crystallize

Move a high-signal page to 2_Areas/_Canon/ and mark the source as crystallized. Ported from vanillaflava. Canon is the stable substrate future notes cite — don’t promote casually.

When to use

• User runs /crystallize on a specific page.
• reconcile surfaced promotion candidates and user wants to action them.
• User says “make this canonical”, “promote this”, “this is the definitive page on X”.

The bar for canon

A page qualifies if it meets at least three of:

1. Many inbound links — ≥10 other pages wikilink to it.
2. Substantial body — not a stub. Clear thesis, well-structured sections, low filler ratio.
3. Referenced across multiple PARA areas — not just one narrow domain.
4. Stable — hasn’t been substantially rewritten in the last 4+ weeks (suggests the thinking is settled).
5. Synthesized, not raw — it’s conclusions/models the user has formed, not a transcript or clipping.

If fewer than three are met, do not promote. Surface in report instead.

Workflow

1. Assess

Per candidate:

• Count inbound wikilinks (grep -rl "\[\[<title>").
• Inspect body: length, structure, filler ratio.
• Check PARA breadth of referrers.
• Check git history for recency of substantive edits.
• Decide: meets the bar? If not, say so and stop.

2. Propose — wait for approval

### Proposal: Crystallize [[Page]]
 
**Bar check:**
- Inbound links: N (threshold 10)
- Body: substantial / stub / medium
- PARA breadth: <list of areas that reference it>
- Recency: <last substantive edit>
- Synthesized: yes/no
 
**Recommendation:** Promote / Do not promote.
 
**Changes if approved:**
- Move [[Page]] to `2_Areas/_Canon/<Page>.md`.
- Add `crystallized: true` to frontmatter.
- Add `canon: true` tag.
- Redirect all inbound wikilinks to the new path.
- Keep original title — the link `[[Page]]` still resolves.

3. Apply (only on approval)

1. git mv the page to 2_Areas/_Canon/<Title>.md.

2. Update frontmatter: add crystallized: true, ensure tags: includes canon.

3. Inbound wikilinks — Obsidian resolves by title, so no rewrite needed unless links include the path. If any do, rewrite.

4. Append to log:

   ## [YYYY-MM-DD] crystallize | [[Page]]
   - Promoted to: 2_Areas/_Canon/<Title>.md
   - Inbound links: N
   - Bar checks met: <list>

Rules

• Meet the bar or don’t promote. Canon inflation ruins the signal.
• Never demote from canon. If a canon page is wrong, fix it or deprecate it — don’t silently move it out.
• Canon pages are still editable. “Crystallized” doesn’t mean frozen; it means load-bearing.
• Propose-first. Wait for approval. _Canon/ matters.
• Don’t promote stubs even if they have many inbound links. Inbound-link count without a substantial body means a page is anticipated, not established. Propose expanding the body first.

Blocked cases

• Page is in 0_Inbox/ or 7_Agent/ — not eligible. Route through process-inbox first.
• Page is in 6_Private/ — do not promote to canon. Canon is published.
• Page is a template — never canon.

Verification

• ls 2_Areas/_Canon/ includes the new file.
• Old path no longer exists (git mv, not copy).
• log has the entry.
• Frontmatter has crystallized: true and canon tag.