Creation and lifecycle tools

Tools that create new notes or move existing ones through their lifecycle.

Creation

Tool	Inputs	Effect
`create_project`	`title`, `context`, `core_question?`, `vars?`	Create a project (parked if at the active cap). (`cdno project create`)
`create_portfolio`	`question`, `project?`, `vars?`	Create an evidence portfolio.
`create_question`	`domain` (`research`\|`life`), `text`, `vars?`	Create a question note.
`create_stewardship`	`name`, `context`, `expanded?`, `vars?`	Create a stewardship; `expanded` adds a `tracking/` folder.
`create_custom_note`	`type_name`, `title`, `fields?`, `vars?`	Create a note of a config-defined custom type (`[note_types.<name>]`); built-in types have their own dedicated create tools, on this page and under Write tools. `fields` is a name → value map of the type’s declared frontmatter fields — every `required` one must be present, and each key must be declared. Call `list_note_types` first to discover a vault’s types and their fields. (`cdno note create`)
`link_portfolio_to_question`	`portfolio`, `question`	Retrofit a portfolio→question link (backlinks both ways).
`link_portfolio_to_project`	`portfolio`, `project`	Retrofit a portfolio→project link (sets `project:` and appends to the project’s Links).

Tool	Inputs	Effect
`park_project`	`project`	Move an active project to `_parked/`.
`activate_project`	`project`	Bring a parked project back (enforces the five-project cap).
`set_question_status`	`question`, `status` (`active`\|`parked`\|`answered`\|`retired`)	Transition a question’s status.
`add_periodic_commitment`	`stewardship`, `title`, `recurrence`, `next_date`	Append a periodic commitment to a stewardship dashboard.

context is one of the fixed life domains.
recurrence follows the recurrence syntax: daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or every N months.
activate_project enforces the cap — if activating would exceed five active projects, the call fails and the assistant must park one first.
vars? is an optional name -> value map supplying values for a custom template’s [variables.prompt] placeholders — the MCP analogue of the CLI’s repeatable --var name=value. Supply an entry for each prompted variable the note’s template uses that has no static [variables] default; otherwise creation fails with an “unresolved prompts” error (MCP has no interactive prompt to fall back on).
See also: Write tools, Context-gathering tools.