Consolidate VAULT_MAP.md into a single Adding Content guide

Merge Document Archive, Frontmatter Taxonomy, and archiving instructions
into one unified section. Add guides for all vault areas (journals, notes,
trip plans, writing, documents). Add When Nothing Fits fallback rule.

VAULT_MAP.md

@@ -33,16 +33,45 @@ writing/             — Long-form writing projects
 documents/           — Document archive (see below)
 ```
 
-## Document Archive (`documents/`)
+## Adding Content to This Vault
 
-The `documents/` folder is an archive of personal documents (PDFs, images, etc.) with markdown transcriptions alongside each file. The entire vault (not just `documents/`) is indexed by the notesearch skill (LlamaIndex + Ollama vector search).
+If you are an LLM or agent adding content to this vault, follow the guide for the relevant section.
 
-### Folder Map
+The entire vault (not just `documents/`) is indexed by the notesearch skill (LlamaIndex + Ollama vector search).
+
+### Journals (`journals/`)
+
+- One file per day, named `YYYY-MM-DD.md`
+- Use the template at `templates/daily_journal.md` if it exists
+- Free-form daily notes, reflections, logs
+
+### Notes (`notes/`)
+
+- Personal notes organized by topic (e.g., `notes/books/`, `notes/martial_arts/`, `notes/tech/`)
+- Use descriptive filenames in snake_case (e.g., `brazilian_jiu_jitsu_log.md`)
+- No required frontmatter — these are freeform markdown notes
+
+### Trip Plans (`trip_plans/`)
+
+- One file or folder per trip
+- Include itinerary, bookings, logistics
+- Name by destination and date (e.g., `japan_2025.md`, `iceland_2024/`)
+
+### Writing (`writing/`)
+
+- Long-form writing projects
+- Organize by project in subfolders if needed
+
+### Documents (`documents/`)
+
+Archive of personal documents (PDFs, images, etc.) with markdown transcriptions alongside each file. This is the most structured section.
+
+#### Folder Map
 
 | Folder | Contents |
 |--------|----------|
 | `academic/` | PhD thesis, conference presentations, coursework, papers |
-| `argo/` | Vet records for family dog |
+| `argo/` | Vet records for family cat |
 | `car/` | Vehicle purchase documents |
 | `dmv/` | DMV applications and supporting docs |
 | `employment/` | Job offers, onboarding docs (subfolders by employer) |
@@ -58,26 +87,24 @@ The `documents/` folder is an archive of personal documents (PDFs, images, etc.)
 | `travel/` | Flight itineraries, customs forms, EVUS, family visit docs |
 | `wedding/` | Wedding-related documents |
 
-### Transcription Convention
+#### File Naming Convention
-
-- Each original file has a matching `.md` transcription alongside it (e.g., `lu_w2_meta_2025.pdf` + `lu_w2_meta_2025.md`)
-- The `.md` file is a **faithful full transcription** of the source — every data point preserved, not a summary
-- Exception: `immigration/` subfolders use a single `summary.md` per subfolder instead of per-file transcriptions, because immigration petitions reuse many of the same supporting docs
-
-### File Naming Convention
 
 ```
 {person}_{doctype}_{year}.{ext}
 ```
 
-- **person**: `lu`, `jiang`, `nichol`, `xue`, or omit if joint/obvious
+- **person**: `lu`, `jiang`, `xue`, or omit if joint/obvious
 - **doctype**: descriptive snake_case (e.g., `w2_meta`, `dl_ca`, `eye_exam`)
 - **year**: 4-digit year, or `YYYY_MM` if needed for disambiguation
 - **ext**: always lowercase
 
-## Frontmatter Taxonomy
+#### Transcription
 
-Every `.md` transcription has YAML frontmatter with these fields:
+Each original file has a matching `.md` transcription alongside it (e.g., `lu_w2_meta_2025.pdf` + `lu_w2_meta_2025.md`). The `.md` file is a **faithful full transcription** of the source — every data point preserved, not a summary.
+
+**Exception**: `immigration/` subfolders use a single `summary.md` per subfolder instead of per-file transcriptions, because immigration petitions reuse many of the same supporting docs.
+
+**Frontmatter** — every `.md` transcription must have:
 
 ```yaml
 ---
@@ -89,7 +116,13 @@ source: lu_w2_meta_2025.pdf
 ---
 ```
 
-### Categories
+- `category`: must match the top-level folder name under `documents/` (see Categories below)
+- `type`: must be one of the canonical types (see Types below)
+- `person`: full name (Yanxin Lu, Xuewei Jiang, Fengqin Xue), or "Yanxin Lu & Xuewei Jiang" if joint
+- `date`: year (YYYY) or year-month (YYYY-MM) if needed
+- `source`: filename of the original document
+
+#### Categories
 
 Category always matches the top-level folder under `documents/`.
 
@@ -111,7 +144,7 @@ Category always matches the top-level folder under `documents/`.
 | `travel` | `travel/` |
 | `wedding` | `wedding/` |
 
-### Types
+#### Types
 
 | Type | Used for |
 |------|----------|
@@ -141,7 +174,7 @@ Category always matches the top-level folder under `documents/`.
 | `travel-doc` | Flight itineraries, customs forms, EVUS, invitation letters, Global Entry |
 | `vet` | Vet medical records |
 
-### Disambiguation Rules
+#### Disambiguation Rules
 
 When a document could belong in multiple folders, file by **primary purpose**:
 
@@ -156,6 +189,24 @@ When a document could belong in multiple folders, file by **primary purpose**:
 | Insurance card | `insurance/medical/` | `medical/` |
 | Supporting docs gathered for a specific application (DMV, immigration) | Stay with that application | Don't split out |
 
+#### Verify
+
+- [ ] File is in the correct `documents/{category}/` folder
+- [ ] Filename follows `{person}_{doctype}_{year}.{ext}` convention
+- [ ] `.md` transcription exists alongside the original
+- [ ] Frontmatter has all 5 fields with valid category and type values
+- [ ] Body is a faithful full transcription (not a summary)
+
+### When Nothing Fits
+
+If content doesn't clearly belong in any existing section, folder, category, or type, **do not force it**. Flag it for the vault owner to review and decide. Do not create new folders, categories, or types without approval.
+
+### Do Not Modify
+
+- `copilot/` — Obsidian Copilot plugin data
+- `Readwise/` — Readwise sync plugin data
+- `templates/` — Note templates (read them, but don't change without asking)
+
 ## Search
 
 The vault is indexed by **notesearch** (LlamaIndex + Ollama embeddings). Search is semantic — query by meaning, not keywords. The index lives at `.index/` and is rebuilt on the blade server after `git pull`.