Welcome to IDAHO-VAULT
Relevant source files
The following files were used as context for generating this wiki page:
IDAHO-VAULT is a personal journalism research system designed for AI-assisted, local-first information processing. It serves as an extended memory vault for Logan Finney, a journalist and producer at Idaho Reports/Idaho Public Television, primarily focusing on Idaho politics, government, and legislation. The system is built on Obsidian.md and version-controlled via GitHub, operating as a governed knowledge corpus for an AI-agent swarm.
Sources: CONTEXT-PASTE-BUNDLE.md:23-28, VAULT-CONVENTIONS.md:20-25, LEVELSET-v2.md:12-16
Core Methodology
The vault operates under the principle that "State is defined by metadata and manifest, not file location." Files do not move through folders to represent progress; instead, they evolve in place as their metadata changes. The primary unit of work is a single document, record, or note (e.g., a bill, transcript, or fiscal note).
Sources: IDAHO-VAULT — WORKFLOW.md:38-42, IDAHO-VAULT — WORKFLOW.md:46-52
The Core Model Flow
The following diagram illustrates the logical transformations information undergoes within the vault, transitioning from real-world input to human-verified publication.
Vault Structure
The repository utilizes a hybrid structure. Governance and automation are housed in dedicated system folders (specifically the !/ Swarmic Nest), while the primary journalism corpus is stored at the root or within specific category folders.
Root Folder Definitions
| Path | Purpose | Agent Rule |
|---|---|---|
!/ | The Swarmic Nest | Collective routing, shims, and control-plane breadcrumbs. Read first. |
GOVERNMENTS/ | Political Entities | Legislative, executive, judicial, federal, and tribal data. |
ORGANIZATIONS/ | Institutions | Churches, companies, hospitals, and news media. |
PEOPLE/ | Public Figures | Individual notes on politicians and sources. |
SOURCES/ | Raw Materials | News articles, hearings, and press releases. |
TOPICS/ | Subject Matter | Thematic research (fiscal, health, elections). |
.github/ | Automation | Scripts (Python) and GitHub Actions workflows. |
Sources: VAULT-CONVENTIONS.md:48-75, CONTEXT-PASTE-BUNDLE.md:41-52, ! README.md:23-33
Governance and Coordination
The vault is governed by a hierarchy of documents that establish identity, constraints, and operational protocols.
Authority Precedence
- Logan (Human Authority): The sole human decision-maker and final verification gate.
- CONSTITUTION.md: Core identity and constraints.
- ! README.md: Orientation and canonical path language.
- VAULT-CONVENTIONS.md: Shared reference for agent behavior and repository conventions.
- VAULT-METADATA-STANDARD.md: Governance for note metadata and lifecycle rules.
Sources: VAULT-CONVENTIONS.md:35-43, CONTEXT-PASTE-BUNDLE.md:54-61, AGENTS.md:14-16
The Manifest Role
The manifest acts as the coordination layer for the agent swarm. It tracks file identity, current status, the last agent to process the file, and processing history. Agents must read the manifest before acting and update it immediately after completion to ensure no clobbering occurs.
Sources: IDAHO-VAULT — WORKFLOW.md:65-74, IDAHO-VAULT — END-TO-END JOURNALISM WORKFLOW (AI-ASSISTED, LOCAL-FIRST)v0.1.md:141-146
Agent Swarm Architecture
The system utilizes a multi-tiered agent model where AI instances (e.g., Claude, Copilot, Gemini) serve as infrastructure executing Logan's directives.
Metadata Model
Every unit of work includes structured YAML metadata to track its lifecycle:
---
id: unique-id
type: document | bill | note | analysis | draft
status: raw | structured | interpreted | draft | verified
source: url or origin
created_at: timestamp
updated_at: timestamp
related: []
---
Sources: IDAHO-VAULT — WORKFLOW.md:56-63, VAULT-CONVENTIONS.md:118-125
Automation Pipeline
The vault includes a robust CI/CD pipeline managed via GitHub Actions to maintain repository health and data freshness.
| Schedule | Workflow | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Daily 1pm UTC | idaho-leg-scraper.yml | Scrapes Idaho Legislature bill data. |
| Monday 6am UTC | sort-audit.yml | Audits vault structure for misplaced files. |
| Monday 7am UTC | vault-propose-moves.yml | Proposes file reorganization via PR. |
| Monday 8am UTC | wayback-audit.yml | Archives dead links and checks URL preservation. |
| On Push | wayback-preserve.yml | Preserves new URLs in the Wayback Machine. |
Sources: CONTEXT-PASTE-BUNDLE.md:92-100, VAULT-CONVENTIONS.md:275-285
IDAHO-VAULT functions as a "journalism operating system," where the vault provides memory, agents provide processing power, and the human Director provides the final authority required for professional trust and accountability.
Sources: IDAHO-VAULT — END-TO-END JOURNALISM WORKFLOW (AI-ASSISTED, LOCAL-FIRST)v0.1.md:195-201