---

name: elfeed description: Search the user's Emacs elfeed RSS feed database containing curated feeds from Reddit, blogs, YouTube, GitHub releases, and newsletters. Use when the user asks about articles they've read, mentions RSS feeds or 'something I read', wants to research topics from their curated sources (programming, AI, security, NixOS, Emacs, etc.), or needs to triage unread items.

Searching Elfeed RSS Database

Elfeed is the user's primary information aggregation system. This skill provides CLI access to query the database.

Quick Start

The primary tool is elfeed-cli located at:

Copy~/.claude/skills/elfeed/scripts/elfeed-cli

Or use the absolute path from this repo:

Copy/home/markus/repos/nixos-config/nixos-shared/claude/skills/elfeed/scripts/elfeed-cli

Most common usage:

Copy# Search recent unread items about a topic
elfeed-cli query "topic +unread @1-week-ago" simple 20

# Get database statistics
elfeed-cli stats

# List all feeds
elfeed-cli feeds

# List all tags
elfeed-cli tags

Filter Syntax Quick Reference

Combine these operators to build queries:

Combine operators with spaces:

Copy"+programming +unread @1-week-ago #20"
"+reddit -unread ai.*agents"
"+github =anthropic"

Common Workflows

1. Research a Topic

Copy# Find recent articles about a topic
elfeed-cli query "topic-keyword +unread @2-weeks-ago" simple 30

2. Check Unread by Category

Copy# Recent unread programming articles
elfeed-cli query "+programming +unread @1-week-ago" simple 20

# YouTube videos unwatched
elfeed-cli query "+youtube +unread" simple 10

3. Analyze Reading Patterns

Copy# Get overall statistics
elfeed-cli stats

# See all feed sources
elfeed-cli feeds

# Check what tags are used
elfeed-cli tags

4. Find Specific Article

Copy# Search by keyword across all entries
elfeed-cli query "specific-term" simple 50

# From specific source
elfeed-cli query "=simonwillison llm" simple 20

Output Formats

The query command supports three formats:

1. simple (default, most readable):

   Copy2025-10-19 14:30 | Blog Name | Article Title | https://example.com/article
   

2. json (for parsing):

   Copy[{"title":"...","link":"...","date":...,"tags":[...],"feed_title":"...","feed_url":"..."}]
   

3. sexp (Emacs s-expression):

   Copy((:title "..." :link "..." :date ... :tags (...) :feed-title "..." :feed-url "..."))
   

Important Notes

• Requires running Emacs: Uses emacsclient to query live database
• Read-only: Queries don't modify read/unread status
• Tag system: Feeds tagged by category (programming, reddit, youtube, github, etc.)
• Real-time data: Reflects current database state

Advanced Usage

Read reference.md when:

• Building complex multi-tag filters or regex patterns
• Queries produce unexpected results requiring troubleshooting
• Need performance optimization for large result sets
• Integrating with other tools (jq, pipes, etc.)