# Outline > Generate document outlines with TOC, chapter planning, and hierarchy management. Use when structuring documents, planning chapters, creating outlines. - Skill: `bytesagain/outline` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add bytesagain/outline` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/bytesagain/outline/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - License: MIT-0 - Author: bytesagain (https://skillmd.com/u/bytesagain) - Updated: 2026-09-09 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/bytesagain/outline --- # Outline A productivity toolkit for capturing, planning, tracking, and reviewing tasks and ideas. Each command category maintains its own timestamped log file, so you can organize entries by purpose — plans, reviews, reminders, tags, timelines, and more. Includes built-in statistics, multi-format export, full-text search, and weekly review support. All operations are logged with timestamps and stored locally in flat files for easy inspection and portability. ## Commands | Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | `outline add ` | Add a general entry (or show recent entries with no args) | | `outline plan ` | Record a plan or goal | | `outline track ` | Track progress on an item | | `outline review ` | Log a review or reflection | | `outline streak ` | Record a streak or habit check-in | | `outline remind ` | Set a reminder note | | `outline prioritize ` | Log a priority decision | | `outline archive ` | Archive an item for later reference | | `outline tag ` | Tag or categorize an entry | | `outline timeline ` | Record a timeline event or milestone | | `outline report ` | Log a report or summary | | `outline weekly-review ` | Perform or record a weekly review | | `outline stats` | Show summary statistics across all categories | | `outline export ` | Export all data in json, csv, or txt format | | `outline search ` | Full-text search across all log files | | `outline recent` | Show the 20 most recent activity entries | | `outline status` | Health check — version, data dir, entry counts, disk usage | | `outline help` | Show the built-in help message | | `outline version` | Print the current version | ### How Entry Commands Work Every entry command (`add`, `plan`, `track`, `review`, `streak`, `remind`, `prioritize`, `archive`, `tag`, `timeline`, `report`, `weekly-review`) follows the same pattern: - **With arguments:** Appends a timestamped entry (`YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM|`) to the corresponding `.log` file and shows the new total count - **Without arguments:** Shows the 20 most recent entries from that category's log file ## Data Storage All data is stored in `~/.local/share/outline/` by default. Files created in the data directory: - **`add.log`**, **`plan.log`**, **`track.log`**, etc. — One log file per command category, each containing timestamped entries in `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM|` format - **`history.log`** — Audit trail of every command executed with timestamps - **`export.json`** / **`export.csv`** / **`export.txt`** — Generated by the `export` command ### Export Formats - **json** — Array of objects with `type`, `time`, and `value` fields - **csv** — Header row (`type,time,value`) followed by data rows - **txt** — Human-readable sections grouped by category ## Requirements - **bash** 4.0 or later (uses `set -euo pipefail`, `local` variables) - **grep** — used by the `search` command for case-insensitive matching - **Standard POSIX utilities** — `date`, `cat`, `echo`, `mkdir`, `wc`, `du`, `head`, `tail`, `basename` - No external API keys or network access required - No Python or Node.js dependencies ## When to Use 1. **Daily task capture** — Quickly jot down tasks, ideas, or observations throughout the day using `add` or `plan`, then review with `recent` 2. **Habit tracking and streaks** — Use `streak` to check in on daily habits and `stats` to see your consistency over time 3. **Weekly reviews and retrospectives** — Use `weekly-review` to log reflections at the end of each week, then `search` to find patterns 4. **Project timeline management** — Use `timeline` to record milestones and `report` to log progress summaries for stakeholders 5. **Exporting data for analysis** — Use `export json` to pipe structured data into `jq`, dashboards, or spreadsheets for deeper analysis ## Examples ```bash # Add a task and a plan outline add "Set up CI pipeline for new repo" #=> [Outline] add: Set up CI pipeline for new repo #=> Saved. Total add entries: 1 outline plan "Q2 roadmap: launch v2.0 by June" #=> [Outline] plan: Q2 roadmap: launch v2.0 by June #=> Saved. Total plan entries: 1 # Track progress and tag it outline track "CI pipeline: tests passing, deploy step WIP" outline tag "ci-pipeline: infrastructure" # Set a reminder outline remind "Team standup at 10am tomorrow" #=> [Outline] remind: Team standup at 10am tomorrow #=> Saved. Total remind entries: 1 # View statistics across all categories outline stats #=> === Outline Stats === #=> add: 1 entries #=> plan: 1 entries #=> ... #=> Total: 5 entries #=> Data size: 4.0K # Export everything as JSON outline export json #=> Exported to /home/user/.local/share/outline/export.json (245 bytes) # Search across all logs outline search "pipeline" #=> Searching for: pipeline #=> --- add --- #=> 2025-03-18 14:30|Set up CI pipeline for new repo ``` ## Configuration The data directory is hardcoded to `~/.local/share/outline/`. To use a custom location, modify the `DATA_DIR` variable in the script. ## How It Works 1. On every invocation, the tool ensures the data directory exists (`mkdir -p`) 2. The first argument selects the command via a `case` dispatch 3. Entry commands append a pipe-delimited line (`timestamp|text`) to their category-specific log file 4. Every command also appends to `history.log` for auditing 5. `stats` iterates over all `.log` files to produce aggregate counts 6. `export` reads all `.log` files and writes a combined output in the chosen format 7. All output goes to stdout for easy piping and redirection --- Powered by BytesAgain | bytesagain.com | hello@bytesagain.com