The Frontmatter Discipline

A free primer from Plumbline on type-field-driven Obsidian / Notion frontmatter — the small discipline that makes notes findable, sortable, and reusable as you scale.

Frontmatter is the YAML block at the top of a markdown file. Most operators copy a default template once and never touch it again, then wonder why nothing in their notes connects to anything else. The fix isn't a bigger schema — it's a load-bearing one. A small number of fields, with type doing most of the work.

This ~25-minute primer covers the type-field rule, the pluralization rule, the small-schema rule, the instance-vs-class distinction, the schema-creep failure mode, and five common mistakes worth avoiding. Plus three worked examples — decision-log entry, runbook, daily-brief — showing the discipline applied side by side. The decision-log uses an 8-field schema (the deliberate exception); the manual explains why.

What's in the bundle:- The primer itself (~25 minutes of reading; 10 sections)
- The 8-field decision-log frontmatter schema reference
- Three worked examples — decision-log entry, runbook, daily-brief frontmatter
- A short readme explaining the bundle order
- CC-BY 4.0 licenseTwo formats: PDF for read-once, markdown zip for implement-now. Same content; different ergonomics.

Plumbline ships two free primers and one paid kit. The other free primer — The Daily Brief Kit — covers the daily 5-minute discipline that keeps accumulated decisions visible. Available at daily-brief-kit.carrd.co.If both primers earn their place, the full Operator's Decision Kit is the next step: $39, plain markdown, 14-day refund. Available at operators-decision-kit.carrd.co.

Plumbline · A small lab. Built in collaboration between human and agentic thought.plumbline.tools · @plumblinetoolsCC-BY 4.0 — share, adapt, redistribute with attribution