---
name: file-document
description: Store a document, email, or text for future reference with entity linking and provenance. See also: `ingest-sources` for multiple files; `capture-meeting` if it's meeting notes; `summarize-doc` to get a summary without filing.
effort-level: medium
---

# File Document

Store any document, email, or text for future reference with proper entity linking and provenance tracking.

## Usage

`/file-document` or natural language:
- "Save this email"
- "File this for later"
- "Keep this document"
- "Store this transcript"

## When to Use

This command is for ad-hoc document capture. Use it when:
- User shares an email they want to preserve
- User pastes content they want to reference later
- User uploads a document (PDF, contract, proposal)
- User shares research or web content worth keeping
- Anything the user might want to cite or review later

**Note:** For meeting transcripts specifically, use `/capture-meeting` which includes extraction.

## Quick Flow

### 1. Identify the Content

Ask if not obvious:
- "What is this? (email, document, transcript, research, other)"
- "Who is this about or from?"

### 2. Gather Metadata

```
Determine:
├── source_type: gmail, transcript, upload, capture
├── filename: YYYY-MM-DD-[entity]-[topic].md
├── about: [list of entity names mentioned]
└── summary: One-line description
```

### 3. File It

```
claudia memory document store \
  --filename "Descriptive name" \
  --source-type "gmail|transcript|upload|capture" \
  --summary "Brief description" \
  --about "entity1,entity2" \
  --project-dir "$PWD" \
  < content.md
```
(Pipe the FULL raw text via stdin; never summarize)

### 4. Confirm

```
**Filed**

**File:** [filename]
**Location:** [storage path]
**Linked to:** [entity names]
**Summary:** [one-line summary]

The document is now searchable and linked to [entities].
You can find it later with:
- "Show me documents about [entity]"
- "Find the email from [person]"
- claudia memory document search --entity "[name]" --project-dir "$PWD"
```

## Source Types

| Type | Use When | Example |
|------|----------|---------|
| `gmail` | Email content | "Here's an email from Sarah..." |
| `transcript` | Meeting notes/recordings | "Notes from today's call..." |
| `upload` | PDFs, contracts, formal docs | "Here's the contract..." |
| `capture` | Research, web content, misc | "I found this article..." |

## File Routing

Documents are automatically routed to entity-aware folders:

```
If about a person:
  people/sarah-chen/emails/2026-02-04-proposal.md
  people/sarah-chen/documents/2026-02-04-contract.pdf

If about an organization:
  clients/acme-corp/emails/2026-02-04-partnership.md

If about a project:
  projects/rebrand/documents/2026-02-04-brief.md

If no entity linked:
  general/documents/2026-02-04-misc.md
```

## Examples

### Email
```
User: "Here's an email from Jim about the partnership terms. Save it."

claudia memory document store \
  --filename "2026-02-04-jim-ferry-partnership.md" \
  --source-type "gmail" \
  --summary "Jim Ferry re: partnership terms and next steps" \
  --about "Jim Ferry" \
  --project-dir "$PWD" < email.md

Response:
"Filed Jim's email about partnership terms.
Saved to: people/jim-ferry/emails/2026-02-04-partnership.md
You can find it later by asking about Jim's documents."
```

### Research
```
User: "Here's some info I found about competitor pricing. Keep this."

claudia memory document store \
  --filename "2026-02-04-competitor-pricing-research.md" \
  --source-type "capture" \
  --summary "Competitor pricing analysis notes" \
  --project-dir "$PWD" < research.md

Response:
"Filed your competitor pricing research.
Saved to: general/documents/2026-02-04-competitor-pricing-research.md"
```

### Contract
```
User: "Save this contract from Acme Corp"

claudia memory document store \
  --filename "2026-02-04-acme-corp-contract.md" \
  --source-type "upload" \
  --summary "Service agreement with Acme Corp" \
  --about "Acme Corp" \
  --project-dir "$PWD" < contract.md

Response:
"Filed the Acme Corp contract.
Saved to: clients/acme-corp/documents/2026-02-04-contract.md"
```

## Linking to Memories

If you also extract facts from the document:

1. File the document first (get document_id from JSON response)
2. Extract memories using `claudia memory save` or `claudia memory batch`
3. Call `claudia memory document store --memory-ids "id1,id2,..."` to link provenance

This creates the chain: memory -> document -> file on disk.

## Quality Checklist

- [ ] Full content preserved (not summarized)
- [ ] Descriptive filename with date
- [ ] Correct source_type selected
- [ ] Entities identified and linked
- [ ] Summary is accurate and searchable
- [ ] User knows where to find it later

## Tone

- Quick and efficient
- Confirm what was saved
- Tell them how to find it later
- Don't over-explain the system
