fix(skill): forward CLI flags through $ARGUMENTS to Python script

Remove double quotes around $ARGUMENTS in SKILL.md so bash word-splits
the expansion, and change argparse topic from nargs="?" to nargs="*"
so multi-word topics still work. Also document --store, --include-web,
--diagnose, and --timeout flags in the Options section.

Closes #36

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
Matt Van Horn
2026-03-03 13:51:14 -08:00
parent fb00856bff
commit 1d18bee1a2
3 changed files with 119 additions and 2 deletions
+6 -1
View File
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ if [ -z "${SKILL_ROOT:-}" ]; then
exit 1
fi
python3 "${SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/last30days.py" "$ARGUMENTS" --emit=compact --no-native-web # Add --x-handle=HANDLE if RESOLVED_HANDLE is set
python3 "${SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/last30days.py" $ARGUMENTS --emit=compact --no-native-web # Add --x-handle=HANDLE if RESOLVED_HANDLE is set
```
Use a **timeout of 300000** (5 minutes) on the Bash call. The script typically takes 1-3 minutes.
@@ -225,6 +225,11 @@ For ALL query types:
- `--quick` → Faster, fewer sources (8-12 each)
- (default) → Balanced (20-30 each)
- `--deep` → Comprehensive (50-70 Reddit, 40-60 X)
- `--store` → Persist findings to SQLite database for later querying
- `--search=SOURCES` → Comma-separated source filter (e.g., `--search=reddit,hn`)
- `--include-web` → Include general web search alongside primary sources
- `--diagnose` → Show source availability diagnostics and exit
- `--timeout=SECS` → Global timeout in seconds (default: 180, quick: 90, deep: 300)
---
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
---
title: Fix SKILL.md Argument Flag Forwarding
type: fix
status: completed
date: 2026-03-03
---
# Fix SKILL.md Argument Flag Forwarding
## Overview
`"$ARGUMENTS"` in SKILL.md wraps the entire user input in double quotes, making argparse treat flags like `--store` as part of the topic string instead of CLI flags.
## Problem
SKILL.md line 168:
```bash
python3 "${SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/last30days.py" "$ARGUMENTS" --emit=compact --no-native-web
```
`$ARGUMENTS` is a Claude Code template variable replaced via string substitution before bash runs. The double quotes cause word-joining:
- User types: `/last30days AI video tools --store`
- Claude Code expands to: `python3 script.py "AI video tools --store" --emit=compact`
- argparse sees: `topic="AI video tools --store"`, `--store` never parsed
## Proposed Solution
Two coordinated changes:
### 1. Remove quotes around `$ARGUMENTS` in SKILL.md
**File:** `SKILL.md:168`
```bash
# Before:
python3 "${SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/last30days.py" "$ARGUMENTS" --emit=compact --no-native-web
# After:
python3 "${SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/last30days.py" $ARGUMENTS --emit=compact --no-native-web
```
Now bash word-splits the expansion: `python3 script.py AI video tools --store --emit=compact`
### 2. Change argparse `topic` from `nargs="?"` to `nargs="*"`
**File:** `scripts/last30days.py:1040`
```python
# Before:
parser.add_argument("topic", nargs="?", help="Topic to research")
# args.topic = "AI video tools" (single string) or None
# After:
parser.add_argument("topic", nargs="*", help="Topic to research")
# args.topic = ["AI", "video", "tools"] (list) or []
```
Then immediately after `parser.parse_args()` (line 1124), join the list back to a string:
```python
args = parser.parse_args()
args.topic = " ".join(args.topic) if args.topic else None
```
**Why this works for both invocation styles:**
| Invocation | argparse receives | topic result |
|---|---|---|
| `script.py AI video tools --store` (Claude Code) | `["AI", "video", "tools"]` + `--store` | `"AI video tools"` |
| `script.py "AI video tools" --store` (direct CLI) | `["AI video tools"]` + `--store` | `"AI video tools"` |
| `script.py --store` (no topic) | `[]` + `--store` | `None` |
### 3. Document missing flags in SKILL.md Options section
**File:** `SKILL.md:223-227`
Add after the existing `--deep` line:
```
- `--store` -> Persist findings to SQLite database for later querying
- `--search=SOURCES` -> Comma-separated source filter (e.g., `--search=reddit,hn`)
- `--include-web` -> Include general web search alongside primary sources
- `--diagnose` -> Show source availability diagnostics and exit
- `--timeout=SECS` -> Global timeout in seconds (default: 180, quick: 90, deep: 300)
```
Note: `--sort-x` was listed in the issue but does not exist in the Python argparse. Skip it.
## Acceptance Criteria
- [x] `/last30days AI video tools --store` correctly passes `--store` to Python script
- [x] `/last30days AI video tools` still works (multi-word topic without flags)
- [x] Direct CLI: `python3 last30days.py "AI video tools" --store` still works
- [x] `--diagnose`, `--search=reddit,hn`, `--timeout=120` all forward correctly
- [x] All 5 missing flags documented in SKILL.md Options section
- [x] Existing tests pass (`python3 -m pytest tests/`)
## Files Changed
| File | Change |
|---|---|
| `SKILL.md:168` | Remove quotes around `$ARGUMENTS` |
| `scripts/last30days.py:1040` | `nargs="?"` -> `nargs="*"` |
| `scripts/last30days.py:1124` | Add `args.topic = " ".join(args.topic) if args.topic else None` |
| `SKILL.md:223-227` | Add 5 missing flags to Options section |
## Sources
- GitHub issue: https://github.com/mvanhorn/last30days-skill/issues/36
- Reporter: @nicolefinateri
+2 -1
View File
@@ -1037,7 +1037,7 @@ def main():
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
description="Research a topic from the last N days on Reddit + X"
)
parser.add_argument("topic", nargs="?", help="Topic to research")
parser.add_argument("topic", nargs="*", help="Topic to research")
parser.add_argument("--mock", action="store_true", help="Use fixtures")
parser.add_argument(
"--emit",
@@ -1122,6 +1122,7 @@ def main():
)
args = parser.parse_args()
args.topic = " ".join(args.topic) if args.topic else None
# Enable debug logging if requested
if args.debug: