Personal Wiki#

Manage a personal wiki using Wikmd, a file-based wiki that renders Markdown files with a clean web interface.

When to Use#

Active Triggers — Use immediately when:#

• "Create a page about..."
• "Add to my wiki"
• "Research X and create a page about it"
• "Update my wiki with..."

Proactive Triggers — Consult the wiki when:#

• User mentions projects, work, or ongoing tasks
• User discusses research, learning, or exploring new topics
• User references decisions, plans, or goals
• User mentions people, places, or organizations repeatedly
• User asks questions about topics that might be documented
• Before making recommendations — check if wiki has relevant context
• When synthesizing information — see if wiki has related pages

Maintenance Triggers — Update the wiki when:#

• After completing research or gathering new information
• When learning something worth remembering
• After making decisions worth documenting
• When encountering useful resources, tools, or references
• When patterns or insights emerge from conversations
• During heartbeat checks — review for outdated or incomplete pages

Installation#

Prerequisites#

1. Python 3 and pip installed
2. Git for version control

Install Wikmd#

bash

pip install wikmd

Or via pipx (recommended):

bash

pipx install wikmd

Setup Wiki Directory#

1. Create your wiki root directory:

bash

mkdir -p ~/personal-wiki/wiki
cd ~/personal-wiki
git init

1. Create a basic configuration file ( wiki_config.yaml) in your wiki root:

yaml

wiki_directory: "./wiki"
homepage: "homepage"
homepage_title: "My Wiki"
host: "127.0.0.1"
port: 5000
authentication: false
hide_folder_content: false

**note: if you set the host to 0.0.0.0 you can access the wiki on your network - but be cautious about this opening up your data**

1. Run the wiki:

bash

wikmd --config wiki_config.yaml

Visit http://localhost:5000 to view your wiki.

Configuration#

Environment Variable#

This skill requires the PERSONAL_WIKI_ROOT environment variable to be set:

bash

export PERSONAL_WIKI_ROOT="<PATH>/personal-wiki"

Set this via OpenClaw config:

bash

openclaw config set skills.entries.personal-wiki.env.PERSONAL_WIKI_ROOT "<PATH>/personal-wiki"

Wiki Directory Structure#

This is an example of how you can structure the wiki:

text

PERSONAL_WIKI_ROOT/
├── wiki/                    # Markdown files go here
│   ├── homepage.md         # Main landing page
│   ├── projects/
│   │   └── my-project.md
│   ├── research/
│   │   └── topic-notes.md
│   ├── people/
│   │   └── contacts.md
│   ├── decisions/
│   │   └── architecture-choices.md
│   └── resources/
│       └── useful-links.md
├── wiki_config.yaml        # Wikmd configuration
└── .git/                   # Version control

Working with the Wiki#

Reading from the Wiki#

Always check the wiki before:

1. Making recommendations — the wiki may have preferences or constraints documented
2. Answering questions — the user may have already researched this
3. Planning — there may be existing projects or goals to align with
4. Researching — avoid duplicating effort by checking what's already known

To read the wiki:

bash

# List all pages
ls -la $PERSONAL_WIKI_ROOT/wiki

# Read a specific page
cat $PERSONAL_WIKI_ROOT/wiki/homepage.md
cat $PERSONAL_WIKI_ROOT/wiki/projects/active-project.md

# Search for content
grep -r "topic" $PERSONAL_WIKI_ROOT/wiki --include="*.md"

Creating Pages#

1. Create a Markdown file in the wiki subdirectory:

   • Use folders for organization (e.g., projects/, research/, decisions/)
   • File names become page URLs (e.g., projects/my-project.md → /projects/my-project)

2. Add content using Markdown syntax

3. Commit the changes — the wiki uses git for version control: bash

   cd $PERSONAL_WIKI_ROOT
   git add .
   git commit -m "Add page about X"
   
   

Updating Pages#

When adding new information to existing pages:

1. Append to the relevant section or create new sections
2. Include dates for time-sensitive information
3. Cross-reference related pages with WikiLinks
4. Commit the changes

Integrating with Memory#

The wiki is an extension of your memory system:

• After conversations: Review if anything discussed should be captured
• After research: Document key findings and sources
• When patterns emerge: Create or update pages that connect related information
• During heartbeats: Check for pages needing updates or maintenance

Wikmd Markdown Features#

Wikmd supports standard Markdown plus these extensions:

• WikiLinks: Link to other pages with [[Page Title]] or [[Another Page|custom text]]
• Table of Contents: Add [TOC] to insert a table of contents
• Code Blocks: Syntax highlighting with triple backticks
• LaTeX Math: Inline $...$ and block $$...$$ math rendering
• Images: Store images in wiki/images/ and reference with ![alt](images/pic.jpg)
• Mermaid Diagrams: Create flowcharts, sequence diagrams, etc.

See Wikmd Documentation for full syntax details.

Privacy & Security#

• Scope: This skill only creates/modifies Markdown files in PERSONAL_WIKI_ROOT/wiki, reads documentation from https://linbreux.github.io/wikmd/ and hosts the Wiki on a local http server
• Data Handling: All content is stored locally; no data is sent to external services
• Version Control: Use git to track changes and maintain history