From 232a9485762e89e210990d39763d0140c9eacad2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Matt Van Horn Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2026 10:46:08 -0800 Subject: [PATCH] Reframe README V2 around better search results as primary feature Lead with dramatically better X/Reddit search quality (smarter query construction + Phase 2 supplemental), Bird CLI as secondary headline, community contributions in their own section. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 --- README.md | 30 +++++++++++++++++++++--------- 1 file changed, 21 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 9301a66..6a22926 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ **The AI world reinvents itself every month. This Claude Code skill keeps you current.** /last30days researches your topic across Reddit, X, and the web from the last 30 days, finds what the community is actually upvoting and sharing, and writes you a prompt that works today, not six months ago. Whether it's Ralph Wiggum loops, Suno music prompts, or the latest Midjourney techniques, you'll prompt like someone who's been paying attention. -**New in V2:** Free X search via [Bird CLI](https://github.com/steipete/bird) (no xAI key needed), smart supplemental search that drills into key @handles and subreddits discovered during research, `--days=N` for flexible lookback windows, and automatic model fallback so it works even if your OpenAI org isn't verified for newer models. [Full changelog below.](#whats-new-in-v2) +**New in V2:** Dramatically better search results. Smarter query construction finds posts that V1 missed entirely, and a new two-phase search automatically discovers key @handles and subreddits from initial results, then drills deeper. Also: free X search via [Bird CLI](https://github.com/steipete/bird) (no xAI key needed), `--days=N` for flexible lookback, and automatic model fallback. [Full changelog below.](#whats-new-in-v2) **Best for prompt research**: discover what prompting techniques actually work for any tool (ChatGPT, Midjourney, Claude, Figma AI, etc.) by learning from real community discussions and best practices. @@ -751,27 +751,39 @@ If your OpenAI org doesn't have access to a model (e.g., unverified for gpt-4.1) ## What's New in V2 -**Bird CLI integration** - Free X search without an xAI API key. Just `npm install -g @steipete/bird && bird login`. Auto-detected at runtime. +### Way better X and Reddit results + +V2 finds significantly more content than V1. Two major improvements: + +**Smarter query construction** - V1 sent overly specific queries to X search (literal keyword AND matching), causing 0 results on topics that were actively trending. V2 aggressively strips research/meta words ("best", "prompt", "techniques", "tips") and question prefixes ("what are people saying about") to extract just the core topic. Example: `"vibe motion best prompt techniques"` now searches for `"vibe motion"` instead of `"vibe motion prompt techniques"` — going from 0 posts to 12+. Automatically retries with fewer keywords if the first attempt returns nothing. + +**Smart supplemental search (Phase 2)** - After the initial broad search, extracts key @handles and subreddits from the results, then runs targeted follow-up searches to find content that keyword search alone misses. Example: researching "Open Claw" automatically discovers @openclaw, @steipete and drills into their posts. For Reddit, it hits the free `.json` search endpoint scoped to discovered subreddits — no extra API keys needed. + +**Reddit JSON enrichment** - Fetches real upvote and comment counts from Reddit's free API for every thread, giving you actual engagement signals instead of estimates. + +### Free X search via Bird CLI + +**Bird CLI integration** - Search X without an xAI API key. Just `npm install -g @steipete/bird && bird login`. Auto-detected at runtime — if Bird is installed, it's used automatically. If both Bird and an xAI key are available, Bird is preferred. + +### Everything else **`--days=N` flag** - Configurable lookback window. `/last30days topic --days=7` for a weekly roundup, `--days=14` for two weeks. -**Smart supplemental search (Phase 2)** - After the initial broad search, extracts key @handles and subreddits from results, then runs targeted follow-up searches to find content that broad keyword search misses. Example: researching "Open Claw" automatically discovers @openclaw, @steipete and drills into their posts. - **Model fallback chain** - If your OpenAI org can't access gpt-4.1, automatically falls back to gpt-4o, then gpt-4o-mini. No config needed. **Context-aware invitations** - After research, the skill generates specific follow-up suggestions based on what it actually learned (not generic templates). For example, after researching Nano Banana Pro it might suggest "Photorealistic product shots with natural lighting" rather than a generic "describe what you want." **Citation priority** - Cites @handles from X and r/subreddits over web sources, because the skill's value is surfacing what *people* are saying, not what journalists wrote. -**Reddit JSON enrichment** - Fetches real upvote and comment counts from Reddit's free API for every thread, giving you actual engagement signals. - **Marketplace plugin support** - Ships with `.claude-plugin/plugin.json` for Claude Code marketplace compatibility. (Inspired by [@galligan](https://github.com/galligan)'s PR) -**Windows Unicode fix** - Handles Unicode output correctly on Windows terminals. (Thanks [@JosephOIbrahim](https://github.com/JosephOIbrahim)) +### Community contributions -**Model fallback for unverified orgs** - If your OpenAI org doesn't have access to newer models, gracefully falls back. (Thanks [@levineam](https://github.com/levineam)) +Thanks to the contributors who helped shape V2: -**`--days=N` configurable lookback** - Community-contributed flag for flexible time windows. (Thanks [@jonthebeef](https://github.com/jonthebeef)) +- [@JosephOIbrahim](https://github.com/JosephOIbrahim) - Windows Unicode fix +- [@levineam](https://github.com/levineam) - Model fallback for unverified orgs +- [@jonthebeef](https://github.com/jonthebeef) - `--days=N` configurable lookback ---