read-zulip

name	read-zulip
description	Read Zulip stream/topic history for project context, summarize decisions, and recover requirements or action items. Use when task context may depend on prior Zulip discussion rather than only repository files.

/read-zulip

Read Zulip history with shared credentials, then turn the result into project context for the current task.

When to use

• A task references hackathon discussion, prior design debate, or off-repo decisions that probably live in Zulip.
• Repository docs are insufficient and you need the original chat context.
• The user asks you to inspect a specific Zulip stream, topic, or channel URL.

Auth resolution

Use scripts/read_zulip.py. It resolves credentials in this order:

1. ZULIPRC
2. ~/.zuliprc
3. ~/.config/zulip/zuliprc

If a collaborator keeps credentials elsewhere, pass --config /path/to/zuliprc explicitly.

Never commit Zulip credentials into this repository.

Repo defaults

For this repository, start with:

python .claude/skills/read-zulip/scripts/read_zulip.py \
  --url "https://quantum-info.zulipchat.com/#channels/591576/VibeYoga-Hackathon-QEC/general" \
  --limit 20

If general returns no relevant messages, widen to the whole stream:

python .claude/skills/read-zulip/scripts/read_zulip.py \
  --channel 591576 \
  --limit 20

If you still need the active thread referenced by repo docs, check:

python .claude/skills/read-zulip/scripts/read_zulip.py \
  --channel 591576 \
  --topic "channel events" \
  --limit 20

Workflow

1. Start with the narrowest stream/topic or URL that answers the question.
2. Fetch a small window first, usually --limit 20.
3. Expand only if the first pass is insufficient.
4. Summarize decisions, requirements, blockers, and action items with message IDs when they matter.

Useful commands

Recent messages from a stream/topic:

python .claude/skills/read-zulip/scripts/read_zulip.py \
  --channel "VibeYoga-Hackathon-QEC" \
  --topic "channel events" \
  --limit 20

Local substring filter over the fetched window:

python .claude/skills/read-zulip/scripts/read_zulip.py \
  --channel 591576 \
  --limit 100 \
  --contains benchmark

Machine-readable output:

python .claude/skills/read-zulip/scripts/read_zulip.py \
  --channel 591576 \
  --limit 20 \
  --format json

Output rules

• Default to plain-text output when you want to read and summarize.
• Use --format json only when another tool/script will consume the result.
• Keep summaries chronological when the discussion records changing decisions.
• Quote only short snippets when direct wording matters.