- name
- roam-research
- description
- Enables Claude to create, link, and query notes in Roam Research via Playwright MCP
- category
- productivity
Roam Research Skill
Overview
Claude can manage your Roam Research database to capture thoughts, create bidirectional links, build a networked knowledge base, and query your notes. A tool for networked thought.
Quick Install
curl -sSL https://canifi.com/skills/roam-research/install.sh | bashOr manually:
cp -r skills/roam-research ~/.canifi/skills/Setup
Configure via canifi-env:
# First, ensure canifi-env is installed:
# curl -sSL https://canifi.com/install.sh | bash
canifi-env set ROAM_EMAIL " [email protected] "Privacy & Authentication
Your credentials, your choice. Canifi LifeOS respects your privacy.
Option 1: Manual Browser Login (Recommended)
If you prefer not to share credentials with Claude Code:
- Complete the Browser Automation Setup using CDP mode
- Login to the service manually in the Playwright-controlled Chrome window
- Claude will use your authenticated session without ever seeing your password
Option 2: Environment Variables
If you're comfortable sharing credentials, you can store them locally:
canifi-env set SERVICE_EMAIL "your-email"
canifi-env set SERVICE_PASSWORD "your-password"Note: Credentials stored in canifi-env are only accessible locally on your machine and are never transmitted.
Capabilities
- Create daily notes and pages
- Build bidirectional links
- Create block references
- Query with Roam queries
- Use templates and workflows
- Create TODO items
- Add page references
- Use attributes and metadata
- Create tables
- Embed blocks and pages
- View graph overview
- Use keyboard shortcuts
Usage Examples
Example 1: Add to Daily Note
User: "Add 'Met with John about the project' to today's Roam note"
Claude: Opens daily note, adds block with content.
Confirms: "Added to today's daily note"Example 2: Create Page
User: "Create a page for Project Alpha with key details"
Claude: Creates [[Project Alpha]] page, adds initial content.
Returns: "Created Project Alpha page"Example 3: Search Links
User: "Find all pages linking to Machine Learning"
Claude: Checks backlinks for [[Machine Learning]].
Reports: "12 pages reference Machine Learning: Neural Networks, Deep Learning..."Example 4: Query Notes
User: "Find all my TODOs from this week"
Claude: Runs query for TODO items with date filter.
Reports: "8 TODOs this week: Review proposal, Update docs..."Authentication Flow
- Claude navigates to roamresearch.com via Playwright MCP
- Enters ROAM_EMAIL for authentication
- Handles 2FA if required (notifies user via iMessage)
- Maintains session for graph operations
Selectors Reference
// Daily notes
'.roam-article'
// Block
'.rm-block'
// Block content
'.rm-block__input'
// Page title
'.rm-title-display'
// Sidebar
'.roam-sidebar'
// Search
'.bp3-input'
// Linked references
'.rm-reference-container'
// Block reference
'.rm-block-ref'
// Page reference
'.rm-page-ref'
// TODO checkbox
'.check-container'Roam Syntax
[[Page Link]] // Link to page
((block-id)) // Block reference
#tag // Tag
{{TODO}} // TODO item
{{[[TODO]]}} // TODO with page link
**bold** // Bold text
__italics__ // Italic text
^^highlight^^ // Highlight
{{embed: [[page]]}} // Embed page
{{query: {and:...}}} // Roam queryError Handling
- Login Failed: Retry 3 times, notify user via iMessage
- Session Expired: Re-authenticate automatically
- Page Not Found: Create page or ask user
- Block Failed: Retry, check graph sync
- Query Error: Check query syntax, suggest fix
- Sync Issues: Wait and retry
Self-Improvement Instructions
When you learn a better way to accomplish a task with Roam:
- Document the improvement in your response
- Suggest updating this skill file with the new approach
- Include specific linking strategies
- Note useful query patterns
Notes
- Bidirectional links are automatic
- Block references for reusable content
- Daily notes as capture inbox
- Graph view shows connections
- Roam queries for dynamic content
- Keyboard-driven interface
- Version history available
- JSON export for backup