LibraryWorkflows

Second brain daily capture

Every evening, turn flagged email, meetings and chats into linked notes in your drive.

By DamonWorkflowVersion 10 installsUpdated Sep 30, 2026damon/workflow/second-brain-daily-capture

What it does

Every evening at 18:00 the workflow reads the conventions in Brain/README.md, then captures the day's sources: emails you labeled Brain in Gmail, Fireflies transcripts from the last 24 hours, anything you dropped in Brain/Inbox/, and your chats with Damon (facts recalled from today's conversations, plus past threads on each topic in Brain/Maps/). Each source gets a note in Brain/Sources/; sources that already have one are skipped. It then creates or updates permanent notes in Brain/Notes/ (one idea per note, titled as a claim, each listing its sources) and adds them to topic maps in Brain/Maps/. It opens a chat thread with what changed.

It only reads Gmail and Fireflies, and only writes to Brain/. It never deletes notes.

What you need

  • Gmail and Fireflies connected.
  • A Brain label in Gmail for emails worth keeping.
  • A Brain/README.md in your drive with your conventions (ask Damon to create one).

Customize it

  • Auto-approve file.write for this workflow so the evening run doesn't wait on you.
  • Add Slack messages you've reacted to as another source.
  • Pair it with the Second brain weekly upkeep template to keep the notes tidy.

What it does, step by step

  1. Step 1Trigger

    Runs every day at 6:00 PM (America/New_York)Runs every day at 18:00.

  2. Step 2Agent

    Maintain the second brain in the Brain folder of the drive. First read Brain/README.md and follow its conventions; if it is missing, use these: Brain/Inbox for quick captures, Brain/Sources for one note per source, Brain/Notes for permanent notes, Brain/Maps for topic maps. Capture today's sources: (1) Gmail emails labeled Brain from the last 24 hours; (2) Fireflies transcripts completed in the last 24 hours; (3) files in Brain/Inbox; (4) chats: recall memory facts from today's conversations, and search past chat threads for each topic that has a map in Brain/Maps. Skip any source that already has a note in Brain/Sources (match on date and title). For each new source write Brain/Sources/<YYYY-MM-DD>-<email|meeting|chat|inbox>-<title>.md with a short summary, the key points quoted or closely paraphrased, and a reference back to the original (sender and subject, meeting title, or chat thread). Move processed Inbox files into Brain/Sources. Then distill: for each idea, decision or fact worth keeping, update the existing note in Brain/Notes that covers it, or create Brain/Notes/<YYYYMMDDHHmm>-<claim-slug>.md titled as a full-sentence claim containing one idea in plain language and a Sources list naming each source with its date. When a new source supports an existing note, add it to that note's Sources rather than creating a new note. Add every new note to the maps it belongs in; create a map in Brain/Maps when three or more notes share a topic, with a one-paragraph summary of current thinking and the list of notes. Never invent facts, never delete a note. Report the sources captured, and the notes and maps you created and updated.

    UsesGmailFireflies
  3. Step 3Send a Message

    Open a thread titled "Second brain" with today's date. List the sources captured by type with counts, the new notes and updated notes with one line each, and any new maps. If nothing was captured, post one line saying so.

What it connects to

What the agent reads and writes through each integration, and what stays with you.

Gmail

What the agent can do with Gmail

Reads
Your inbox and threads: senders, subjects, bodies, labels and attachments.
Writes
Drafts, labels and replies, only when a step says to.
Yours
Nothing is sent unless the workflow explicitly sends it; drafts stay drafts until you send them.
All Gmail workflows and agents →
Fireflies

What the agent can do with Fireflies

Reads
Meeting transcripts, summaries and attendee lists.
Writes
Nothing: meeting records are read-only.
Yours
Recordings are never changed or deleted.
All Fireflies workflows and agents →

Guides that use this

The Whole Library

Workflow · Personal Productivitydamon/workflow/meeting-follow-ups

After each recorded meeting, extract decisions and action items and draft the follow-up email.

meetingsemailnotes

v1Damon

FirefliesGmail

Workflow · Personal Productivitydamon/workflow/second-brain-weekly-upkeep

Every Sunday, tidy the second brain: merge, split, refresh maps, archive what's stale.

notesknowledgeweekly

v1Damon

Workflow · Productdamon/workflow/weekly-feedback-synthesis

Every Monday, gather customer feedback from Slack, email and call transcripts and group it into themes with quotes.

productfeedbackweekly+1

v1Damon

SlackGmailFireflies

Workflow · Personal Productivitydamon/workflow/daily-inbox-digest

Every morning, summarize what landed in your inbox and flag what needs a reply.

emaildailydigest

v1Damon

Gmail

Workflow · Supportdamon/workflow/support-inbox-triage

Every 30 minutes, classify new support email, draft replies for routine questions, file bugs as issues, and escalate the rest.

supportemailtriage

v1Damon

GmailLinear

Put this workflow to work

Adding it copies it into your workspace. Connect the tools it needs, then change it however you like.