digest

ReadItLater Weekly Digest

Generate a themed digest from unprocessed Obsidian ReadItLater bookmarks. Designed for automated runs via cron or /loop.

Configuration

Read settings from .claude/readitlater-digest.local.md. If it doesn't exist, prompt the user to create one using the template below, then stop.

Required settings (YAML frontmatter):

Field	Default	Description
vault_path	/Volumes/Verbatim-Vi560-Media/Development/notes/scratchpad	Obsidian vault root
inbox_folder	ReadItLater	Folder where ReadItLater saves bookmarks
digest_folder	Digests	Folder for generated digests
archive_folder	<inbox_folder>/Archive	Where processed bookmarks get moved (default: <inbox_folder>/Archive)

Derived paths:

• db_path = <vault_path>/.readitlater-digest.db
• inbox_path = <vault_path>/<inbox_folder>
• digest_path = <vault_path>/<digest_folder>
• archive_path = <vault_path>/<archive_folder> (default: <inbox_path>/Archive)

If archive_folder is not set, derive it as <inbox_folder>/Archive.

Resolving bun

Before running any script, resolve the bun executable once:

BUN=$(command -v bun 2>/dev/null || echo "$HOME/.bun/bin/bun")

Use $BUN in place of bun throughout all subsequent script invocations. This prevents silent failures in cron/non-interactive shells where .zshrc is not sourced.

Pipeline

Run these steps in order. If --dry-run is passed as an argument, stop after Step 2 and report what would be digested.

Step 0: Pre-check for existing digest

Before starting the pipeline, check whether a digest already exists for the current week:

sqlite3 "<db_path>" \
  "SELECT id, file_path FROM digests WHERE week_start = '<week_start>' AND week_end = '<week_end>'"

If a row is returned, abort immediately and report: "A digest already exists for <week_start> to <week_end>: <file_path>. Pass --force to regenerate." Do not proceed unless the user explicitly confirms.

Step 1: Initialize database and validate paths

$BUN run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/init-db.ts --db-path "<db_path>"

This is idempotent — safe to run every time.

Also ensure the archive path exists:

mkdir -p "<archive_path>"

Step 2: Scan inbox for new bookmarks

$BUN run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/scan-bookmarks.ts \
  --inbox-path "<inbox_path>" \
  --db-path "<db_path>"

The script outputs JSON with new, duplicates, already_tracked, and errors fields.

If there are zero new + zero unprocessed bookmarks, report "No unprocessed bookmarks" and stop. Do not generate an empty digest.

If --dry-run, print the scan results and stop here.

Step 3: Read and enrich bookmark content

1. Query the database or use the scan output to identify all unprocessed bookmarks.

2. Batch-read all bookmark files in one pass — run a single shell command to read all inbox markdown files at once rather than one file per invocation:

   cat "<inbox_path>"/*.md "<inbox_path>"/**/*.md 2>/dev/null
   

   Or use the Read tool on each file in a single parallel batch rather than sequentially.

3. Classify bookmarks before enrichment. After reading, separate bookmarks into two groups:

   • Resolvable: file body has ≥50 words of content (excluding frontmatter), or has a fetchable URL that returns content.
   • Unresolvable: fewer than 50 words of body content AND the URL is a short-link, mobile redirect, or returns no extractable content (e.g., TikTok, Reddit mobile, Google share links). Mark these for the appendix (see Step 4).

4. Content enrichment — for resolvable bookmarks that are thin (<200 words), fetch the original URL with WebFetch. Run fetches concurrently where possible. If the fetch fails or returns little content, treat as unresolvable.

5. Extract substantially more content per bookmark than a bare summary — capture key arguments, notable quotes, specific data points, and the author's main thesis. The goal is enough material to write informed editorial commentary, not just a blurb.

Step 4: Cluster by theme and find the narrative

1. Analyze all resolvable bookmarks together and identify 3-7 natural themes:
   • Themes should be specific and descriptive (e.g., "Agentic Engineering Patterns & Multi-Agent Architectures" not "AI")
   • A bookmark can appear in multiple themes if it genuinely spans topics
   • Group stragglers under a casual catch-all section (e.g., "Quick Saves", "Miscellaneous") at the end
2. Unresolvable bookmarks are collected separately and appended as an "Unresolvable Links" section (see template below). Do not attempt to write editorial commentary for these — a single sentence noting the link is sufficient.
3. Find the throughline. Identify the overarching narrative that connects the week's themes — a single sentence or idea that ties the reading together. This becomes the digest title and opening paragraph.

Step 5: Generate the digest note

Determine week boundaries (default: Monday-Sunday of the current week, or use --week YYYY-MM-DD to specify the Monday).

Week label accuracy: The week frontmatter field reflects the calendar week boundaries used to select bookmarks (e.g., 2026-03-30 to 2026-04-05). Additionally, include a date_range field showing the actual span of bookmark date_saved values (e.g., 2026-03-24 to 2026-03-29). If bookmarks span multiple weeks, use the most recent Monday-Sunday as week but always set date_range to the actual bookmark dates.

Write the digest to: <digest_path>/Digest — <week_start> to <week_end>.md

Template:

---
type: digest
date_generated: <ISO date>
week: <week_start> to <week_end>
date_range: <earliest_bookmark_date> to <latest_bookmark_date>
bookmark_count: <count>
themes:
  - <theme 1>
  - <theme 2>
---

# <Creative Title>

<Opening paragraph: 2-4 sentences establishing the throughline — what connected this week's reading, why it matters, and the editorial lens.>

## <Theme Name — evocative, not just descriptive>

<Editorial prose weaving multiple bookmarks into a narrative. Link to sources inline using [display text](url) markdown links. Discuss, compare, and comment on the articles rather than listing them. Each paragraph should read like a newsletter essay — opinionated, specific, and useful. Mention what's interesting, what's surprising, what connects to other reads. If a bookmark's content was thin or inaccessible, acknowledge it naturally in the prose (e.g., "though the full content wasn't extractable from the bookmark").>

<Continue with more paragraphs as needed for the theme. Multiple bookmarks per paragraph when they relate.>

## <Next Theme>

...

## <Catch-all section: "Quick Saves" or similar>

<Brief mentions of bookmarks that don't warrant full commentary but are worth noting. One or two sentences each, still in prose form.>

## Unresolvable Links

<Include this section only if there were unresolvable bookmarks. List each as a bullet with title and URL. No editorial commentary — just the link.>

- [<title>](<url>)
- ...

---

<Closing reflection: 1-2 sentences reflecting on the week's reading as a whole — a parting thought, not a summary.>

*Generated by ReadItLater Digest*

Writing style rules:

• Editorial voice: Write as a thoughtful reader sharing what they found interesting, not a summarization engine. Use first person sparingly ("my favorite", "what strikes me").
• Inline links: Use [display text](url) markdown links woven into sentences — never structured link blocks.
• No per-bookmark headers or structured entries. Bookmarks are woven into flowing paragraphs within each theme section.
• Specific over generic: Reference concrete details — numbers, names, quotes, specific claims — not vague summaries.
• Honest about gaps: If a bookmark had thin content that couldn't be enriched, say so naturally rather than fabricating substance.
• Valid YAML frontmatter
• UTF-8 always

Step 6: Update database

Pass each bookmark file as a separate --bookmark-files flag. Do not use comma-separated values — filenames can contain commas.

$BUN run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/update-db.ts \
  --db-path "<db_path>" \
  --digest-file "<relative_path_to_digest>" \
  --bookmark-files "<file1.md>" \
  --bookmark-files "<file2.md>" \
  --bookmark-files "<file with, comma.md>" \
  --week-start "<YYYY-MM-DD>" \
  --week-end "<YYYY-MM-DD>" \
  --themes-json '<JSON array of {"name": "...", "count": N}>'

Build the argument list dynamically in shell:

ARGS=(--db-path "<db_path>" --digest-file "<relative_path_to_digest>" \
      --week-start "<YYYY-MM-DD>" --week-end "<YYYY-MM-DD>" \
      --themes-json '<json>')
for f in "${BOOKMARK_FILES[@]}"; do
  ARGS+=(--bookmark-files "$f")
done
$BUN run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/update-db.ts "${ARGS[@]}"

Step 7: Archive processed bookmarks

$BUN run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/cleanup.ts archive \
  --db-path "<db_path>" \
  --inbox-path "<inbox_path>" \
  --archive-path "<archive_path>"

Output

After completing the pipeline, print a short summary:

• Number of bookmarks processed
• Number of themes identified
• Path to the generated digest file
• Any errors encountered

Important rules

• Idempotency: Step 0 enforces this — abort if a digest for the same week already exists. Never skip Step 0.
• Never delete files without asking. Archive moves files; it doesn't delete them.
• Handle missing files gracefully. If a bookmark in the DB no longer exists on disk, mark it as archived and continue.
• Frontmatter varies. The scan script handles multiple field names — trust its output.
• UTF-8 always. Read and write all files as UTF-8.
• Week boundaries. Default to Monday-Sunday. If bookmarks span multiple weeks, group by the most recent week. Always set date_range in frontmatter to the actual bookmark date span.
• No comma-separated bookmark files. Use repeatable --bookmark-files flags in Step 6. Filenames can contain commas.
• Unresolvable bookmarks get an appendix, not filler summaries. Never write "no content was extractable" as body prose — move the link to the "Unresolvable Links" section instead.