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/capture - Armoury Capture
Runtime ~30 seconds
Reads armoury.md, existing entries for duplicate check
Writes New entry appended to armoury.md
Model Claude Code

What It Does

Captures a new metaphor, analogy, framing, or one-liner into the rhetorical armoury. Stress-tests it before storing - because a metaphor that breaks under mild pressure shouldn't survive to a boardroom.

Why It Matters

Good metaphors surface at inconvenient times. Mid-conversation, walking the dog, reading something unrelated. The gap between "that's a good line" and "I can't remember what I said" is about 48 hours.

/capture closes that gap. Grab the line, stress-test it in 30 seconds, store it with audience tags and failure modes. It's there when you need it.

How It Works

graph LR
    A[Raw input<br/><small>metaphor,<br/>framing,<br/>one-liner</small>] --> B[Parse & identify<br/><small>core line,<br/>source,<br/>domain</small>]
    B --> C[Stress-test<br/><small>mechanic holds?<br/>where breaks?<br/>audience?</small>]
    C --> D{Duplicate?}
    D -->|New| E[Draft entry<br/><small>format, tag,<br/>show user</small>]
    D -->|Exists| F[Suggest update<br/><small>to existing<br/>entry</small>]
    E --> G[Write to armoury]

    style A fill:#161b22,stroke:#5eead4,color:#e6edf3
    style B fill:#161b22,stroke:#5eead4,color:#e6edf3
    style C fill:#161b22,stroke:#5eead4,color:#e6edf3
    style D fill:#161b22,stroke:#5eead4,color:#e6edf3
    style E fill:#161b22,stroke:#5eead4,color:#e6edf3
    style F fill:#161b22,stroke:#5eead4,color:#e6edf3
    style G fill:#161b22,stroke:#5eead4,color:#e6edf3

Input

Three modes:

  • /capture [line or concept] - Capture what you type
  • /capture (no args) - Asks what you want to capture
  • Automatic - When the system detects armoury-worthy material mid-session, it offers: "Want me to add that to the armoury?"

The Stress Test

Before anything gets stored, /capture runs a quick validation (3-4 sentences, not a dissertation):

  1. Does the mechanic hold? The underlying logic that makes the metaphor work, not just sound clever
  2. Where does it break? Every metaphor has limits. Name them upfront
  3. What audience would this land with? Tag it so /draft and /prep can find it later
  4. Is it genuinely new? Check existing entries for variants or duplicates

The Entry

Output follows the standard armoury format:

### [Sticky Name]
**Line:** "What you'd actually say in the room."
**Mechanic:** Why it works. 1-2 sentences.
**Lands with:** [Audience] | **Status:** Raw
**Source:** [Origin, date] | **Domain:** [Topic]
**Related:** [Connected entries or frameworks]

All new entries start as Raw. Status only promotes through live use - you report it landed, it gets promoted. The system never auto-promotes.

Edge Cases

  • Not a metaphor - If the input is a task or question, redirects to task capture or the appropriate skill
  • Too vague - "That thing about factories" gets a clarification request
  • Already exists - Shows the existing entry, suggests updating rather than duplicating
  • Multiple captures - If you fire off several in a row, captures each separately
  • Full narrative arcs - If the metaphor has a developed story behind it, the armoury stores the punchy version and links to the full narrative in the relevant theme folder

Example

Input: /capture compound interest but for expertise

Stress test:

The mechanic holds: compound interest works because returns generate their own returns. Applied to expertise accumulation - every case processed makes the system smarter, which makes future cases faster. The compounding is real.

Where it breaks: compound interest is passive (money sits there). Expertise accumulation requires active capture. Also, compound interest has a known rate; expertise compounding is harder to quantify.

Lands with: CEO, Board, anyone who understands finance. The maths metaphor invites follow-up: "What's the interest rate? What's the principal?"

Entry:

### Compound Interest for Expertise
**Line:** "It's like compound interest, but for expertise."
**Mechanic:** Returns generate their own returns. Every case makes
the system smarter, which makes future cases faster. The gap between
accumulators and dissipators widens daily.
**Lands with:** CEO, Board, finance-literate | **Status:** Raw
**Source:** Internal, Mar 2026 | **Domain:** AI transformation

Duplicate check example:

Input: /capture "the machine that makes the machine" - Musk quote

Response: "This is already in the armoury as 'Gigafactory for Services' (Proven). Want me to add the exact Musk quote as an alternative line?"

Design Principles

  • Speed over perfection. Raw entries are fine. The point is capture, not polish
  • Honest stress-testing. A metaphor that breaks under mild scrutiny shouldn't reach a boardroom. Better to know now
  • No auto-promotion. Status only changes through reported live use. Sounding clever on paper means nothing
  • Portable, punchy stuff only. Full narrative arcs and developed stories stay in their source files. The armoury stores the line you'd deploy in 15 seconds

Where It Fits

/capture is the intake valve for the armoury. It sits alongside the broader content pipeline:

/capture -> armoury.md -> /draft (weaves in relevant entries)
/capture -> armoury.md -> /prep (surfaces for meeting prep)
session -> "Want me to add that?" -> /capture
  • Armoury Reference - The armoury format and philosophy
  • /draft - Downstream: uses armoury entries when writing for specific audiences
  • /prompt - Upstream: structures raw thinking, which may surface armoury candidates
  • Skills System - How skills compose with each other