Vault structure

A vault is a directory tree of Markdown files plus a .cuaderno/ config folder. cdno init creates the whole layout; here’s what each part holds.

vault/
├── journal/
│   └── 2026/                      # partitioned by (ISO) year
│       ├── daily/
│       │   └── 2026-04-25.md      # type: daily (append-only)
│       └── weekly/
│           └── 2026-W17.md       # type: weekly (append-only)
│
├── projects/
│   ├── surrogate-model.md        # type: project (mutable)
│   ├── _parked/                  # parked projects: complete maps that don't count
│   │   └── bayesian-opt.md
│   └── _done/
│       └── 2025/                 # closed projects: completed or dropped
│           └── thesis-chapter-2.md
│
├── actions/
│   ├── characterise-sampler.md   # type: action (manifest form)
│   └── _done/
│       └── 2026/                 # completed actions, partitioned by year
│           └── run-ablation.md
│
├── portfolios/
│   └── sparse-vs-dense-ood/
│       ├── _index.md             # type: portfolio
│       ├── 2026-03-15-chen-2025.md   # type: evidence (append-only)
│       └── 2026-04-01-ablation-b.md
│
├── stewardships/
│   ├── finances.md               # type: stewardship (flat)
│   └── health/                   # expanded variant
│       ├── _index.md             # type: stewardship
│       ├── tracking/             # type: tracking entries (append-only)
│       │   └── 2026-04-06-gym.md
│       └── routines/             # reference docs, not logs
│           └── upper-body-a.md
│
├── commitments/
│   ├── pay-rent.md               # type: commitment
│   └── _done/
│       └── 2026/                 # fulfilled commitments
│
├── questions/
│   ├── research/
│   │   └── surrogate-cost.md     # type: question (domain: research)
│   └── life/
│       └── apartment-as-home.md  # type: question (domain: life)
│
├── concepts/                     # the concept library (a custom type `cdno init` declares)
│   ├── woodbury-identity.md      # type: concept (mutable, refined in place)
│   └── linear-algebra.md         # a hub note: mostly links
│
├── inbox/                        # raw captures awaiting triage
│
└── .cuaderno/
    ├── config.toml               # vault configuration
    ├── index.db                  # SQLite index cache (auto-created, rebuildable)
    └── templates/                # note templates (override the built-ins)

Conventions worth knowing

• _parked/ (projects) and _done/ (projects, actions, commitments) prefix folders hold inactive or finished notes. The underscore keeps them sorted out of the way and signals “not the active set.” _done/ is partitioned by year so the active folders stay scannable.
• projects/_parked/ holds complete maps that are set aside: they take every plan write (actions, state, milestones, waiting-on), keep their hard dates in the commitments register, and do not count toward the cap. You read them at the monthly review. A handed-off project (held_by: in its frontmatter) stays in whichever folder it was in; only the name changes. See Business rules.
• _index.md is the identity note of a folder — the portfolio note inside a portfolio folder, the stewardship note inside an expanded stewardship folder.
• tracking/ inside a stewardship holds time-series entries; routines/ holds prescriptive reference documents (a workout plan, a checklist) — those are not logs.
• concepts/ is flat by design: tags and links, including hand-written hub notes, give it structure. See The concept library.
• Stewardships have two shapes: a flat stewardships/<slug>.md, or an expanded stewardships/<slug>/ folder. Only expanded ones can hold tracking entries.

.cuaderno/

• config.toml — vault settings: the method version the vault follows ([vault] method_version), the project cap, the holder deny-list ([projects] holder_sentinels), ignore globs, template behaviour, schema extensions, variables. See Configuration.
• index.db — a SQLite cache of the vault, used for fast search, linting, and link queries. It is rebuilt automatically when it’s stale (see Business rules); deleting it is safe. The Markdown files are always the source of truth.
• templates/ — the note templates cdno fills when scaffolding a note. The built-ins are written here at init so you can edit them; pure variable substitution, no logic.

Next: Business rules.