| name | add-topic |
| description | Add one or more topics to this knowledge-base repository. Use when: adding a new item (event, person, work, discovery, etc.) within the repo concept; unsure whether a topic deserves a knowledge-table row or a full dedicated article; bulk-adding multiple topics at once; auto-discovering coverage gaps across the concept's categories. Concept-agnostic — reads subject/taxonomy from seed.md. Orchestrates research, format selection, file creation, README linking, and session logging. |
| argument-hint | Topic name or comma-separated list. Leave blank to auto-discover coverage gaps. |
Add Topic
What This Skill Does
Given one or more topics within the repository's concept, this skill:
- Researches each topic using authoritative sources
- Decides the output format (table row vs. dedicated file)
- Creates or updates the correct files
- Links everything from the README knowledge table
- Optionally logs the session to
seed.md
Always read the Concept Definition in seed.md first for subject, scope, taxonomy, and conventions.
Procedure
Step 1 — Determine Topics
If topics were provided, use them (split on commas).
If no argument was given, auto-discover gaps:
- Read README.md and count rows per category from
concept.taxonomy.
- Identify under-represented categories (fewer than 3 entries).
- Propose 1–2 well-known in-scope topics per under-represented category.
- Proceed with all if running non-interactively; otherwise confirm first.
Step 2 — Research Each Topic
For each topic, follow the full research procedure: fetch ≥2 authoritative sources, extract identifier/people/what/significance/category, and confirm it falls within concept.scope. Skip and note any topic that can't be confirmed in-scope.
Step 3 — Choose Output Format
| Condition | Format |
|---|
| Sparse (1–3 facts, minor item) | Table row only → Step 4a |
| Rich (4+ facts, notable significance) | Dedicated file + table row → Step 4b |
| Already has a dedicated file | Update existing file; ensure README links it |
When in doubt, prefer the dedicated file.
Step 4a — Add a Knowledge-Table Row
Open README.md and add a row under the heading named by concept.conventions.knowledge_table (read from seed.md):
| Item | One-sentence description ending with its significance |. Do not duplicate existing rows;
preserve all other content.
Step 4b — Create a Dedicated File + README Link
- Path (
concept.conventions.file_path): <category-slug>/<topic-slug>.md
(slug = lowercase, hyphens, no special characters).
- Create the file using the template in
content.instructions.md (frontmatter
title, date, category; sections Summary, Significance, Sources).
- Link from README: turn the item's table cell into a link
| [Item](<slug>/<topic-slug>.md) | ... |.
Step 5 — Report
Output a summary table:
| Topic | Format | File | Status |
|---|
| ... | ... | ... | Created / Updated / Skipped (reason) |
Step 6 — Log to Seed (Optional)
If asked to record the session, follow the encode-seed prompt to append an entry to the seed Evolution Log.
