# asking-with-evidence

Answers questions about previously indexed videos using persistent transcripts, OCR, and timestamps. It prevents re-watching and reports clear evidence or honest refusals.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 506 installs · ★ 528
- Author: oxbshw
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/oxbshw/watch-skill/tree/HEAD/skills/asking-with-evidence/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-14
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/asking-with-evidence

## What it does

This skill queries a persistent index of analyzed videos via the `watch-skill` CLI. Instead of re-watching the media, the engine inspects text first and loads frames only when needed. It answers in the language of the prompt and cites exact timestamps as evidence. When a video lacks the requested detail, the system returns a direct refusal so the agent will not fabricate facts.

The skill requires `Bash` and `Read` permissions to execute commands and view image files. If confidence drops, the CLI automatically escalates by pulling dense frame samples, cropping for OCR, or using a stronger model. Frame paths stay hidden unless the model requests them or the user forces display with `--frames`.

When the exact video identifier is forgotten, `watch-skill search` scans across all indexed files using hybrid keyword and semantic retrieval. That prevents wasteful duplicate indexing runs on large video files.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add oxbshw/watch-skill --skill asking-with-evidence -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/asking-with-evidence/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/asking-with-evidence/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add oxbshw/watch-skill --skill asking-with-evidence -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/asking-with-evidence/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add oxbshw/watch-skill --skill asking-with-evidence -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/asking-with-evidence/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install oxbshw/watch-skill asking-with-evidence
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/asking-with-evidence/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add oxbshw/watch-skill --skill asking-with-evidence -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/oxbshw/watch-skill --path skills/asking-with-evidence
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/asking-with-evidence/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add oxbshw/watch-skill --skill asking-with-evidence -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/oxbshw/watch-skill/tree/HEAD/skills/asking-with-evidence/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- Retrieve exact timestamps for quotes or events in watched videos
- Read on-screen error codes using targeted moment OCR
- Verify whether a topic appeared without reprocessing the file
- Locate indexed recordings across the local archive via hybrid search

## Example prompts
- Ask `watch-skill ask <video_id>` what error code appears on screen
- Ask `watch-skill ask <video_id>` what was said about database migrations
- Search all recordings using `watch-skill search` for connection timeout errors

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 826145b0fa254770.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 826145b0fa254770
````text
---
name: asking-with-evidence
version: "1.4.3"
description: The user asks a question about a video that was already watched or indexed — "what did they say about X", "what error code appears", "what happens at 2:30", "does the video show Y". Use this to answer from the persistent index with timestamped evidence and a confidence score instead of re-watching or guessing.
license: MIT
user-invocable: true
allowed-tools: Bash, Read
---

# Asking with evidence

Every watched video sits in a persistent index. Questions about it are
answered from that index — text first, frames only when needed — with
timestamps, a confidence score, and an honest refusal when the video
does not show the answer. Never re-run a watch for a follow-up.

## Answer a question

```bash
watch-skill ask <video_id-or-original-url> "<question>"
```

Any language works; the answer comes back in the language of the
question. The engine escalates on its own when unsure (dense re-sampling,
zoom-crop re-OCR, stronger model) and prints a `~N tokens saved` line.

Three rules for reading the result:

- **Cite the timestamps** it gives you; they are real evidence, not
  decoration.
- **Trust the refusal.** When it says the video does not clearly show
  the answer, that is the answer. Do not invent one past it.
- Frame paths are listed only when the engine wants you to look
  yourself — Read them then (or force with `--frames`).

## "What happens at 2:30?"

Moment questions get a dense window, not a whole-video ask:

```bash
watch-skill ask <video_id> "what is on screen around 2:30?"
```

The answer engine pulls frames, transcript and OCR around the moment it
resolves. Agents on MCP have a dedicated `get_moment` tool that takes an
explicit timestamp and window; the CLI answers the same question through
`ask`.

## Don't know which video? Search them all

```bash
watch-skill search "<phrase>"
```

Hybrid keyword + semantic search across every video ever watched, with
per-script normalization (Arabic folding, CJK segmentation, Thai
segmentation). Follow a hit with `ask` or `moment` on that video.

## When the user corrects you

Report it so the next answer is better — see the
`learning-from-mistakes` skill.
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 826145b0fa254770

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 826145b0fa254770 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

© oxbshw · MIT · https://github.com/oxbshw/watch-skill/tree/HEAD/skills/asking-with-evidence/SKILL.md

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