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auto-data-snapshot: 2026-08-13T12:57:05 (2 data files) — skills/last30/SKILL.md skills/last30/SKILL.md.bak-noexa
6ee16aea3fc63959ae444696bf7ab38bf82367db · 2026-08-13 12:57:14 -0700 · auto-commit-fleet
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M skills/last30/SKILL.mdA skills/last30/SKILL.md.bak-noexa
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commit 6ee16aea3fc63959ae444696bf7ab38bf82367db
Author: auto-commit-fleet <steve@designerwallcoverings.com>
Date: Thu Aug 13 12:57:14 2026 -0700
auto-data-snapshot: 2026-08-13T12:57:05 (2 data files) — skills/last30/SKILL.md skills/last30/SKILL.md.bak-noexa
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skills/last30/SKILL.md.bak-noexa | 146 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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diff --git a/skills/last30/SKILL.md b/skills/last30/SKILL.md
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--- a/skills/last30/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/last30/SKILL.md
@@ -52,8 +52,7 @@ single known URL (use WebFetch for that).
## The pipeline
### Step 0 — Resolve host web search
-Confirm a web-search tool exists this session. Prefer, in order: the **Exa MCP**
-(`mcp__exa__web_search_exa`) if connected, else the built-in **WebSearch** tool.
+Confirm a web-search tool exists this session. Use the built-in **WebSearch** tool (Exa is OFF per the no-exa rule — $0); for Reddit, use the `agent-reach` skill (free reader).
This is what covers Reddit/X/YouTube/TikTok/Instagram in Step 3. If neither
exists, proceed with the engine-only sources and say so in the brief.
@@ -90,9 +89,9 @@ do not pad it with fabricated items.
The engine deliberately omits key-gated / IP-blocked platforms. Fill the gaps
with the Step-0 tool, scoped to recency and domain. Run these **in parallel**:
-- **Reddit** — `allowed_domains: ["reddit.com"]`, query `<topic>`. **Exa only** —
- the built-in WebSearch is blocked from `reddit.com` (400), so if Exa isn't the
- Step-0 tool, Reddit is unavailable this run; report that rather than implying it.
+- **Reddit** — `allowed_domains: ["reddit.com"]`, query `<topic>`. **via `agent-reach`** —
+ the built-in WebSearch is blocked from `reddit.com` (400), so use the `agent-reach`
+ skill (free Reddit reader) for Reddit; Exa is OFF per the no-exa rule.
- **X / Twitter** — `allowed_domains: ["x.com","twitter.com","nitter.net"]`.
- **YouTube** — `allowed_domains: ["youtube.com"]` (look for reaction/deep-dive).
- **TikTok** — `allowed_domains: ["tiktok.com"]` (creator takes, trend clips). The
@@ -101,7 +100,7 @@ with the Step-0 tool, scoped to recency and domain. Run these **in parallel**:
- **Instagram** — `allowed_domains: ["instagram.com"]` (Reels / posts). Also
**best-effort** — login-walled, so expect thin coverage; keep what the index
surfaces and move on.
-- Optionally **news/web** — a broad Exa search for the freshest reporting.
+- Optionally **news/web** — a broad host WebSearch for the freshest reporting.
Keep only results plausibly inside the window. Capture the engagement signal when
visible (upvotes, view counts). TikTok/Instagram are the thinnest layer — treat a
@@ -127,7 +126,7 @@ can do the merge at **$0** — but the agent doing it directly is fine.
## Cost
Engine + host web search over free sources = **$0 (local/free)**. If the host
-web search is the paid **Exa MCP**, note it: roughly a few cents per run for the
+web search is our FREE **WebSearch** ($0 — Exa is OFF per the no-exa rule); nothing to meter for the
Step-3 supplements. Surface the cost line per Steve's standing rule.
## Examples
diff --git a/skills/last30/SKILL.md.bak-noexa b/skills/last30/SKILL.md.bak-noexa
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3839e82
--- /dev/null
+++ b/skills/last30/SKILL.md.bak-noexa
@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+---
+name: last30
+description: 'Research what people actually said about any topic in the LAST 30 DAYS, ranked by real engagement (upvotes, points, GitHub stars, prediction-market money) and recency, then synthesize one grounded, cited brief. Runs a zero-dependency Python engine over free no-key APIs (Hacker News, arXiv, GitHub, Polymarket) and supplements social platforms (Reddit, X, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram) through the host web search. This skill should be used when the user asks what people are saying about a topic, the latest or recent buzz or current state of something, what is trending in a domain, wants a recency-scoped multi-source scan, or invokes /last30. Not for evergreen facts, code in the current repo, or single-site lookups.'
+argument-hint: 'last30 nvidia earnings reaction | last30 AI video tools --days 7 | last30 doctor'
+allowed-tools: Bash, Read, WebSearch, AskUserQuestion
+homepage: https://github.com/mvanhorn/last30days-skill
+license: MIT
+user-invocable: true
+metadata:
+ type: reference
+ inspired-by: mvanhorn/last30days-skill (MIT)
+ engine: scripts/last30.py
+ tags:
+ - research
+ - recency
+ - trends
+ - multi-source
+ - engagement-ranked
+ - hacker-news
+ - arxiv
+ - github
+ - polymarket
+ - reddit
+ - tiktok
+ - instagram
+ - citations
+---
+
+# /last30
+
+## Overview
+
+`/last30` answers **"what have people actually been saying/betting/shipping about
+this topic in the last N days?"** — not an editor's summary, but the real signal,
+ranked by what people engaged with. It runs a deterministic Python engine over
+free no-key APIs, layers in social platforms via the host's web search, and
+synthesizes a single grounded, cited brief.
+
+This is a **specific research contract**, not a keyword to improvise against.
+Always run the engine (Step 2). Do not answer from web search or memory alone.
+
+## When to use
+
+- "What are people saying about `<topic>`?" / "latest on `<topic>`" / "recent buzz"
+- "What's trending in `<domain>`?" / "current state of `<X>`"
+- Any request scoped to **recency** ("this month", "past week", "right now") that
+ benefits from multiple engagement signals converging.
+
+Do **not** use for: evergreen/definitional facts, code in the current repo, or a
+single known URL (use WebFetch for that).
+
+## The pipeline
+
+### Step 0 — Resolve host web search
+Confirm a web-search tool exists this session. Prefer, in order: the **Exa MCP**
+(`mcp__exa__web_search_exa`) if connected, else the built-in **WebSearch** tool.
+This is what covers Reddit/X/YouTube/TikTok/Instagram in Step 3. If neither
+exists, proceed with the engine-only sources and say so in the brief.
+
+### Step 1 — Parse intent
+- **Topic run** (default): a subject was named → Steps 2–4.
+- **Doctor**: user said "doctor"/"is it working" → run `python3 scripts/last30.py doctor`
+ and relay verbatim. Stop.
+- Pick the window: default **30 days**; honor "past week" → `--days 7`, etc.
+
+### Step 2 — Run the engine (REQUIRED)
+From the skill directory, run the engine via Bash. Use `--emit markdown` for a
+quick read, or `--emit json` when you want to re-rank/synthesize yourself:
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/last30.py "<topic>" --days 30 --emit markdown
+```
+
+Common flags:
+- `--days N` — lookback window (default 30)
+- `--sources hn,arxiv,github,polymarket` — default set (all free, no keys)
+- `--limit N` — items per source (default 12)
+- `--emit json|markdown`
+- `--min-relevance 0.4` — topic-token coverage gate (default 0.4) that kills
+ keyword collisions (e.g. "Kimi" the F1 driver vs "Kimi K2" the model). Raise
+ toward 0.6 to tighten, `--no-filter` (or `0`) to disable. Dropped counts are
+ reported, never silent.
+- add `reddit` to `--sources` only on networks where Reddit isn't IP-blocked
+
+The engine is fault-isolated: a source that 429s/403s returns an `error` marker,
+never crashes the run. Relay a **"nothing solid in the window"** result honestly —
+do not pad it with fabricated items.
+
+### Step 3 — Supplement social platforms via host web search
+The engine deliberately omits key-gated / IP-blocked platforms. Fill the gaps
+with the Step-0 tool, scoped to recency and domain. Run these **in parallel**:
+
+- **Reddit** — `allowed_domains: ["reddit.com"]`, query `<topic>`. **Exa only** —
+ the built-in WebSearch is blocked from `reddit.com` (400), so if Exa isn't the
+ Step-0 tool, Reddit is unavailable this run; report that rather than implying it.
+- **X / Twitter** — `allowed_domains: ["x.com","twitter.com","nitter.net"]`.
+- **YouTube** — `allowed_domains: ["youtube.com"]` (look for reaction/deep-dive).
+- **TikTok** — `allowed_domains: ["tiktok.com"]` (creator takes, trend clips). The
+ web index for TikTok is **sparse — best-effort**; capture view/like counts only
+ when the search snippet actually shows them, and don't invent them.
+- **Instagram** — `allowed_domains: ["instagram.com"]` (Reels / posts). Also
+ **best-effort** — login-walled, so expect thin coverage; keep what the index
+ surfaces and move on.
+- Optionally **news/web** — a broad Exa search for the freshest reporting.
+
+Keep only results plausibly inside the window. Capture the engagement signal when
+visible (upvotes, view counts). TikTok/Instagram are the thinnest layer — treat a
+few relevant hits as a bonus, never pad the brief to force them in. See
+`references/sources.md` for the full source matrix and the reasoning behind the
+engine/web-search split.
+
+### Step 4 — Synthesize one grounded brief
+Merge engine output + web-search supplements into a single brief:
+
+1. **Headline** — the 1–2 sentence "here's what matters" (not "here's what I found").
+2. **What people are saying** — 4–8 bullets, each **grounded in a specific item**
+ with its engagement number and an inline citation `([source](url))`.
+3. **Signals & convergence** — where multiple sources agree; note Polymarket odds
+ as *money-backed probability*, not opinion.
+4. **New research / tools** — notable arXiv papers and fast-rising GitHub repos.
+5. **Caveats** — sources that were unavailable this run, and thin windows.
+
+Rank by the engine's `score` (engagement × recency) and cite every claim. For
+long syntheses on Steve's stack, a local Ollama model (hermes3:8b / qwen3:14b)
+can do the merge at **$0** — but the agent doing it directly is fine.
+
+## Cost
+
+Engine + host web search over free sources = **$0 (local/free)**. If the host
+web search is the paid **Exa MCP**, note it: roughly a few cents per run for the
+Step-3 supplements. Surface the cost line per Steve's standing rule.
+
+## Examples
+
+```bash
+python3 scripts/last30.py "nvidia earnings reaction" --emit markdown
+python3 scripts/last30.py "AI video tools" --days 14 --limit 8 --emit markdown
+python3 scripts/last30.py "rust vs zig" --emit json # then synthesize
+python3 scripts/last30.py doctor # health check
+```
+
+## Files
+
+- `scripts/last30.py` — the zero-dependency engine (stdlib only; Python 3.9+).
+- `references/sources.md` — per-source config, the engine/web-search split
+ rationale, optional keyed sources, and scoring details.
← 4d1691a last30: correct Reddit fallback — built-in WebSearch is also
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