Mention Radar

---
name: mention-radar
description: Monitor external web and social mentions of the operator's active projects - surface what people are discovering, where they're confused, and where to engage
metadata:
  title: Mention Radar
  category: productivity
  schedule: "25 7 2/2 * *"
  commits: false
  var: ""
  tags:
    - social
    - dev
  requires:
    - XAI_API_KEY?
---
> **${var}** — Comma-separated project names to track (e.g. "MyApp, my-lib"). If empty, derives targets from MEMORY.md and memory/topics/projects.md.

Read memory/MEMORY.md for current project status.
Read the last 3 days of memory/logs/ to avoid re-surfacing already-noted mentions.

## Steps

1. **Define the targets.**
   - If `${var}` is set: parse it as a comma-separated list of project names.
   - Otherwise: scan `memory/MEMORY.md` (goals, active topics) and `memory/topics/projects.md` (if it exists) for the operator's active projects. A target needs at least a name; collect a site/domain and a GitHub `owner/repo` too when known.
   - Cap at 6 targets — prefer the most active ones.
   - If zero targets can be derived: log `MENTION_RADAR_SKIP: no projects configured — set var or add projects to memory/topics/projects.md` and stop. No notification.

   For each target, build search terms:
   - The exact project name in quotes (e.g. `"MyApp" site:x.com OR site:reddit.com OR site:news.ycombinator.com`)
   - The domain if known (e.g. `"myapp.xyz"`)
   - The repo if known (e.g. `site:github.com owner/myapp`)

2. **Search for external mentions.** X/Twitter is fetched via the X.AI Responses API (**primary**); the rest of the public web (Reddit, Farcaster, blogs, newsletters, GitHub Discussions, HN, Product Hunt) goes through WebSearch, which is also the **last-resort fallback** for X itself. Derive the operator's handle from `soul/SOUL.md` if present (call it `$OPERATOR`) so you can exclude their own posts.

   **Path A — X.AI API (primary, X/Twitter mentions).** For each target, ask Grok's `x_search` who is talking about the project on X. See the **Fetching** contract below — attempt this whenever the key is present, set the Bash tool `timeout` to ≥180000, and capture the HTTP status. Use a unique tmp filename per target if you loop (e.g. `/tmp/xai-mr-$SLUG.json`). `$NAME`/`$DOMAIN`/`$REPO` come from the target built in step 1 (`$DOMAIN`/`$REPO` may be empty — leave them out if so):
   ```bash
   FROM_DATE=$(date -u -d "7 days ago" +%Y-%m-%d 2>/dev/null || date -u -v-7d +%Y-%m-%d)
   TO_DATE=$(date -u +%Y-%m-%d)
   PROMPT="Search X for posts by OTHER people mentioning the project \"${NAME}\" (also its site ${DOMAIN} and repo ${REPO} when given), posted between ${FROM_DATE} and ${TO_DATE}. Exclude posts by the operator @${OPERATOR} and by the project's own accounts. For each mention return: @handle, the full post text, date, exact engagement counts (likes, retweets, replies; 0 if unknown), the poster's approximate follower count if visible, and the direct link https://x.com/handle/status/ID. Prioritize people discovering it for the first time, asking confused questions, hitting friction (setup/docs/missing feature), comparing it to a competitor, or requesting a feature. Return a numbered list; if nobody is talking about it, say so explicitly."
   jq -n --arg p "$PROMPT" --arg fd "$FROM_DATE" --arg td "$TO_DATE" \
     '{model:"grok-4.6", input:[{role:"user",content:$p}], tools:[{type:"x_search",from_date:$fd,to_date:$td}]}' \
     > /tmp/xai-mr-payload.json
   HTTP=$(./secretcurl -s -o /tmp/xai-mr.json -w '%{http_code}' --max-time 150 -X POST "https://api.x.ai/v1/responses" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer {XAI_API_KEY}" \
     -d @/tmp/xai-mr-payload.json)
   echo "xai http=$HTTP bytes=$(wc -c </tmp/xai-mr.json)"
   ```
   On `HTTP=200` with a non-empty body, parse `/tmp/xai-mr.json` with `jq -r '.output[] | select(.type == "message") | .content[] | select(.type == "output_text") | .text'` and feed the X mentions into categorization (step 4). Record `X_SOURCE=api`.

   **Path B — WebSearch (broader web + X fallback).** Always use WebSearch for the non-X surfaces — Reddit, Farcaster, personal blogs, newsletters, GitHub Discussions, HN, Product Hunt:
   - Try both brand name and URL variants
   - Time-box to last 7 days where the search engine supports it
   - Skip results from the operator's own accounts and the project's own repos

   WebSearch is **also** the fallback for X/Twitter, but only when Path A truly failed (`key-unset`, `http-<code>`, `empty`, or `timeout` — record the real reason per the **Fetching** contract, never "XAI_API_KEY unavailable" when the key was set). On the X fallback query `site:x.com "<project name>" after:${FROM_DATE}`; note in the log that X results came from WebSearch (lower quality) and set `X_SOURCE=websearch`.

3. **Also check GitHub network signals** for each target with a known repo:
   ```bash
   gh api repos/OWNER/REPO --jq '{stars: .stargazers_count, forks: .forks_count, watchers: .watchers_count}'
   ```
   Skip any repo that 404s (private or not yet public). Compare to the last log entry to compute deltas. If no prior data, record as baseline.

4. **Categorize each mention** found:
   - **Discovery** — person found the project for the first time, sharing it, impressed ("this is cool", star notification, share)
   - **Confusion** — person unclear on what it does, asking questions, mischaracterizing it
   - **Friction** — person ran into a problem (setup, docs, missing feature)
   - **Competitor comparison** — mentioned alongside or against a competing project
   - **Feature request / wish** — explicit ask for something missing
   - **Press / newsletter** — cited in a publication or digest

5. **Identify engagement opportunities.** Flag any mention where:
   - The person is confused and a 1-tweet clarification would help
   - A feature request aligns with what's being built
   - A competitor comparison is wrong or incomplete
   - A high-follower account discovered the project (high-leverage reply opportunity)

6. **Format the output** (under 4000 chars):
   ```
   *Mention Radar — ${today}*

   {PROJECT NAME, uppercased}
   - [source] — [what they said] — [category]
   ...
   (one section per target)

   ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
   - [handle/source]: [why worth replying]

   QUIET: [project] — no external mentions found
   ```
   Use `QUIET: [project]` for any project with zero external mentions this cycle.
   Skip GitHub-only star delta if it's less than 5 — only mention notable jumps.

7. **Only notify if there's signal.** Skip notification if ALL projects are quiet and no GitHub deltas > 5 stars. Log `MENTION_RADAR_QUIET` instead.

8. **Send via `./notify`** if there's anything worth surfacing.

9. **Log to memory/logs/${today}.md**:
   ```
   ### mention-radar
   - **{project}:** [N mentions / QUIET]
   (one line per target)
   - **Top find:** [best mention in one line, or "none"]
   - **Engagement opps:** [N flagged, or 0]
   - **Notification sent:** yes/no
   ```

## Guidelines

- This is signal filtering, not a metrics report. One real conversation > ten impressions.
- Prioritize quality of mention over quantity. A thoughtful Reddit post or HN comment matters more than a retweet.
- Don't manufacture urgency. If there's nothing worth acting on, say so.
- Be specific — link the source, quote the key line, name the person if identifiable.
- The point is engagement opportunity and awareness, not vanity numbers.

## Fetching

`XAI_API_KEY` is **injected into your environment** for this skill (declared in `requires:`). It is present and valid. **The primary fetch path for X/Twitter mentions is a direct `curl` to `https://api.x.ai/v1/responses` with `Authorization: Bearer {XAI_API_KEY}`** (step 2, Path A). There is no network sandbox blocking this; earlier versions of this skill claimed there was — that is stale and wrong. Just make the call.

**You MUST attempt the direct curl before any X fallback.** The rules:

1. **Check, don't assume.** Run `[ -n "$XAI_API_KEY" ] && echo KEY_PRESENT || echo KEY_UNSET`. If `KEY_PRESENT` (it will be), you are required to try Path A.
2. **Allow enough time.** The `x_search` call typically takes 30–120s (it searches X live). When you invoke the Bash tool for the curl, **set the tool's `timeout` to at least 180000 (180s)**, and keep **`--max-time 150`** on the curl itself so it fails cleanly rather than hanging. A curl that is slow is **not** a missing key — do not treat a timeout as "key unavailable".
3. **Capture the HTTP status** so the fallback decision is based on fact, not assumption. Build the payload to the fixed file `/tmp/xai-mr-payload.json` first (the `jq -n --arg` in Path A), then send it with `-d @file` — the `./secretcurl` command must stay 100% literal (no `$VAR`):
   ```bash
   HTTP=$(./secretcurl -s -o /tmp/xai-mr.json -w '%{http_code}' --max-time 150 -X POST "https://api.x.ai/v1/responses" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Authorization: Bearer {XAI_API_KEY}" -d @/tmp/xai-mr-payload.json)
   echo "xai http=$HTTP bytes=$(wc -c </tmp/xai-mr.json)"
   ```
   Then parse `/tmp/xai-mr.json` with the standard `jq` extractor. `HTTP=200` with a non-empty body → use it (`X_SOURCE=api`).
4. **Fall back only on a real failure**, and **record the true reason** — never write "XAI_API_KEY unavailable" when the key was set. Use one of: `key-unset` (only if step 1 said `KEY_UNSET`), `http-<code>` (non-2xx), `empty` (200 but no mentions parsed), `timeout` (curl exceeded `--max-time`).

**WebSearch / WebFetch are last-resort fallbacks only** for X — lower quality (WebSearch favours old high-engagement tweets). They remain the primary tool for the non-X web surfaces (Reddit, HN, blogs, etc.). Never reach for the X WebSearch fallback while the key works.

## Environment Variables

- `XAI_API_KEY` — X.AI API key for Grok's `x_search` tool. Declared in `requires:` (optional `?`), so it is **injected into this skill's environment** and is the primary path for X/Twitter mentions. If it is ever unset, X mentions degrade to the WebSearch fallback at lower quality; the broader-web search is unaffected.
- `gh` CLI — pre-authenticated in GitHub Actions; used for the GitHub network-signal check (step 3). Not an env var you set here.