Describe Article Skill

Analyze archive article content and generate a concise subtitle and description for display in the archive listing.

Usage

code

/describe-article <filename>

Example:

code

/describe-article 2020-03-12-git-is-for-everyone.md

Workflow

•Read the article from public/archive/<filename>
•Read manifest.json to find the existing entry
•
Analyze content to understand:
- •Main topic and theme
- •Key technical concepts covered
- •The article's purpose (tutorial, reflection, experiment, etc.)
•Generate subtitle - A brief tagline (5-10 words)
•Generate description - A 1-2 sentence summary (20-40 words)
•Update manifest.json with subtitle and description fields
•Report what was added

Content Guidelines

Subtitle

The subtitle should be:

•Brief: 5-10 words maximum
•Descriptive: Capture the essence of the article
•Engaging: Draw readers in without being clickbait
•Consistent tone: Match the author's voice (technical but accessible)

Subtitle patterns:

•For tutorials: "A guide to [topic]" or "How to [accomplish X]"
•For reflections: "Thoughts on [topic]" or "Exploring [concept]"
•For experiments: "Building [thing]" or "Experimenting with [technology]"
•For deep-dives: "Understanding [concept]" or "Inside [technology]"

Description

The description should be:

•Informative: Summarize what the reader will learn or experience
•Concise: 1-2 sentences, 20-40 words
•Accurate: Reflect the actual content, not just the title
•Value-focused: Highlight what makes the article worth reading

Avoid:

•Starting with "This article..." or "In this post..."
•Repeating the title verbatim
•Being too vague or generic
•Using excessive jargon

Examples

Article: "Internet, Einstein; Einstein, Internet" (physics simulation)

json

{
  "subtitle": "A relativistic physics simulator in JavaScript",
  "description": "Exploring special relativity through code: building a simulator that demonstrates Lorentz transformations and time dilation at near-light speeds."
}

Article: "git is for everyone" (teaching)

json

{
  "subtitle": "Version control beyond code",
  "description": "Git isn't just for programmers. Learn how writers, designers, and other creatives can benefit from version control in their daily work."
}

Article: "The Hard Things About Simple Things" (philosophy)

json

{
  "subtitle": "Why easy problems are often the hardest",
  "description": "A reflection on the deceptive complexity of seemingly simple software problems, and why experience teaches us to respect the basics."
}

Article: "Deferred vs Forward Thinking" (graphics/technical)

json

{
  "subtitle": "Comparing rendering pipeline approaches",
  "description": "An exploration of deferred and forward rendering techniques, their trade-offs, and when to use each approach in modern graphics programming."
}

Implementation

When the skill is invoked:

code

1. Parse the filename from arguments
2. Read public/archive/<filename>
3. Read public/archive/manifest.json

4. Analyze article content:
   - Extract title from frontmatter
   - Read the full article body
   - Identify main themes, technologies, and purpose
   - Note the writing style and tone

5. Generate subtitle:
   - Create a 5-10 word tagline
   - Capture the article's essence
   - Match the author's tone

6. Generate description:
   - Write 1-2 sentences (20-40 words)
   - Summarize key content and value
   - Be specific, not generic

7. Update manifest.json:
   - Find the post entry matching the filename
   - Add "subtitle" field
   - Add "description" field
   - Write updated manifest.json

8. Report: "Added subtitle and description to <filename>"
   - Show the subtitle
   - Show the description

Data Structures

manifest.json Post Entry (after describing)

json

{
  "title": "Internet, Einstein; Einstein, Internet",
  "date": "2011-08-31T01:18:32.000Z",
  "filename": "2011-08-30-internet-einstein-einstein-internet.md",
  "originalUrl": "https://thegoldenmule.com/blog/2011/08/internet-einstein-einstein-internet/",
  "tags": ["experiments", "physics", "js"],
  "subtitle": "A relativistic physics simulator in JavaScript",
  "description": "Exploring special relativity through code: building a simulator that demonstrates Lorentz transformations and time dilation at near-light speeds."
}

Notes

•Subtitle and description are applied without confirmation (auto-apply)
•The manifest.json is updated in place
•If the article already has a subtitle/description, they will be replaced
•Read the full article content to generate accurate descriptions
•Match the technical level and tone of the original article