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>

SKILL.md

@@ -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)
 
 ---
 

docs/plans/2026-03-03-fix-skill-md-argument-flag-forwarding-plan.md

@@ -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

scripts/last30days.py

@@ -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: