check-watchlist

name	check-watchlist
description	Checks tracked upcoming TV shows in watchlist.json and sends a Telegram notification message via MCP when any have been released. Use when running nightly release checks, monitoring streaming release dates, or checking whether new episodes or shows from a watchlist are now available to watch. Fires nightly via its own scheduled_tasks row (post-#404).
cadence	30 9 * * *
agentModel	claude-haiku-4-5-20251001
script	scripts/check-watchlist-precheck.py

Check Watchlist Skill

Process steps in order. Do not skip ahead.

Monitors /workspace/group/watchlist.json for upcoming shows and notifies when they release.

Step 1 — Read watchlist

Read /workspace/group/watchlist.json. If the file doesn't exist or tracking array is empty, exit silently.

Filter to shows where notified: false only.

Step 2 — Check release status

For each unnotified show, do a web search with the current and next calendar year derived from the run date in UTC (never hardcoded years), plus the entry's expected year when it names a different one:

"[title]" release date [current year] [next year] [expected year, if different] streaming

Determine:

• Released: show has premiered on its platform and episodes are available
• Not yet released: still in production or announced without air date
• Cancelled: show was cancelled before release

Step 3 — Handle results

If released:

1. Compose a short notification message (Telegram HTML format):

   📺 <b>[Title]</b> is now available on [Platform]!
   [1 sentence why Baruch will like it, from the `reason` field]
   

2. Send via mcp__nanoclaw__send_message (standalone, not a reply — this is a proactive alert)
3. Update watchlist.json: set notified: true and add "released": "YYYY-MM-DD" (actual release date if known, today's date otherwise)
4. Write the updated watchlist.json back to disk

If not yet released: Stay completely silent. Do not update the file.

If cancelled:

1. Update watchlist.json: set notified: true and add "cancelled": true
2. Do NOT notify Baruch — a cancelled show is not actionable

Step 4 — Write back

After processing all shows, if any were updated, write the modified watchlist.json back. Read the full file first, update only the changed entries, write the complete file back.

Notes

• The precheck date-gates the daily fire so this skill only wakes when a tracked show's release window is plausibly due; far-off shows stay asleep. Reaching Step 1 therefore means at least one show is worth checking — see skills/check-watchlist/scripts/check-watchlist-precheck.py module docstring for the wake/no-wake contract and lead window.
• Runs nightly. One search per unnotified show
• Only notify for actual releases, not renewals or trailers
• New season announced without air date = "not yet released"
• Silence is default; only speak when a show is available