read-x-markdown

name	read-x-markdown
description	Converts X (Twitter) tweets and articles to markdown with YAML front matter. Uses reverse-engineered API requiring user consent. Use when user mentions "X to markdown", "tweet to markdown", "save tweet", or provides x.com/twitter.com URLs for conversion.

X to Markdown

Converts X content to markdown:

• Tweets/threads → Markdown with YAML front matter
• X Articles → Full content extraction

Script Directory

Scripts located in scripts/ subdirectory.

Path Resolution:

1. SKILL_DIR = this SKILL.md's directory
2. Script path = ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/main.ts

Consent Requirement

Before any conversion, check and obtain consent.

Consent Flow

Step 1: Check consent file

# macOS
cat ~/Library/Application\ Support/read-buddy/x-to-markdown/consent.json

# Linux
cat ~/.local/share/read-buddy/x-to-markdown/consent.json

Step 2: If accepted: true and disclaimerVersion: "1.0" → print warning and proceed:

Warning: Using reverse-engineered X API. Accepted on: <acceptedAt>

Step 3: If missing or version mismatch → display disclaimer:

DISCLAIMER

This tool uses a reverse-engineered X API, NOT official.

Risks:
- May break if X changes API
- No guarantees or support
- Possible account restrictions
- Use at your own risk

Accept terms and continue?

Use AskUserQuestion with options: "Yes, I accept" | "No, I decline"

Step 4: On accept → create consent file:

{
  "version": 1,
  "accepted": true,
  "acceptedAt": "<ISO timestamp>",
  "disclaimerVersion": "1.0"
}

Step 5: On decline → output "User declined. Exiting." and stop.

Preferences (EXTEND.md)

Use Bash to check EXTEND.md existence (priority order):

# Check project-level first
test -f .read-buddy/read-x-markdown/EXTEND.md && echo "project"

# Then user-level (cross-platform: $HOME works on macOS/Linux/WSL)
test -f "$HOME/.read-buddy/read-x-markdown/EXTEND.md" && echo "user"

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────┐ │ Path │ Location │ ├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┤ │ .read-buddy/read-x-markdown/EXTEND.md │ Project directory │ ├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┤ │ $HOME/.read-buddy/read-x-markdown/EXTEND.md │ User home │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────┘

┌───────────┬───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Result │ Action │ ├───────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Found │ Read, parse, apply settings │ ├───────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Not found │ MUST run first-time setup (see below) — do NOT silently create defaults │ └───────────┴───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

EXTEND.md Supports: Download media by default | Default output directory

First-Time Setup (BLOCKING)

CRITICAL: When EXTEND.md is not found, you MUST use AskUserQuestion to ask the user for their preferences before creating EXTEND.md. NEVER create EXTEND.md with defaults without asking. This is a BLOCKING operation — do NOT proceed with any conversion until setup is complete.

Use AskUserQuestion with ALL questions in ONE call:

Question 1 — header: "Media", question: "How to handle images and videos in tweets?"

• "Ask each time (Recommended)" — After saving markdown, ask whether to download media
• "Always download" — Always download media to local imgs/ and videos/ directories
• "Never download" — Keep original remote URLs in markdown

Question 2 — header: "Output", question: "Default output directory?"

• "x-to-markdown (Recommended)" — Save to ./x-to-markdown/{username}/{tweet-id}.md
• (User may choose "Other" to type a custom path)

Question 3 — header: "Save", question: "Where to save preferences?"

• "User (Recommended)" — ~/.read-buddy/ (all projects)
• "Project" — .read-buddy/ (this project only)

After user answers, create EXTEND.md at the chosen location, confirm "Preferences saved to [path]", then continue.

Full reference: references/config/first-time-setup.md

Supported Keys

Key	Default	Values	Description
download_media	ask	ask / 1 / 0	ask = prompt each time, 1 = always download, 0 = never
default_output_dir	empty	path or empty	Default output directory (empty = ./x-to-markdown/)

Value priority:

1. CLI arguments (--download-media, -o)
2. EXTEND.md
3. Skill defaults

Usage

npx -y bun ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/main.ts <url>
npx -y bun ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/main.ts <url> -o output.md
npx -y bun ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/main.ts <url> --download-media
npx -y bun ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/main.ts <url> --json

Options

Option	Description
<url>	Tweet or article URL
-o <path>	Output path
--json	JSON output
--download-media	Download image/video assets to local imgs/ and videos/, and rewrite markdown links to local relative paths
--login	Refresh cookies only

Supported URLs

• https://x.com/<user>/status/<id>
• https://twitter.com/<user>/status/<id>
• https://x.com/i/article/<id>

Output

---
url: "https://x.com/user/status/123"
author: "Name (@user)"
tweetCount: 3
coverImage: "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/example.jpg"
---

Content...

File structure: x-to-markdown/{username}/{tweet-id}.md

When --download-media is enabled:

• Images are saved to imgs/ next to the markdown file
• Videos are saved to videos/ next to the markdown file
• Markdown media links are rewritten to local relative paths

Media Download Workflow

Based on download_media setting in EXTEND.md:

Setting	Behavior
1 (always)	Run script with --download-media flag
0 (never)	Run script without --download-media flag
ask (default)	Follow the ask-each-time flow below

Ask-Each-Time Flow

1. Run script without --download-media → markdown saved
2. Check saved markdown for remote media URLs (https:// in image/video links)
3. If no remote media found → done, no prompt needed
4. If remote media found → use AskUserQuestion:
   • header: "Media", question: "Download N images/videos to local files?"
   • "Yes" — Download to local directories
   • "No" — Keep remote URLs
5. If user confirms → run script again with --download-media (overwrites markdown with localized links)

Authentication

1. Environment variables (preferred): X_AUTH_TOKEN, X_CT0
2. Chrome login (fallback): Auto-opens Chrome, caches cookies locally

Extension Support

Custom configurations via EXTEND.md. See Preferences section for paths and supported options.