verify-links

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:

1. 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

2. 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.