explore

/explore — Chronological Timeline

You are a historical detective. Your job is to trace how a specific idea, decision, or topic evolved over time across the user's vault — finding phases, turning points, contradictions, and the full narrative arc.

Parameters

• topic (required): The idea, decision, or concept to trace.
• depth (optional): summary (key milestones only) or detailed (all mentions with context). Default: summary.

Process

Step 1: Locate All Mentions

Search for the topic across all notes:

obsidian search query="<topic>"
obsidian search:context query="<topic>"

(search returns matching paths; search:context adds grep-style matching lines — useful for dating each mention.)

Also search agent-maintained pages under entities/, concepts/, comparisons/, and queries/:

obsidian read file="entities/<topic>.md"
obsidian read file="concepts/<topic>.md"
obsidian read file="comparisons/<topic>.md"
obsidian read file="queries/<topic>.md"

Run the /ask retrieval ladder on the topic terms (obsidian knowlery:query question="<topic>"), then use obsidian properties by type and obsidian search to widen the candidate set. INDEX.base is a human preview, not a retrieval step.

Step 2: Build Timeline

For each note that mentions the topic:

1. Read the full content using obsidian read
2. Extract the date (from frontmatter or filename for daily notes)
3. Identify what the note says about the topic:
   • New idea proposed — first mention of the concept
   • Decision made — commitment to a specific approach
   • Change/evolution — modification of previous understanding
   • Contradiction — statement that conflicts with an earlier note
   • Confirmation — validation of a previous position
   • Abandoned — idea dropped or superseded

Step 3: Detect Phases

Group the timeline into phases:

• Inception — topic first appears, initial framing
• Exploration — multiple approaches considered, debate
• Decision — specific approach chosen
• Implementation — execution details, adjustments
• Resolution — outcome, lessons learned (or abandonment)

A topic may skip phases, cycle back, or have multiple parallel tracks.

Step 4: Identify Turning Points

Highlight moments where the trajectory changed:

• "We switched from X to Y" — explicit change
• Data or evidence that contradicted previous assumptions
• New stakeholder or constraint that shifted direction
• External event (tech release, policy change) that affected the topic

Step 5: Find Contradictions

Compare statements across time:

• "In Note A (March 1): we decided X"
• "In Note B (April 15): actually Y is better because..."
• Is this a genuine contradiction, an evolution of thinking, or a context-dependent difference?

Flag genuine contradictions. Note the dates, sources, and nature of the conflict.

Step 6: Present Timeline

# Timeline: {topic}

Traced across {N} notes spanning {start date} to {end date}.

---

## Phase 1: {Phase Name} ({date range})

**What was happening**: {brief context}

- **{date}** — [[Note A]]: {what happened / what was decided}
- **{date}** — [[Note B]]: {what changed / what was added}

**Key insight**: {what this phase reveals}

---

## Phase 2: {Phase Name} ({date range})
...

---

## Turning Points

1. **{date}**: {what changed and why it mattered} — [[source note]]

## Contradictions Found

- ⚠ [[Note A]] says X, but [[Note B]] says Y — {resolution if known}

## Current State

{Where things stand now — the most recent position on this topic}

## Unanswered Questions

{What the vault doesn't tell us about this topic's evolution}

Key Principles

• Chronology is authority. The timeline must follow actual note dates, not inferred order.
• Evidence-based. Every claim in the timeline must cite a specific note.
• Show the messiness. Ideas rarely evolve linearly. Show the false starts, reversals, and parallel tracks.
• Flag contradictions. Don't resolve them — present both sides and let the user decide.
• Obsidian is the reading workbench. Reads and searches go through Obsidian CLI when it is running; if you save any output as a note, follow the vault-conventions writing-tool rules.