GitHub Trending Briefing
Create a plain-language briefing from GitHub Trending. Prefer WebFetch/WebSearch over local scraping scripts. The value of this skill is trend interpretation, not crawler maintenance.
Workflow
-
Determine scope:
- Default period:
daily. - Also support
weeklyandmonthlywhen requested. - Default output: a dated markdown briefing.
- Default period:
-
Fetch current data:
- Fetch
https://github.com/trending?since=daily,weekly, ormonthly. - Capture repository name, URL, language, total stars, stars gained in the period, and short description.
- If GitHub Trending is unavailable, use WebSearch to find a reliable mirror or GitHub search fallback, and state the fallback used.
- Fetch
-
Find history:
- If the current project has
trending_reports/, read the newest 2-5 markdown reports. - If the user gave another history directory, use that.
- If no history exists, create a first-run briefing and say there is no comparison baseline.
- If the current project has
-
Compare:
- Identify new entries that did not appear in recent reports.
- Find recent best performers: consistently hot projects + high-growth hidden gems.
- Group the trend by theme, such as AI coding agents, developer tools, infra, UI, data, security, or education.
-
Write the briefing:
- Structure rule: Output exactly 4 sections (New On The List, Recent Best, Trend Read, Full List). NEVER split by growth rate into multiple tiers (e.g., "Rising Stars / Steady Growth / Stable").
- Use direct language. Avoid jargon such as architecture, paradigm, empowerment, enablement, leverage, and strategic moat unless the repository itself uses those words and they are necessary.
- Column name must be "Plain-English Use", not "Description", "Summary", or "Features".
- Explain what problem each project solves and where it fits. Do not flatten useful technical meaning just to sound simple.
- Keep necessary domain terms when they are the clearest words: LLM, RAG, agent, API, TTS, Markdown, token, crawler, and similar terms are allowed.
- Key principle: plain language, not childish language. A non-specialist should get the gist, and a technical reader should still see the project's real value.
- Don't copy-paste similar vague descriptions across projects (e.g., "AI-native", "modern architecture"). Each project's explanation must capture what makes it unique.
- Include a simple analogy only when it genuinely clarifies an unfamiliar project. Do not force analogies.
- For "who needs it", name concrete people and situations, not broad labels like developer or engineer.
-
Save markdown output when working in a repo:
- Must generate TWO reports:
- Briefing →
trending_reports/trending_briefing_YYYY-MM-DD.md(quick overview, exactly 4 sections) - Detailed →
trending_reports/trending_detailed_YYYY-MM-DD.md(deep-dive using "Repository Explanations (Detailed)" template)
- Briefing →
- In the detailed report, every first-time project gets a full breakdown. Projects already covered in prior reports get a short citation.
- Do not overwrite an existing report unless the user asks.
- Must generate TWO reports:
-
[Optional] Generate HTML report:
- HTML is optional, not required by default. Only generate when user explicitly asks for "HTML" or "visualization".
- If needed, read the template at
skills/productivity/github-trending-briefing/reference/briefing-template.htmlto understand its CSS and DOM structure. The template is a single-page, two-tab design that merges both briefing and detailed views. - Generate
trending_reports/trending_briefing_YYYY-MM-DD.htmlusing the exact same CSS and DOM structure as the template. Fill every section with real data:- Hero: update title, date, since-period, source, baseline chips.
- Stats bar: replace sample numbers with actual counts (total repos, new entries, recent best).
- Briefing tab ("New On The List" table, "Recent Best" table, "Trend Read" paragraphs, "Full List" table). Remove empty-row placeholders once real rows exist.
- Detailed tab (
.detail-list): for each first-time project, render a full.project-cardwith header (rank, name+link, lang-tag, stars) and body (what-is-it, analogy in.proj-analogy, helps-list in.proj-helps, who-needs-it with.personatags). For projects already covered in prior reports, render a shorter.project-cardwith lower opacity and a note referencing the earlier report instead of repeating the full breakdown. - Tab-switching
<script>: keep the exactswitchTab()function from the template so tabs work.
- The HTML file must be self-contained (no external resources). All CSS stays inline in
<style>, all JS inline in<script>. - After writing the HTML file, open it in the default browser:
- macOS: run
open trending_reports/trending_briefing_YYYY-MM-DD.html - Linux: run
xdg-open trending_reports/trending_briefing_YYYY-MM-DD.html - Windows: run
start trending_reports/trending_briefing_YYYY-MM-DD.html(cmd) orStart-Process trending_reports/trending_briefing_YYYY-MM-DD.html(PowerShell)
- macOS: run
- Detect the platform automatically — do not ask the user which OS they are on.
Briefing Shape
Use this structure unless the user asks for something else:
markdown# GitHub Trending Briefing - YYYY-MM-DD > Generated: YYYY-MM-DD > Source: github.com/trending > Baseline: <recent report dates or "none"> ## New On The List | Rank | Project | Language | Stars Gained | Plain-English Use | |------|---------|----------|--------------|-------------------| ## Recent Best | Project | Evidence | Why It Matters | |---------|----------|----------------| ## Trend Read Short paragraphs explaining the strongest pattern in normal language. ## Full List | Rank | Project | Language | Total Stars | Stars Gained | |------|---------|----------|-------------|--------------|
Repository Explanations (Detailed)
Use only in detailed reports. Keep "Plain-English Use" column in briefings concise.
markdownAnalyze this GitHub Trending project. Requirements: - No jargon like "architecture", "paradigm", "empowerment", "leverage" - Keep important domain terms when they are useful: LLM, RAG, agent, API, TTS, Markdown, token, crawler - Focus on project positioning, the problem it solves, and the scenario where it matters - Use analogies only when they add clarity; do not infantilize the explanation - Name concrete people and situations, not "developers" or "engineers" Output format: What is it? (1-2 clear sentences) Analogy (Optional; only if it clarifies the project) What can it help you do? (3 items, each starts with a verb) Help you... Let you... Save you from... Who actually needs it? (Be specific, not "developers") Example: A marketing specialist who makes daily PPTs for the boss Example: A new hire inheriting messy legacy code
Output Self-Check
After writing, check each item. Rewrite if anything fails:
- Are there exactly 4 sections (New On The List, Recent Best, Trend Read, Full List)?
- Is the 5th column of "New On The List" table named "Plain-English Use"?
- Does every "Plain-English Use" cell preserve the project's type, use case, or differentiator?
- Did the explanation become childish, generic, or too watered down? If yes, rewrite it.
- Was the list split into multiple tiers by growth rate (e.g., "Rising Stars / Steady Growth / Stable")? If yes, merge back into a single table.
- Are there any jargon words like "architecture / empowerment / paradigm / leverage"?


