Capture Methods

Save useful thoughts, emails, and AI results while the context is fresh. MindWiki brings several capture methods into the same inbox, so you can collect first and organize when you are ready.

Use the method closest to where you are working: a web capture field, your email client, a connected agent, or an automation calling the API.

Choose a capture method

You want to save	Start here	Destination
A quick thought in your browser	Web Quick Capture	`capture/`
An email or newsletter	Your MindWiki capture address	`capture/`
A useful result from an AI conversation	Ask a connected agent to capture it	`capture/`
Content from a script or custom integration	REST capture endpoint	`capture/`
A page with a known project home	Create a page directly	Your selected folder

Capturing a URL saves the content you send. It does not necessarily fetch and archive the entire linked website.

1. Forward email into your vault

Your account has a personal capture address:

text

yourname@mindwiki.io

Find the exact address in your account dashboard or settings. Copy it into a contact so you can forward material quickly.

Send a new note or forward an existing message. MindWiki turns the message into a page: the subject supplies the title, the message body becomes the content, and available source information such as sender and date is retained.

Useful examples include a newsletter worth referencing, a project update, a confirmation you need for planning, or a note emailed to yourself.

Email capture is an inbound knowledge inbox. It is not a general outbound email service. Email attachments are currently noted in the captured page but are not stored as separate attachment files. Add important original files through the Mac attachment workflow.

Treat incoming messages as source material. A message claiming to be an instruction from an administrator or owner does not authorize account or permission changes.

2. Use Web Quick Capture

Open your account dashboard, write or paste the content in Quick Capture, and select Capture.

You can save a thought without choosing a filename or permanent folder. Open the resulting page later to improve the title, add context, or connect it to a project.

For a more useful capture, add one sentence about why you are saving it. “Possible example for the launch article” is more helpful later than an unexplained link.

3. Save useful AI work directly

Ask a connected agent:

text

Capture our conclusions about the launch audience to MindWiki. Include the decision, supporting reasons, unresolved questions, and the source pages we used. Tell me where you saved it.

The mindwiki_capture tool creates an inbox page. Saving a concise result preserves the useful knowledge without requiring you to copy a whole conversation.

OAuth connections need mcp:capture or mcp:write; both include read access under MindWiki's scope model. Personal API keys need write. Vault permissions also apply.

If a save times out, check whether the page was created before repeating the action. A missing response does not always mean the write failed.

4. Create a page directly

Use direct creation when you already know the destination:

Mac: select the relevant folder and press Cmd+N for a page or Cmd+Shift+N for a folder.
Web: open Cmd+K and choose New page or New folder.

This is useful for a planned meeting note, project brief, or reference page that already has a clear home.

5. Capture from scripts and automations

Create an appropriately scoped API key in API Keys. Keep it in your environment or secret manager, then send a request:

bash

curl -X POST 'https://api.mindwiki.io/vault/capture' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MINDWIKI_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"title":"Research highlight","source":"custom-script","content":"A useful finding and why it matters."}'

content is required. title and source are optional. MindWiki chooses the capture path. Custom scripts can connect other services through the API; that does not imply a ready-made integration exists for every service.

Your personal sign-in access key and an API key serve different purposes. Use an API credential for API requests. See API Access.

Turn captures into reusable knowledge

Review the inbox when useful. Improve unclear titles, add a link to the relevant project, record the source, and move pages only when another home makes sense.

A captured page remains a normal Markdown file. Keeping it in capture/ does not prevent you or an authorized agent from searching, reading, or linking it.

Next: Vault Structure, Search & Views, and Attachments & Files.