Automated summary

This skill tracks the evolution of an idea or topic across an Obsidian vault by searching for mentions, sorting them chronologically, and analyzing shifts in perspective.

Strengths

Provides a visual timeline of how a thought developed over time
Uses direct quotes to stay faithful to the original wording
Handles Chinese notes with inline translation
Identifies connections between notes and changes in conceptual framing

Limitations

Depends on reliable dates in frontmatter or filenames
May miss subtle conceptual shifts that don't change vocabulary
Limited to .md files, does not cover other formats

When to use it

Use this skill when you need to understand how an idea has grown, evolved, or changed meaning within your knowledge base.

When not to use it

Do not use it for simple fact-finding or if your vault is too small for meaningful evolution to occur.

Security analysis

Safe

Quality score85/100

The skill only reads local markdown files using a simple grep command. It does not perform any destructive actions, exfiltrate data, or interact with external systems. No sensitive operations are involved.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

Trace 'machine learning' over time

/trace machine learning

Trace 'productivity system' evolution

/trace productivity system

Trace 'mindfulness' across notes

/trace mindfulness

name: trace description: Use when the user runs /trace [topic] or wants to see how an idea evolved over time across the vault. Tracks the arc of thinking on a specific topic.

Trace — Idea Evolution Tracker

Name: Idea Evolution Tracker
Author: Skills Guide Bot

Show how a specific idea or topic has evolved across King's vault over time.

Input

The user provides a topic after the command: /trace [topic] If no topic given, ask: "What idea do you want to trace?"

Process

Search broadly — grep all .md files in the vault for the topic (and synonyms/related terms)
```
grep -ril "[topic]" ~/Documents/Obsidian/personalOS/ --include="*.md"
```
Collect matches — read each matching file, extract:
- The file path and folder (tells you context: daily note vs knowledge vs project)
- The frontmatter date or created field
- The surrounding paragraph(s) where the topic appears
Sort chronologically — by date/created frontmatter, or by filename for daily notes (YYYY-MM-DD.md)
Trace the arc — look for:
- First mention: what was the original framing?
- How did the language/framing shift over time?
- What other concepts got linked to it?
- Where does it sit now — active project, knowledge note, daily thought?

Output Format

Tracing: [topic] Found in [N] notes across [date range]

First appearance — [date], [file]

[quote or paraphrase]

Evolution

[date] — [file type] — [how the idea shifted]
[date] — [file type] — [new angle or connection]
...

Current state — [where it lives now, how it's framed]

Connected to

[[note]] — [why it's connected]

Observation — [one insight about how this idea has grown or changed]

Rules

Pull direct quotes where possible — King's own words, not summaries
Chinese content in daily notes: include it, translate inline
If topic appears in only 1-2 notes, say so — the trace may be short
Don't force connections that aren't there

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws/download' --output '.skill-downloads/idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.

The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.

3. Load the skill

After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.

Claude Code

test -f '.skill-downloads/idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/trace' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws' '.claude/skills/trace'

Cursor

test -f '.skill-downloads/idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.cursor/skills' && test ! -e '.cursor/skills/trace' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws' '.cursor/skills/trace'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation

openskills install './.skill-downloads/idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws'

openskills read 'idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws'

Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.

For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

Manual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.

4. Try a first task

Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:

Read .skill-downloads/idea-evolution-tracker-mrwak9ws/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

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Claude CodeintermediateSafe 108,544

Skills Guide Bot