zettelmesh handbook

A Zettelkasten about the Zettelkasten method and about zettelmesh, the git-native tool for running one across an organisation.

It is itself a zettelmesh repository in native mode, mesh shortname handbook: every note is a markdown file in notes/ with YAML frontmatter, an immutable handbook:<ULID> id, and links: to related notes. There is no index note on purpose — you enter the box through search or through any note below and navigate by following links.

It is managed from the zettelmesh-workspace repository, which holds the registry manifest and the tags taxonomy.

Reading paths

Two good entry points (find their ids with search, then follow links):

zettel search "the zettelkasten method"     # the method
zettel search "what zettelmesh is"          # the tool

The four zettelmesh-rationale notes connect the two: each shows how a design decision in the tool follows from a rule of the method. The type: field is filterable — e.g. zettel search "sidecar" --type concept.

Several zettelmesh-model notes also carry a #specified-in link to their counterpart in the adopted mesh-docs repository (zettelmesh's own design docs), so zettel links crosses repository boundaries.

Using it

From the workspace checkout:

source ./setup.sh          # point zettel at the workspace
zettel sync                # clone + index this repo
zettel search "backlinks"
zettel show handbook:<ULID>
zettel links handbook:<ULID>

Conventions in this box

field	value
id	handbook:<ULID> — minted once, never changed
author	zettelmesh-docs
department	docs
topic	zettelkasten-method, zettelmesh-model, zettelmesh-rationale, zettelmesh-practice
type	principle, concept, rationale, howto (freeform, not enforced)
tags	kebab-case, from the workspace's config/taxonomy.yaml
links	handbook:<ULID>#<relation> — relations used: elaborates, supports, applies, contrasts, specified-in (cross-repo)

The links: frontmatter is canonical; the editor plugins and the MkDocs plugin render it as navigable links, so notes carry no hand-maintained link list.

Each note holds one idea and is written in prose. To add one, prefer zettel new handbook "<title>" --author you --department docs --topic <topic> --tags <...> --type <...>, then write the body and the links:.