Reader Graph
reference/templates
Created: Jan 7, 2026
reference templates

Templates Reference

Templates provide scaffolding for common entry types, helping create well-structured documentation with consistent sections.

Using Templates

# List available templates
mx templates

# Create entry with template
mx add --title="Fix login bug" --tags="auth,fix" --template=troubleshooting

# Preview without creating
mx add --title="..." --tags="..." --template=runbook --dry-run

Template Priority

Templates are loaded in this order (later sources override earlier):

  1. Built-in - Default templates shipped with memex
  2. User - Custom templates from ~/.config/memex/templates/
  3. Project - Templates defined in .kbcontext

Built-in Templates

troubleshooting

Purpose: Problem/solution format for debugging issues

When to use: Documenting bugs, errors, and their fixes

Suggested tags: troubleshooting, fix

Structure:

## Problem
[Describe the error, symptom, or unexpected behavior]

## Cause
[Root cause analysis - why did this happen?]

## Solution
[Step-by-step fix or workaround]

## Related
[Links to related entries, docs, or issues]

project

Purpose: Project overview with setup and deployment

When to use: Creating documentation for a new project or service

Suggested tags: project, setup

Structure:

## Overview
[Brief description of the project's purpose]

## Setup
[Installation steps]

## Configuration
[Key configuration options and environment variables]

## Development
[How to run locally, test, and contribute]

## Deployment
[Production deployment process]

pattern

Purpose: Reusable pattern with use cases and examples

When to use: Documenting best practices, design patterns, or reusable solutions

Suggested tags: pattern, best-practice

Structure:

## When to Use
[Scenarios where this pattern applies]

## Pattern
[Core concept or implementation approach]

## Example
[Code or usage example]

## Alternatives
[Other approaches and trade-offs]

decision

Purpose: Architecture decision record (ADR) format

When to use: Recording significant technical or architectural decisions

Suggested tags: adr, architecture, decision

Structure:

## Context
[Background and constraints that led to this decision]

## Decision
[The choice that was made]

## Rationale
[Why this option was chosen over alternatives]

## Consequences
[Expected outcomes, both positive and negative]

## Status
[Proposed / Accepted / Deprecated / Superseded]

runbook

Purpose: Operational procedure with step-by-step instructions

When to use: Documenting deployment procedures, incident response, or maintenance tasks

Suggested tags: runbook, operations, procedure

Structure:

## Prerequisites
[Required access, tools, or knowledge]

## Procedure
1. [Step 1]
2. [Step 2]
3. [Step 3]

## Verification
[How to confirm the procedure succeeded]

## Rollback
[How to undo if something goes wrong]

## Alerts
[Related monitoring alerts or escalation paths]

api

Purpose: API endpoint documentation

When to use: Documenting REST API endpoints, webhooks, or service interfaces

Suggested tags: api, endpoint, reference

Structure:

## Endpoint
`METHOD /path/to/endpoint`

## Description
[What this endpoint does]

## Request
### Headers
| Header | Required | Description |
|--------|----------|-------------|
| Authorization | Yes | Bearer token |

### Body
[Request body schema]

## Response
### Success (200)
[Response schema]

### Errors
| Code | Description |
|------|-------------|
| 400 | Bad request |
| 401 | Unauthorized |

## Example
[curl or code example]

meeting

Purpose: Meeting notes with decisions and action items

When to use: Recording meeting outcomes, decisions made, and follow-up tasks

Suggested tags: meeting, notes

Structure:

## Attendees
- [Name 1]
- [Name 2]

## Agenda
1. [Topic 1]
2. [Topic 2]

## Discussion
### [Topic 1]
[Key points discussed]

## Decisions
- [ ] [Decision 1]
- [ ] [Decision 2]

## Action Items
- [ ] [Owner]: [Task] by [Date]

## Next Steps
[When to follow up, next meeting date]

blank

Purpose: Empty template (just the title)

When to use: When you want full control over the structure

Suggested tags: None

Creates an entry with only the title heading.

Custom Templates

User Templates

Create custom templates in ~/.config/memex/templates/:

YAML format (~/.config/memex/templates/my-template.yaml):

name: my-template
description: My custom template for X
content: |
  ## Section 1
  [Content]

  ## Section 2
  [More content]
suggested_tags:
  - custom
  - tag

Markdown format (~/.config/memex/templates/my-template.md):

<!-- Description of this template -->

## Section 1
[Content]

## Section 2
[More content]

Project Templates

Define templates in .kbcontext for project-specific needs:

# .kbcontext
project: my-project
primary_category: docs

templates:
  quick-fix:
    description: Quick bug fix documentation
    content: |
      ## Issue
      [What went wrong]

      ## Fix
      [What was changed]
    suggested_tags:
      - fix
      - quick

  sprint-notes:
    description: Sprint retrospective notes
    content: |
      ## Completed
      - [Item 1]

      ## Blocked
      - [Item 1]

      ## Next Sprint
      - [Item 1]
    suggested_tags:
      - sprint
      - notes

See Also