Shape notes are the source material for reusable note templates.

Template refinement turns those shape definitions into working templates that Shape Lint and Shape Repair can use across the vault.

Run:

Forge: Refine Shape Templates

Template refinement helps Forge turn reusable structures into operational templates.

It can:

generate template notes
refresh existing templates
standardize note structure
align templates with schema fields
support shape lint and repair workflows

The goal is not rigid template enforcement.

The goal is helping recurring note types stay structurally consistent over time.

Shape Folder

Default shape folder:

A-I/Forge/Shapes

Shape notes live here.

Each shape note describes the expected structure for a reusable note type.

If:

Include subfolders

is enabled, Forge also scans nested shape folders recursively.

This allows larger vaults to organize shapes by domain or workflow.

Example:

Shapes/
├── Projects/
├── Research/
├── Meetings/
└── Operations/

Template Folder

Generated templates are written into the configured template folder.

Default:

System/Templates

Typical generated template names:

Template, project.md
Template, reference.md
Template, meeting.md

Forge matches shape names against the configured:

Type target field

usually:

type:

This allows notes to map automatically to the correct structure.

Template Fields

Settings → Shapes allows you to control:

which schema fields appear in templates
default values
runtime date behavior
generated frontmatter structure

This helps templates stay aligned with the schema instead of drifting apart over time.

Runtime Date Fields

Runtime date fields receive special handling.

Typically:

created is stamped when a note is created
updated is refreshed when a note changes

This helps maintain consistent metadata automatically across generated notes.

Without refinement, templates gradually drift apart.

Examples:

headings added manually
outdated structures
inconsistent sections
missing metadata
old workflows mixed with newer patterns

Refinement helps Shapes, templates, linting, and repairs evolve together instead of becoming disconnected systems.

Recommended Pattern

Keep Shapes stable and minimal.

A good shape template defines:

durable structure
major sections
recurring organizational patterns

A good shape template usually should not define:

every paragraph
writing style
detailed prose
temporary workflow quirks

Simple structures usually age better than deeply rigid templates.

Example Shape Structure

Example:

# Project Shape

## Overview

## Goals

## Active Work

#
---

# Relationship Heading Injection

When **Inject relationship headings from schema** is enabled in Settings → Shapes, template refinement adds relationship headings to generated templates based on `ontology.relationships` in your schema.

For each relationship where the shape type participates as a source (directional) or flexible member, Forge adds a heading and the relationship description under the configured parent heading.

Example output with parent heading `Related` at H2:

```markdown
## Related

### Informs

Shapes understanding, interpretation, reasoning, or decision-making.

### Enables

Makes another capability, method, procedure, project, or outcome possible.
```

## Injection modes

**Append** — the relationship section is added at the end of the template body. This is the default and works with any structure.

**Inject** — Forge finds the existing parent heading in the structure body and adds any missing relationship subheadings under it in schema declaration order. Existing subheadings are preserved. If the parent heading is not found, Forge falls back to append.

## Settings

| Setting | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Inject relationship headings | Off | Enable schema-driven heading injection |
| Relationship parent heading | `Related` | Name of the parent heading |
| Relationship heading level | H2 | Heading level for the parent; subheadings are one level below |
| Relationship injection position | Append | Append or Inject |

Only relationships where the shape type appears as a source or flexible member are included. For directional relationships, types that appear only as targets are excluded — a target note does not declare the link.


# Related Notes

## Decisions

## References

Forge can refine this into reusable templates and validate notes against it over time.

Shapes and Vault Consistency

Consistent note structure improves more than readability.

It also improves:

Dataview dashboards
Bases
exports
AI-assisted retrieval
operational reviews
relationship indexes

When recurring note types share predictable structure, downstream tooling becomes much more reliable.

Recommended Workflow

A practical workflow looks like this:

Create shape notes
Enable template refinement
Run refinement
Enable shape validation
Run Vault Lint
Run Shape Repair dry runs
Apply repairs gradually

Start small.

A few stable templates usually provide more value than dozens of hyper-detailed ones.

Relationship Heading Injection

When Inject relationship headings from schema is enabled in Settings → Shapes, template refinement adds relationship headings to generated templates based on ontology.relationships in your schema.

For each relationship where the shape type participates as a source (directional) or flexible member, Forge adds a heading and the relationship description under the configured parent heading.

Example output with parent heading Related at H2:

## Related

### Informs

Shapes understanding, interpretation, reasoning, or decision-making.

### Enables

Makes another capability, method, procedure, project, or outcome possible.

Injection modes

Append — the relationship section is added at the end of the template body. This is the default and works with any structure.

Inject — Forge finds the existing parent heading in the structure body and adds any missing relationship subheadings under it in schema declaration order. Existing subheadings are preserved. If the parent heading is not found, Forge falls back to append.

Settings

Setting	Default	Meaning
Inject relationship headings	Off	Enable schema-driven heading injection
Relationship parent heading	`Related`	Name of the parent heading
Relationship heading level	H2	Heading level for the parent; subheadings are one level below
Relationship injection position	Append	Append or Inject

Only relationships where the shape type appears as a source or flexible member are included. For directional relationships, types that appear only as targets are excluded — a target note does not declare the link.

2. Shape Notes and Template Refinement

What Template Refinement Does