karpathy-wiki — OpenClaw Implementation#

Based on Andrej Karpathy's LLM Wiki pattern.

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Trigger Keywords (Activation)#

Activate this skill when the user says anything like:

• "organize bookmarks" / "digest this link"
• "research X" / "help me research"
• "run lint" / "lint check"
• "relink" / "build connections"
• "wiki" / "knowledge graph"
• "Deep Research"

---

wiki Root#

text

wiki_root: /path/to/your/wiki  # configure to your local path

text

<wiki_root>/
├── raw/
│   ├── sources/          # raw bookmarks/docs (immutable)
│   └── assets/           # images and resources
├── wiki/
│   ├── entities/        # entity pages (people, products, companies, sites, books)
│   ├── concepts/        # concept pages (tech, theory, methodology)
│   ├── comparisons/     # comparison pages
│   ├── synthesis/       # synthesis/overview pages
│   ├── index.md         # wiki index (entry point)
│   ├── log.md           # operation log (append-only)
│   └── overview.md      # global overview
├── purpose.md           # wiki goal definition (wiki constitution)
└── schema.md            # structure conventions

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Core Principles#

1. sources/ is read-only — LLM only writes wiki/, never modifies raw sources
2. wikilink cross-references — [[page-slug]] syntax for page connections
3. YAML frontmatter — every page has type/tags/related/sources
4. Bidirectional links enforced — every write to related must sync back-link
5. Two-phase Ingest — Analysis → Generation
6. URL-level traceability — sources contain specific URLs, not just filenames
7. Lint-driven — periodic health checks, graph stays clean
8. Deep Research — knowledge gaps auto-discovered and filled

---

Page Type Taxonomy (entity vs concept boundary)#

TypeDefinitionExamplesentityNamed, discrete thingspeople/products/companies/sites/books/toolsconceptAbstract ideas/theories/methodologiesindexing principles, microservices, DIcomparisonMulti-option comparisonsVue vs React, MySQL vs PostgreSQLsynthesisComprehensive overviewtech stack panorama, annual summary

Boundary Rules:

• If it has a specific name → entity ("pdai.tech", "Effective Java")
• If it's abstract/generic → concept ("MySQL indexing", "dependency injection")
• Avoid having both entity and concept for the same topic

---

Naming Convention#

text

entity:
  blogs/sites: use domain or person name
    → mysql-zhu-shuangyin
    → pdai-tech
    → jon-index-blog
  books: use simplified book title
    → effective-java

concept:
  use core terms in kebab-case
    → mysql-innodb
    → jwt-json-web-token
    → dependency-injection

comparison:
  → mysql-postgresql-comparison
  → vue-vs-react

synthesis:
  → go-web-dev-overview
  → 2026-learning-roadmap-summary

Rules:

• All lowercase, hyphen-separated
• No mixed Chinese/English
• Unique slugs, no duplicates

---

YAML Frontmatter (Required Fields)#

yaml

---
type: entity | concept | comparison | synthesis
title: Page Title
created: YYYY-MM-DD
updated: YYYY-MM-DD
tags: [tag1, tag2]
related: [page-slug-1, page-slug-2]  # forward reference (back-link auto-added)
sources:
  - file: bookmarks_xxx.md
    urls:
      - https://example.com/article1
      - https://example.com/article2
---

sources.urls is mandatory — URL-level traceability is a core principle.

---

Quality Thresholds#

Every concept/comparison page must have:

RequirementDescriptionOne-line definitionfrontmatter title or page header >Core principles ≥ 3body contains at least 3 substantial pointsRelated pages ≥ 1related field is non-emptySource URLssources.urls is non-emptyBack-links addedevery page in related back-links to this page

Every entity page must have:

RequirementDescriptionOne-line descriptionfrontmatter titleKey features ≥ 2body has substantive descriptionsRelated pages ≥ 1related field non-emptySource URLssources.urls is non-empty

---

Page Templates#

Entity Page#

markdown

---
type: entity
title: Entity Name
created: YYYY-MM-DD
updated: YYYY-MM-DD
tags: [tags]
related: [page-slug-1, page-slug-2]
sources:
  - file: bookmarks_xxx.md
    urls:
      - https://example.com
---

# Entity Name

> One-line description (used in index.md summary).

## Overview
Main content and background.

## Key Features
- Feature 1
- Feature 2

## Related
- [[page-slug]] — reason (back-link auto-added)

## Sources
- [Article Title](https://example.com) — source description

Concept Page#

markdown

---
type: concept
title: Concept Name
created: YYYY-MM-DD
updated: YYYY-MM-DD
tags: [tags]
related: [page-slug-1, page-slug-2]
sources:
  - file: bookmarks_xxx.md
    urls:
      - https://example.com/article1
---

# Concept Name

> One-line definition.

## Core Principles
- Principle 1
- Principle 2
- Principle 3

## Use Cases
- Use case 1

## Related
- [[page-slug]] — reason

## Counter-arguments / Data Gaps
- Known limitations
- Uncovered aspects

## Sources
- [Article Title](https://example.com) — source description

Comparison Page#

markdown

---
type: comparison
title: A vs B
created: YYYY-MM-DD
updated: YYYY-MM-DD
tags: [tag1, tag2]
related: [page-slug-a, page-slug-b]
sources:
  - file: bookmarks_xxx.md
    urls:
      - https://example.com/comparison
---

# A vs B

> One-line summary: A is better for X, B is better for Y.

## Overview
Why these two are compared and when this comparison matters.

## Comparison Dimensions

| Dimension | A | B |
|-----------|---|---|
| Dimension 1 | detail | detail |
| Dimension 2 | detail | detail |

## When to Choose A
- Scenario 1
- Scenario 2

## When to Choose B
- Scenario 1
- Scenario 2

## Related
- [[page-slug-a]] — A's entity
- [[page-slug-b]] — B's entity

## Sources
- [Source Title](https://example.com) — source description

Synthesis Page#

markdown

---
type: synthesis
title: Topic Overview
created: YYYY-MM-DD
updated: YYYY-MM-DD
tags: [tag1, tag2]
related: [page-slug-1, page-slug-2]
sources:
  - file: bookmarks_xxx.md
    urls:
      - https://example.com/overview
---

# Topic Overview

> One-line summary of this knowledge domain.

## Scope
What this synthesis covers.

## Key Concepts
- [[concept-1]] — brief description
- [[concept-2]] — brief description

## Key Entities
- [[entity-1]] — brief description

## Landscape
- Trend or pattern 1
- Trend or pattern 2

## Knowledge Gaps
- What needs deeper research

## Related
- [[page-slug-1]] — reason

## Sources
- [Source Title](https://example.com) — source description

---

Operations#

Ingest (Collection & Digestion)#

Phase 1 — Analysis

text

## Key Entities
Identified entities

## Key Concepts
Identified core concepts

## Main Arguments & Findings
Key arguments and findings

## Connections to Existing Wiki
Relations to existing wiki pages

## Contradictions & Tensions
Conflicts with existing knowledge

## Coverage Gaps
What was mentioned but not covered deeply?
What related topics are missing?

## Recommendations
New/update which pages

Phase 2 — Generation

1. Create/update target pages (with urls in sources)
2. Sync related + back-link (bidirectional link enforcement)
3. Verify pages meet quality thresholds
4. Update index.md
5. Append to log.md

Output format — always write exactly this structure, no deviations:

text

## Ingest Plan

### Pages to create/update
| Action | File | Summary |
|---------|------|---------|
| CREATE | wiki/concepts/page-slug.md | 1-line description |
| UPDATE | wiki/entities/backlink-target.md | add related: page-slug |

### Back-link sync
- [[A]] → add B to related → check B has A, add if missing

### index.md update
- Add: `- [[page-slug]] — 1-line description (concept/entity)`

### log.md entry
- `[YYYY-MM-DD] Ingest: N pages, sources: bookmarks_xxx.md`

Phase 2 execution: follow the plan exactly. Write files using the templates in Page Templates section.

---

Query#

Always follow this priority when answering:

1. Read index.md → find candidate pages by tag/topic match
2. Read candidate pages → extract claims + sources.urls
3. web_fetch top sources → verify critical claims (flag ⚠️ if can't reach)
4. Synthesize → answer with confidence annotation (✅/⚠️/❌)
5. Cite sources → always include the specific URL that confirmed each claim

When wiki has no relevant page: fall back to web_search, then optionally ingest the result to wiki.

---

Relink (Automatic Relationship Discovery)#

Trigger: batch ingest complete / periodic heartbeat

Process:

text

1. Scan all wiki/*.md tags and body text
2. Extract core topics from each page
3. Find page pairs sharing tags/topics
4. Analyze relationship strength pairwise
5. Generate recommended link list (candidate)
6. User confirms before writing (back-link sync)

Execution steps:

bash

# 1. Collect all related pairs (shared tags)
grep -r "^tags:" wiki/concepts/ wiki/entities/ | analyze

# 2. List orphan pages
for f in wiki/**/*.md; do
  related=$(grep "^related:" "$f")
  inbound=$(grep -r "^\* \[\[$(basename $f .md)\]\]" wiki/)
  [ -z "$related" ] && [ -z "$inbound" ] && echo "$f is orphan"
done

# 3. LLM generates relink suggestion report
#    Format:
#    [[page-A]] <--> [[page-B]]  reason: shared tag MySQL B+tree
#    [[page-C]] --> [[page-D]]   reason: C mentions D but not linked

Write rules:

• Update A's related to add B
• Update B's related to add A
• Append to log.md

---

Lint (Health Check) — Enhanced#

Trigger: user request / periodic heartbeat

Scan dimensions (6):

#DimensionDescription1Orphan pagesNo related pages, no inbound links2Dangling referencesrelated references non-existent slugs3One-way linksA→B but B→A missing4Contradiction detectionSame claim described differently across pages5Quality thresholdPage fails minimum quality (no urls/no related/principles<3)6Naming driftSlug style inconsistent (mixed case/mixed Chinese-English)

Lint report format:

markdown

## Lint Report — YYYY-MM-DD

### Orphan Pages (N)
- [[page]] — no related, no inbound

### One-way Links (N)
- [[A]] → [[B]] (B not back-linking A)

### Dangling References (N)
- [[page]] references non-existent [[nonexistent]]

### Quality Failures (N)
- [[page]] — missing urls source
- [[page]] — empty related

### Contradictions (N)
- [[page-A]] says: X is Y
- [[page-B]] says: X is Z

### Naming Issues (N)
- [[page]] — slug has uppercase/mixed Chinese-English

### Recommended Actions
1. [Priority 1]
2. [Priority 2]

---

Deep Research#

Trigger: lint finds Coverage Gaps / user says "research X"

Process:

text

1. Discover knowledge gap
   lint report "missing coverage" items
   user says "research XXX"

2. Generate 3-5 search queries
   Format: each query should be specific enough to return distinct results
   Example gap "MySQL MVCC":
     → "MySQL MVCC multi-version concurrency control principles"
     → "MySQL MVCC undo log implementation"
     → "MySQL MVCC ReadView isolation levels"

3. Multi-source search
   Execute web_search for each query (max 5 queries)
   Collect top 3 results per query

4. Ingest results
   Write raw search results to raw/sources/deep-research-YYYYMMDD.md
   Execute full ingest pipeline

5. relink + lint
   Complete bidirectional links
   Run lint to verify health

Deep Research output:

markdown

## Research Report: [Topic]

### Gap Identified
[What was missing]

### Search Queries Used
1. query text → N results
2. query text → N results

### Key Findings
- Finding 1 [source](url)
- Finding 2 [source](url)

### New Pages Created
- [[new-page-1]] — 1-line description
- [[new-page-2]] — 1-line description

### Recommendations
- [next research direction]

---

purpose.md (Wiki Constitution)#

Every wiki should have purpose.md defining:

markdown

# purpose.md

## Goal
Who is this wiki for? What problem does it solve?

## Core Questions
What core questions must this wiki answer?

## Scope
What domains are covered?
What is explicitly excluded?

## Evolution Direction
Near-term (3 months): fill gaps in which domains?
Mid-term (6 months): what state to achieve?
Long-term (1 year): what is the ideal wiki form?

## Quality Standards
What is the minimum quality threshold?

---

Source Traceability Chain#

text

User bookmarks (Chrome export)
  ↓
raw/sources/bookmarks_xxx.md  (immutable)
  ↓  Ingest writes
wiki/xxx.md
  sources:
    - file: bookmarks_xxx.md
      urls:
        - https://example.com  ← specific URL
  ↓  Query time
OpenClaw reads wiki → reads sources.urls → web_fetch original URL → verify

---

Use Cases#

• User asks technical question (check wiki first, then search)
• User says "help me digest this link"
• User requests "organize my collected content on XXX"
• User requests "run lint"
• User requests "relink"
• User requests "research X" (Deep Research)
• Periodic heartbeat triggers lint + relink + quality check

---

Confidence Annotations#

AnnotationMeaning✅ Verifiedwiki content matches original URL source⚠️ Inferredwiki content is LLM inference based on source, not direct quote❌ Disputedwiki content contradicts source, needs verification

---

Bidirectional Link Write Rules (Enforced)#

Every time you modify the related field:

text

When writing A's related to add B:
  1. Add B to A's related: [...]
  2. Check if B's related already has A
  3. If not, add A as back-link
  4. If yes, skip

Prohibited:

• ❌ Write A→B only, skip B→A
• ❌ Leave related empty with no links added
• ❌ sources has only file, no urls

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Common Mistakes#

MistakeWhy it's wrongCorrect approachCreate entity + concept for same topicDouble maintenance, confuses graphPick one: named → entity, abstract → conceptSkip back-link when adding relatedOne-way links break graph traversalAlways sync back-link when modifying relatedUse Chinese in slugsBreaks tooling, inconsistentUse pinyin or English, not mysql-suo-yinPut only filename in sourcesLoses URL-level traceabilityAlways include urls: [https://...]Leave concept page with < 3 core principlesFails quality thresholdForce extraction of ≥ 3 substantive pointsWrite ingest output as prose descriptionHard to execute, format inconsistentAlways use structured Ingest Plan format (table + steps)

File Setup Reminder#

On first wiki setup, you must create:

• purpose.md — wiki constitution (goal, scope, quality standards)
• schema.md — structure conventions (naming rules, page templates)
• wiki/index.md — entry point with domain overview
• wiki/log.md — operation log (append-only)

Without these, lint and relink cannot run properly.

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Author#

zhangmengyang/karpathy-wiki-improve