majiayu000 Searching Elfeed RSS Database
This skill provides access to the user's elfeed RSS feed database through a command-line interface. Elfeed is their primary information aggregation system, containing curated feeds from Reddit, blogs, YouTube channels, GitHub releases, and newsletters.
When to Invoke This Skill
Use this skill when:
- Topic research: User asks about topics likely covered in their feeds (programming, AI, security, NixOS, Emacs, etc.)
- Article recall: User references "something I read" or "an article about..."
- Pattern analysis: Understanding what they've been reading recently
- Context gathering: Building background on topics from their curated sources
- Unread triage: Helping prioritize or summarize unread items
Do NOT invoke for:
- General web searches (use WebSearch instead)
- Information not likely in RSS feeds
- Real-time news (elfeed may not have fetched yet)
Quick Start
The primary tool is elfeed-cli located at:
~/.claude/skills/elfeed/scripts/elfeed-cli
Or use the absolute path from this repo:
/home/markus/repos/nixos-config/nixos-shared/claude/skills/elfeed/scripts/elfeed-cli
Most common usage:
# Search recent unread items about a topic
elfeed-cli query "topic +unread @1-week-ago" simple 20
# Get database statistics
elfeed-cli stats
# List all feeds
elfeed-cli feeds
# List all tags
elfeed-cli tags
Filter Syntax Quick Reference
Combine these operators to build queries:
| Operator | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
+tag |
Must have tag | +unread, +programming, +reddit |
-tag |
Must not have tag | -unread, -youtube |
@time |
Newer than time | @1-week-ago, @3-days-ago, @1-month-ago |
#N |
Limit to N entries | #10, #50 |
text |
Title/link matches (regex) | nixos, claude.*ai |
!regex |
Title/link doesn't match | !advertisement |
=regex |
Feed URL/title matches | =simonwillison |
~regex |
Feed URL/title doesn't match | ~reddit |
Combine operators with spaces:
"+programming +unread @1-week-ago #20"
"+reddit -unread ai.*agents"
"+github =anthropic"
Common Workflows
1. Research a Topic
# Find recent articles about a topic
elfeed-cli query "topic-keyword +unread @2-weeks-ago" simple 30
2. Check Unread by Category
# Recent unread programming articles
elfeed-cli query "+programming +unread @1-week-ago" simple 20
# YouTube videos unwatched
elfeed-cli query "+youtube +unread" simple 10
3. Analyze Reading Patterns
# Get overall statistics
elfeed-cli stats
# See all feed sources
elfeed-cli feeds
# Check what tags are used
elfeed-cli tags
4. Find Specific Article
# Search by keyword across all entries
elfeed-cli query "specific-term" simple 50
# From specific source
elfeed-cli query "=simonwillison llm" simple 20
Output Formats
The query command supports three formats:
simple (default, most readable):
2025-10-19 14:30 | Blog Name | Article Title | https://example.com/articlejson (for parsing):
[{"title":"...","link":"...","date":...,"tags":[...],"feed_title":"...","feed_url":"..."}]sexp (Emacs s-expression):
((:title "..." :link "..." :date ... :tags (...) :feed-title "..." :feed-url "..."))
Important Notes
- Requires running Emacs: The CLI uses
emacsclientto query the live database - Real-time data: Queries reflect current database state (may include recently fetched items)
- Tag system: Feeds are tagged by category (programming, reddit, youtube, github, etc.)
- No side effects: Queries are read-only and don't modify read/unread status
Advanced Usage
For detailed filter syntax, regex patterns, and complex query construction, see reference.md.
Integration with Existing Command
The /mh:elfeed-search slash command is a convenience wrapper that calls this same tooling. You can invoke the skill autonomously or users can explicitly call the command.