# swarmvault

Enforces schema rules and graph-first navigation for SwarmVault knowledge bases. It helps agents query typed connections, ingest sources, and maintain compiled wiki pages.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · ★ 700
- Author: swarmclawai
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/swarmclawai/swarmclaw/tree/HEAD/skills/swarmvault/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-06-30
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/swarmclawai-swarmvault

## What it does

This skill teaches the agent how to navigate a three-layer SwarmVault workspace. The `raw/` folder holds immutable input files like PDFs and transcripts. The `wiki/` directory contains compiler-generated markdown pages with frontmatter hashes and node IDs. Generated graph data and indexes stay isolated in `state/`. The workspace contract is defined in `swarmvault.schema.md`.

The agent prioritizes typed graph traversal over flat text searches. Instead of running grep, it calls `query_graph` or `blast_radius` to trace dependencies. New source files are registered with `ingest_input` before `compile_vault` rebuilds the wiki. Without `npx` available in your path or an active SwarmVault MCP server, the agent cannot execute these routines.

Strict guardrails protect vault integrity. Raw inputs are read-only. When schema changes happen, the agent must run `lint_vault` before any re-compilation. Candidate pages in `wiki/candidates/` require explicit user confirmation before moving to permanent entity folders. High-value answers can be written directly to `wiki/outputs/` so findings become permanent vault knowledge.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add swarmclawai/swarmclaw --skill swarmvault -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/swarmvault/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/swarmvault/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add swarmclawai/swarmclaw --skill swarmvault -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/swarmvault/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add swarmclawai/swarmclaw --skill swarmvault -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/swarmvault/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install swarmclawai/swarmclaw swarmvault
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/swarmvault/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add swarmclawai/swarmclaw --skill swarmvault -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/swarmclawai/swarmclaw --path skills/swarmvault
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/swarmvault/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add swarmclawai/swarmclaw --skill swarmvault -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/swarmclawai/swarmclaw/tree/HEAD/skills/swarmvault/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- navigate vault dependencies with graph queries instead of plain text grep
- register incoming documents into `raw/` without modifying immutable sources
- recompile wiki pages and graph indexes after schema updates
- audit frontmatter consistency and schema drift using `lint_vault`

## Example prompts
- Inspect `wiki/graph/report.md` and check what depends on `wiki/concepts/auth.md` using `blast_radius`.
- Add the new meeting notes via `ingest_input` and run `compile_vault` to refresh the index.
- Run `query_vault` to find connections between API and Database, then save the output to `wiki/outputs/`.

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 22be452241b9a79f.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 22be452241b9a79f
```text
---
name: swarmvault
description: Use when working with a SwarmVault knowledge vault (raw/, wiki/, swarmvault.schema.md). Establishes schema-first conventions and prefers graph queries over broad search.
homepage: https://swarmvault.ai
metadata:
  openclaw:
    capabilities: [knowledge-base, knowledge-graph, retrieval, vault]
    requires:
      bins: [npx]
---

# SwarmVault

Use when the agent has a SwarmVault MCP server enabled (transport `stdio`, command `npx -y @swarmvaultai/cli mcp`) pointed at a vault directory.

A SwarmVault workspace is a three-layer knowledge system:

- `raw/` — immutable source inputs (PDFs, transcripts, code, emails, URLs, sheets). Never edit.
- `wiki/` — generated markdown owned by the agent and the SwarmVault compiler. Pages carry frontmatter (`page_id`, `source_ids`, `node_ids`, `freshness`, `source_hashes`).
- `state/` — generated indexes, graphs, and approvals. Treat as opaque output of `compile`.

The vault contract lives in `swarmvault.schema.md` at the workspace root. The vault config lives in `swarmvault.config.json`.

## Rules

1. **Read `swarmvault.schema.md` first** before any compile or query work. It defines categories, naming, freshness rules, and grounding conventions for this specific vault.
2. **Read `wiki/graph/report.md` before broad file searching** when it exists; otherwise start with `wiki/index.md`. Both summarize the vault structure so you don't re-scan everything.
3. **Treat `raw/` as immutable.** Never edit, rename, or delete files there. New sources go through `ingest`.
4. **Treat `wiki/` as compiler-owned.** Edits should preserve frontmatter fields exactly: `page_id`, `source_ids`, `node_ids`, `freshness`, `source_hashes`. If those drift, the next `compile` will overwrite or flag the page.
5. **Prefer graph queries over grep/glob** for "how does X relate to Y" or "what depends on Z" questions. The vault's typed graph is more reliable than text search.
6. **Save high-value answers** to `wiki/outputs/` (use the `query` or `explore` tools) instead of leaving them only in chat. That way they become first-class vault content for next time.

## Tool Palette

The SwarmVault MCP server exposes the following tools (names are prefixed by SwarmClaw with `mcp_<sanitized server name>_`, e.g. `mcp_SwarmVault_query_vault`). Match the user's intent to the closest tool:

Vault inspection:
- `workspace_info` — return current vault paths and high-level counts. Use this first when you've never seen this vault.
- `list_sources` — list source manifests under `raw/`.
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 22be452241b9a79f

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First 2555 of 5250 bytes. © swarmclawai · MIT · https://github.com/swarmclawai/swarmclaw/tree/HEAD/skills/swarmvault/SKILL.md

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---
NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md