| name | verify-links |
| description | Verify that all external links in a markdown file are valid and that their content matches what the notes claim about them. Use after writing or editing notes with external references. |
| argument-hint | <file-path> |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
| allowed-tools | Bash, Read, WebFetch |
Verify all external links in the specified markdown file: $ARGUMENTS
If no file path is provided, ask the user which file to verify.
Process
Step 1: Extract Links and Context
Read the file and extract all markdown links [text](url) along with their surrounding context.
For each link, capture:
- The URL
- The anchor text
- The surrounding sentence or bullet point describing what the link is about
Step 2: Verify Each Link
For each link:
-
Check HTTP Status using curl:
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" "<URL>"
- 200: Proceed to content verification
- 301/302: Follow redirect, verify final destination
- 404: Mark as broken
- Other: Mark as problematic
-
Verify Content Matches Context - For links returning 200:
- Use WebFetch to analyze the page content
- Compare against what the notes claim about it
- Flag mismatches where page content doesn't support the citation
Step 3: Report Results
Provide a summary:
Verified - Links where HTTP status is good AND content matches the citation
Broken - Links returning errors, with suggested corrections if possible
Content Mismatches - Links where page exists but content doesn't match claims
Redirects - Links that redirect, with final destinations
Example Output
## Link Verification Report for notes/2026/01/22/notes.md
### Verified (4 links)
- [Granola](https://www.granola.ai/) - Content confirms: meeting transcription tool
- [Prodigy](https://prodi.gy/) - Content confirms: annotation tool for ML
### Broken (1 link)
- [Apple Vision](https://developer.apple.com/.../poses-in-an-image)
- Status: 404
- Suggested: .../poses-in-images (plural)
### Content Mismatches (0 links)
None found.
