“Markdown documentation = the unsexy, proven foundation her “we” already built. It’s the raw, portable, agent-native data/workflow layer that powers or trains such twins without relying on corporate black boxes.
It’s the practical substrate beneath hype around personal AIs: your raw data processes become the training/context layer for an owned agent/twin.
Actual timeline of Markdown for workflow/PKM tracking
Markdown itself dates to 2004 (John Gruber), but its use for structured personal workflows and “second brains” evolved in clear phases:
• Pre-2010s: Markdown used for READMEs, blogs, and basic docs. Early plain-text enthusiasts (e.g., via Vim/emacs) kept life logs in .md or .txt files.
• ~2010–2018: Rise of plain-text productivity. Tools like Notational Velocity, nvALT, and simple Git Markdown setups for notes/tasks. Zettelkasten method (atomic notes) revived in digital form.
• 2018–2020: Explosion of Markdown-based PKM. Roam Research (bi-directional linking) popularized networked thinking; Obsidian launched in beta March 2020 as a local Markdown vault with graph views. Tiago Forte’s PARA method and “Building a Second Brain” concepts spread widely (his book came in 2022, but the framework was online earlier).
• 2021–2023: Mainstream “Second Brain” adoption. Obsidian plugins (Dataview, etc.) became standard for workflows. People documented daily processes, projects (PARA folders), and life data in Markdown. Early LLM experiments used these vaults as context.
• 2024–2025: AI integration boom. With accessible agents (Claude, etc.), people explicitly treat Markdown vaults as agent memory/workflow specs. “Document everything for the agents” becomes common advice. Obsidian Claude Code patterns emerge.
• 2026: Fully normalized. Markdown as “the new source code” for agentic workflows — skill.md files, prose contracts, persistent context logs, etc. Tools like Tolaria or custom setups emphasize Git Markdown as AI-first second brains. This is the exact territory
@lilithdatura’s circle occupies.
Her “we” timeline (2–3 years as of mid-2026) → roughly since ~2023–2024 — aligns well with the ramp-up of serious AI-augmented PKM. Many in indie/cybernetics/agent circles were already deep into Obsidian/Git Markdown workflows by then, and the 2024–2025 LLM wave made it obviously foundational for personal agents/twins. M
It wasn’t brand new in 2023, but that’s when it became a deliberate, scaled practice for many forward-looking groups.”