ADR-0002: Seven note types

Status: Accepted Date: 2026-05-19

Context

Need a closed set of note types so AI cannot invent new ones mid-project (a major drift vector). Initial sketch had five types; review added two.

Decision

Seven types: Resource, Atomic-reference, Atomic-experience, Thread, Sermon, Question, Person, Glossary.

Note: Atomic is split by provenance into two folders (see ADR-0005). Counter-arguments are NOT a type — they are a required section of Thread (see ADR-0006).

Alternatives considered

  • Five types (Resource/Atomic/Thread/Counter/Sermon): rejected — counter-as-type loses tight pairing with its thread; Question/Person/Glossary fill real gaps.
  • Person as tag instead of note: rejected — “what did X say about Y?” needs an addressable index page.
  • Counter-arguments as their own note type: rejected — user prefers counter inline with the thread it opposes (one-to-one pairing). See ADR-0006.

Consequences

  • (+) AI has a fixed vocabulary; new patterns require a new ADR
  • (+) Person/Glossary become useful indexes for vault navigation and external readers
  • (−) More note types = more schemas to maintain (mitigated: schemas are short, see CONTEXT.md)