Templates

Create reusable templates for structured memory creation.

Updated Oct 6, 2026

Overview

Templates provide pre-formatted content for common memory types like meeting notes, standups, and todos. They help maintain consistency and save time when creating structured memories.

Command aliases: template, tpl

Built-in Templates

Trix includes several built-in templates for common use cases:

Simple Templates

Template	Description	Use Case
`standup`	Daily standup format	Track daily progress and blockers
`meeting`	Meeting notes template	Document meetings with attendees and action items
`idea`	Idea capture template	Record ideas with context and next steps
`bug`	Bug report template	Track bugs with reproduction steps and expected behavior
`todo`	Todo list template	Structured task lists with priorities

Structured Templates (NEW)

Structured templates have defined fields with validation, default values, and options. They guide you through creating well-formed memories with consistent structure.

Template	Description	Required Fields
`adr`	Architecture Decision Record	title, status, context, decision, owner
`meeting-notes`	Structured meeting notes	title, date, attendees, discussion
`bug-report`	Bug report with severity	title, severity, environment, steps, expected, actual
`project-status`	Project status update	project, period, status, accomplishments, next_week
`retrospective`	Sprint retrospective	title, date, went_well, improvements, action_items

Structured templates validate your input and provide helpful prompts. Use trix templates list --structured to see all structured templates.

Listing Templates

# List all available templates
trix templates list

# Shows both built-in and custom templates
trix tpl list

# List only structured templates with field info
trix templates list --structured

# JSON output
trix templates list -o json

Viewing Templates

# Show template content
trix templates show standup

# View meeting template
trix templates show meeting

# View custom template
trix tpl show weekly-report

Using Templates

Use templates with the remember command:

# Use built-in standup template
trix remember --template standup

# Use template with space and tags
trix remember --template meeting --space work --tags "team,weekly"

# Interactively pick a template
trix remember --template-pick
trix remember -T

When you use a template, Trix opens your editor with the template structure pre-filled. You can then fill in the placeholders and save.

Using Structured Templates

Structured templates can be used interactively (with prompts) or non-interactively using --field flags:

# Interactive mode - prompts for each field
trix remember --template adr

# Non-interactive mode with --field flags
trix remember --template adr \
  --field title="Use PostgreSQL for User Data" \
  --field status=approved \
  --field context="We need a reliable database for user data" \
  --field decision="PostgreSQL provides ACID compliance" \
  --field owner="Sarah Chen"

# Partial fields - remaining are prompted
trix remember --template bug-report \
  --field title="Login button unresponsive" \
  --field severity=high

# With space and tags
trix remember --template meeting-notes \
  --field title="Q1 Planning" \
  --field date="2026-01-15" \
  --field attendees="Sarah, Marcus, Elena" \
  --field discussion="Discussed Q1 roadmap priorities" \
  --space work --tags planning,q1

Field Options

Some structured template fields have predefined options:

Template	Field	Options
`adr`	status	proposed, approved, rejected, deprecated, superseded
`bug-report`	severity	critical, high, medium, low
`project-status`	status	on-track, at-risk, blocked, completed

Creating Custom Templates

Basic Creation

# Create a new template
trix templates create weekly-report

# Opens your $EDITOR with initial content
# Edit the template structure and save

Template Placeholders

Templates support placeholders that can be filled in when used:

# Example template with placeholders
# Weekly Report - {{.Week}}

## Accomplishments
{{.Accomplishments}}

## Challenges
{{.Challenges}}

## Next Week
{{.NextWeek}}

## Notes
{{.Notes}}

Example Templates

# Example 1: Project Update Template
trix templates create project-update

Template content:

# Project Update: {{.ProjectName}}
Date: {{.Date}}
Status: {{.Status}}

## Progress
- Completed: {{.Completed}}
- In Progress: {{.InProgress}}
- Blocked: {{.Blocked}}

## Key Metrics
- {{.Metrics}}

## Next Steps
- {{.NextSteps}}

## Risks and Issues
{{.Risks}}

# Example 2: Code Review Template
trix templates create code-review

Template content:

# Code Review: {{.PRNumber}}

**Author:** {{.Author}}
**Reviewer:** {{.Reviewer}}
**Date:** {{.Date}}

## Summary
{{.Summary}}

## Changes Reviewed
- {{.Files}}

## Feedback
### Positives
- {{.Positives}}

### Concerns
- {{.Concerns}}

### Suggestions
- {{.Suggestions}}

## Verdict
[ ] Approved
[ ] Request Changes
[ ] Comment

**Decision:** {{.Decision}}
**Notes:** {{.Notes}}

# Example 3: 1-on-1 Meeting Template
trix templates create one-on-one

Template content:

# 1-on-1: {{.ManagerName}} & {{.EmployeeName}}
Date: {{.Date}}

## Check-in
**How are you feeling?**
{{.Feeling}}

**What's on your mind?**
{{.OnMind}}

## Discussion Topics
### From Last Time
- {{.FollowUps}}

### New Topics
- {{.NewTopics}}

## Career Development
- {{.CareerNotes}}

## Action Items
- [ ] {{.ActionItems}}

## Next Meeting
**Date:** {{.NextMeeting}}
**Topics:** {{.NextTopics}}

Editing Templates

# Edit an existing custom template
trix templates edit weekly-report

# Use specific editor
EDITOR=nano trix templates edit project-update

# Edit opens your $EDITOR with current content
# Make changes and save

Only user-created custom templates can be edited. Built-in templates are read-only. To customize a built-in template, create a new template with a different name.

Deleting Templates

# Delete a custom template
trix templates delete old-template

# Short alias
trix tpl delete temporary-template

Built-in templates cannot be deleted. Deletion only affects user-created custom templates.

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use lowercase with hyphens: weekly-report, code-review
Be descriptive: project-update not update
Group related templates: meeting-standup, meeting-planning

Template Structure

Start with a clear title using a heading
Use placeholders ({{.Field}}) for variable content
Include helpful comments or instructions
Use consistent formatting (Markdown works great)
Add empty sections for freeform content

Organization

Create templates for frequently-used memory structures
Combine templates with spaces for project-specific workflows
Use templates with tags for consistent categorization
Version your templates (e.g., standup-v2)

# Export a template
trix templates show weekly-report > weekly-report-template.md

# Share the file with your team

# Others can import by creating a template
# and pasting the content

Command Reference

Command	Description
`templates list`	List all available templates (built-in and custom)
`templates show <name>`	Display template content
`templates create <name>`	Create a new custom template
`templates edit <name>`	Edit an existing custom template
`templates delete <name>`	Delete a custom template

Next Steps

Shortcuts - Create custom command shortcuts
Memory Commands - Use templates with remember
Spaces & Organization - Combine templates with spaces
Import & Export - Bulk operations with templates

Simple Templates

Structured Templates (NEW)

Using Structured Templates

Field Options

Basic Creation

Template Placeholders

Example Templates

Naming Conventions

Template Structure

Organization

Sharing Templates