gordonbrander/busytown/recent

Recent Activity Skill

This skill summarizes recent activity in the note garden by reading the breadcrumb trail and producing an on-demand rollup.

Usage

When invoked with /recent (optionally with a number like /recent 5), this skill provides a summary of what's been happening in the vault recently.

Instructions

When the user invokes this skill:

1. Parse the command: Extract the optional number parameter (default to 5 if

not provided)

• /recent → look at 5 most recent breadcrumbs
• /recent 10 → look at 10 most recent breadcrumbs

1. Find recent breadcrumbs: Use Glob to find all files in

breadcrumbs/*.md. Sort by filename (they're chronologically named with timestamps). Take the most recent N entries.

1. Read the breadcrumbs: Read each breadcrumb file, following the linked

list via the previous frontmatter field if needed for additional context.

1. Read referenced notes: For each breadcrumb, read the notes listed in the

notes_touched frontmatter array to understand what was actually captured or modified.

1. Produce a rollup summary that includes:

• Timeline: What happened and when (from most recent backwards). Show the

timestamp from each breadcrumb filename and its summary.

• Key topics: What subjects have been captured recently. Extract key

concepts from the breadcrumbs and notes.

• Emerging patterns: Trends across multiple breadcrumbs (recurring

themes, growing topic clusters, connections between notes).

• Active threads: Open questions and dangling ideas from the breadcrumbs

(check the open_questions field if present).

• Vault stats: Quick count of:
• Total notes in the vault (.md files in root, excluding hidden/internal

directories)

• Total questions (files in questions/)
• Total breadcrumbs (files in breadcrumbs/)

1. Present the summary: Output a nicely formatted text response to the user.

DO NOT write this to a file—just return it as conversational output.

Important Notes

• This is a read-only skill: DO NOT push any events or write any files
• Focus on the breadcrumb trail as the primary source of truth for "what

happened"

• Use actual note content to enrich the summary with real context
• If there are fewer breadcrumbs than requested, just use what's available
• Present information in reverse chronological order (most recent first)

Example

User input:

/recent 3

Expected behavior:

1. Find the 3 most recent breadcrumbs/*.md files
2. Read each breadcrumb and its referenced notes
3. Generate a summary showing:

• Timeline of the last 3 captures/operations
• Topics covered
• Any patterns or connections
• Vault statistics

Response format (example):

# Recent Activity in Note Garden
 
## Timeline (Last 3 Breadcrumbs)
 
**2026-02-13 14:32** - Captured ideas about spaced repetition
- Added note: [[spaced-repetition-principles.md]]
- Connected to existing note on Zettelkasten method
 
**2026-02-13 10:15** - Processed transcript about learning systems
- Created 3 atomic notes
- Generated 2 exploratory questions
 
**2026-02-12 16:48** - Captured thought on emergence
- Added note: [[emergence-in-complex-systems.md]]
 
## Key Topics
- Learning systems and memory
- Complex systems
- Knowledge management
 
## Emerging Patterns
- Growing cluster around cognitive science topics
- Multiple notes now connecting to Zettelkasten methodology
 
## Active Threads
- Open question: How does spaced repetition relate to network effects?
- Follow-up needed: Explore connection between emergence and learning
 
## Vault Stats
- 47 notes
- 12 questions
- 8 breadcrumbs