = note.path.parent.name or "root"
            folder_counts[folder] = folder_counts.get(folder, 0) + 1

            # Count brain notes: in brain/ folder OR wing=brain in frontmatter
            if (
                "brain" in note.path.parts
                or str(note.frontmatter.get("wing", "")).lower() == "brain"
            ):
                brain_count += 1

        # Also count brain folder files not yet in notes list (e.g., empty ones)
        if self.config.brain_folder.exists():
            folder_brain = len(list(self.config.brain_folder.glob("*.md")))
            brain_count = max(brain_count, folder_brain)

        return {
            "total_notes": len(notes),
            "orphans": orphan_count,
            "folder_counts": folder_counts,
            "brain_notes": brain_count,
        }

    def validate_write(self, file_path: str) -> dict:
        """
        Validate a markdown file for frontmatter and wikilinks.
        File must be within the vault directory.
        Returns {valid: bool, warnings: list[str]}.
        """
        try:
            path = _safe_resolve(self.vault_path, file_path)
        except ValueError:
            # Also handle absolute paths that are within the vault
            path = Path(file_path).resolve()
            try:
                path.relative_to(self.vault_path)
            except ValueError:
                return {"valid": False, "warnings": ["Path is outside the vault"]}

        warnings = []
        valid = True

        if not path.exists():
            return {"valid": False, "warnings": ["File does not exist"]}

        if path.suffix != ".md":
            return {"valid": True, "warnings": []}

        # Skip dotfiles and template files
        if path.name.startswith(".") or path.name.startswith("README."):
            return {"valid": True, "warnings": []}

        if "templates" in path.parts or "thinking" in path.parts or ".claude" in path.parts:
            return {"valid": True, "warnings": []}

        try:
            content = path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")

            # Check frontmatter
            if not content.startswith("---"):
                warnings.append("Missing YAML frontmatter")
                valid = False
            else:
                parts = content.split("---", 2)
                if len(parts) >= 3:
                    fm = parts[1]
                    if "date:" not in fm and "date :" not in fm:
                        warnings.append("Missing 'date' in frontmatter")
                    if "description:" not in fm and "description :" not in fm:
                        warnings.append("Missing 'description' in frontmatter (~150 chars)")
                    if "tags:" not in fm and "tags :" not in fm:
                        warnings.append("Missing 'tags' in frontmatter")

            # Check wikilinks (skip very short notes)
            if len(content) > 300 and "[[" not in content:
                warnings.append(
                    "No [[wikilinks]] found — every note must link to at least one other note"
                )
                valid = False

        except Exception as e:
            warnings.append(f"Error reading file: {type(e).__name__}")
            valid = False

        return {"valid": valid, "warnings": warnings}

create_from_template(template_name, target_name, **kwargs)

Create a new note from a template. Both names are sanitized.

Source code in ompa/vault.py 
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def create_from_template(self, template_name: str, target_name: str, **kwargs) -> Note:
    """Create a new note from a template. Both names are sanitized."""
    # Sanitize template name
    safe_template = Path(template_name).name
    template_path = self.config.templates_folder / f"{safe_template}.md"
    if not template_path.exists():
        raise FileNotFoundError(f"Template not found: {template_name}")

    template = Note.from_file(template_path)

    # Replace placeholders
    content = template.content
    for key, value in kwargs.items():
        content = content.replace(f"{{{{{key}}}}}", str(value))

    # Sanitize and validate target path
    target_path = _safe_resolve(self.vault_path, target_name)
    note = Note(path=target_path, frontmatter=template.frontmatter, content=content)
    note.save()
    return note

find_orphans()

Find notes with no incoming links from other notes.

Source code in ompa/vault.py 
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def find_orphans(self) -> list[Note]:
    """Find notes with no incoming links from other notes."""
    all_notes = self.list_notes()
    filename_index = self._build_filename_index(all_notes)
    linked_files = set()

    for note in all_notes:
        for link in note.links:
            resolved = self._resolve_wikilink(link, filename_index)
            if resolved:
                linked_files.add(resolved)

    return [
        n
        for n in all_notes
        if n.path not in linked_files and n.path.name not in ["Home.md", "README.md"]
    ]

get_brain_note(name)

Get a brain note by name. Name is sanitized to prevent path traversal.

Source code in ompa/vault.py 
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def get_brain_note(self, name: str) -> Note | None:
    """Get a brain note by name. Name is sanitized to prevent path traversal."""
    # Reject names with path separators or parent-dir references
    if "/" in name or "\\" in name or ".." in name:
        raise ValueError(f"Invalid brain note name: {name!r}")
    safe_name = Path(name).name  # Strip any directory components
    path = self.config.brain_folder / f"{safe_name}.md"
    path = path.resolve()
    # Ensure we stay within brain folder
    try:
        path.relative_to(self.config.brain_folder.resolve())
    except ValueError:
        raise ValueError(f"Invalid brain note name: {name!r}") from None
    if path.exists():
        return Note.from_file(path)
    return None

get_stats()

Get vault statistics.

Source code in ompa/vault.py 
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def get_stats(self) -> dict:
    """Get vault statistics."""
    notes = self.list_notes()
    filename_index = self._build_filename_index(notes)

    # Build linked set using smart wikilink resolution
    linked_files = set()
    for note in notes:
        for link in note.links:
            resolved = self._resolve_wikilink(link, filename_index)
            if resolved:
                linked_files.add(resolved)

    orphan_count = sum(
        1
        for n in notes
        if n.path not in linked_files and n.path.name not in ["Home.md", "README.md"]
    )

    folder_counts: dict[str, int] = {}
    brain_count = 0
    for note in notes:
        folder = note.path.parent.name or "root"
        folder_counts[folder] = folder_counts.get(folder, 0) + 1

        # Count brain notes: in brain/ folder OR wing=brain in frontmatter
        if (
            "brain" in note.path.parts
            or str(note.frontmatter.get("wing", "")).lower() == "brain"
        ):
            brain_count += 1

    # Also count brain folder files not yet in notes list (e.g., empty ones)
    if self.config.brain_folder.exists():
        folder_brain = len(list(self.config.brain_folder.glob("*.md")))
        brain_count = max(brain_count, folder_brain)

    return {
        "total_notes": len(notes),
        "orphans": orphan_count,
        "folder_counts": folder_counts,
        "brain_notes": brain_count,
    }

list_notes(exclude_patterns=None)

List all markdown notes in the vault.

Source code in ompa/vault.py 
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def list_notes(self, exclude_patterns: list[str] = None) -> list[Note]:
    """List all markdown notes in the vault."""
    exclude_patterns = exclude_patterns or DEFAULT_EXCLUDE_PATTERNS
    notes = []

    for path in self.vault_path.rglob("*.md"):
        # Check exclusions
        if any(excl in str(path) for excl in exclude_patterns):
            continue
        notes.append(Note.from_file(path))

    return notes

search_by_name(query)

Search notes by filename.

Source code in ompa/vault.py 
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def search_by_name(self, query: str) -> list[Note]:
    """Search notes by filename."""
    query_lower = query.lower()
    return [n for n in self.list_notes() if query_lower in n.path.stem.lower()]

update_brain_note(name, content, append=False)

Update a brain note. Name is sanitized to prevent path traversal.

Source code in ompa/vault.py 
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def update_brain_note(self, name: str, content: str, append: bool = False) -> None:
    """Update a brain note. Name is sanitized to prevent path traversal."""
    # Reject names with path separators or parent-dir references
    if "/" in name or "\\" in name or ".." in name:
        raise ValueError(f"Invalid brain note name: {name!r}")
    safe_name = Path(name).name  # Strip any directory components
    path = self.config.brain_folder / f"{safe_name}.md"
    path = path.resolve()
    try:
        path.relative_to(self.config.brain_folder.resolve())
    except ValueError:
        raise ValueError(f"Invalid brain note name: {name!r}") from None
    path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)

    if append and path.exists():
        note = Note.from_file(path)
        note.content += f"\n{content}"
    else:
        note = Note(path=path, content=content)

    note.save()

validate_write(file_path)

Validate a markdown file for frontmatter and wikilinks. File must be within the vault directory. Returns {valid: bool, warnings: list[str]}.

Source code in ompa/vault.py 
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def validate_write(self, file_path: str) -> dict:
    """
    Validate a markdown file for frontmatter and wikilinks.
    File must be within the vault directory.
    Returns {valid: bool, warnings: list[str]}.
    """
    try:
        path = _safe_resolve(self.vault_path, file_path)
    except ValueError:
        # Also handle absolute paths that are within the vault
        path = Path(file_path).resolve()
        try:
            path.relative_to(self.vault_path)
        except ValueError:
            return {"valid": False, "warnings": ["Path is outside the vault"]}

    warnings = []
    valid = True

    if not path.exists():
        return {"valid": False, "warnings": ["File does not exist"]}

    if path.suffix != ".md":
        return {"valid": True, "warnings": []}

    # Skip dotfiles and template files
    if path.name.startswith(".") or path.name.startswith("README."):
        return {"valid": True, "warnings": []}

    if "templates" in path.parts or "thinking" in path.parts or ".claude" in path.parts:
        return {"valid": True, "warnings": []}

    try:
        content = path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")

        # Check frontmatter
        if not content.startswith("---"):
            warnings.append("Missing YAML frontmatter")
            valid = False
        else:
            parts = content.split("---", 2)
            if len(parts) >= 3:
                fm = parts[1]
                if "date:" not in fm and "date :" not in fm:
                    warnings.append("Missing 'date' in frontmatter")
                if "description:" not in fm and "description :" not in fm:
                    warnings.append("Missing 'description' in frontmatter (~150 chars)")
                if "tags:" not in fm and "tags :" not in fm:
                    warnings.append("Missing 'tags' in frontmatter")

        # Check wikilinks (skip very short notes)
        if len(content) > 300 and "[[" not in content:
            warnings.append(
                "No [[wikilinks]] found — every note must link to at least one other note"
            )
            valid = False

    except Exception as e:
        warnings.append(f"Error reading file: {type(e).__name__}")
        valid = False

    return {"valid": valid, "warnings": warnings}

ompa.vault.Note dataclass

Source code in ompa/vault.py 
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@dataclass
class Note:
    path: Path
    frontmatter: dict[str, object] = field(default_factory=dict)
    content: str = ""
    links: list[str] = field(default_factory=list)

    @classmethod
    def from_file(cls, path: Path) -> "Note":
        """Load a note from a file."""
        if not path.exists():
            return cls(path=path)

        try:
            post = frontmatter.load(path)
            content = post.content.strip()
            return cls(
                path=path,
                frontmatter=dict(post.metadata),
                content=content,
                links=cls._extract_wikilinks(content),
            )
        except Exception as e:
            # Fallback: read raw content if frontmatter parsing fails
            logger.debug("Frontmatter parse failed for %s: %s", path, e)
            try:
                text = path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
                return cls(path=path, content=text, links=cls._extract_wikilinks(text))
            except Exception as e:
                logger.debug("Could not read %s: %s", path, e)
                return cls(path=path)

    @staticmethod
    def _extract_wikilinks(text: str) -> list[str]:
        """Extract [[wikilinks]] from text, normalizing targets."""
        raw = re.findall(r"\[\[([^\]]+)\]\]", text)
        normalized = []
        for link in raw:
            # Strip display text: [[target|display]] → target
            target = link.split("|")[0].strip()
            # Strip .md extension if present (will be re-added during resolution)
            if target.lower().endswith(".md"):
                target = target[:-3]
            if target:
                normalized.append(target)
        return normalized

    def has_links(self) -> bool:
        """Check if note has any wikilinks."""
        return len(self.links) > 0

    def save(self) -> None:
        """Save note to file with frontmatter."""
        self.path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
        post = frontmatter.Post(self.content, **self.frontmatter)
        with open(self.path, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
            f.write(frontmatter.dumps(post))

from_file(path) classmethod

Load a note from a file.

Source code in ompa/vault.py 
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@classmethod
def from_file(cls, path: Path) -> "Note":
    """Load a note from a file."""
    if not path.exists():
        return cls(path=path)

    try:
        post = frontmatter.load(path)
        content = post.content.strip()
        return cls(
            path=path,
            frontmatter=dict(post.metadata),
            content=content,
            links=cls._extract_wikilinks(content),
        )
    except Exception as e:
        # Fallback: read raw content if frontmatter parsing fails
        logger.debug("Frontmatter parse failed for %s: %s", path, e)
        try:
            text = path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
            return cls(path=path, content=text, links=cls._extract_wikilinks(text))
        except Exception as e:
            logger.debug("Could not read %s: %s", path, e)
            return cls(path=path)

Check if note has any wikilinks.

Source code in ompa/vault.py 
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def has_links(self) -> bool:
    """Check if note has any wikilinks."""
    return len(self.links) > 0

save()

Save note to file with frontmatter.

Source code in ompa/vault.py 
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def save(self) -> None:
    """Save note to file with frontmatter."""
    self.path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
    post = frontmatter.Post(self.content, **self.frontmatter)
    with open(self.path, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
        f.write(frontmatter.dumps(post))