reader-recap — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install
Generates a conversational digest of recent Readwise Reader activity, covering archived texts, highlights, and notes. It pulls out questions and follow-ups.
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill reader-recap -a claude-codeWhat reader-recap does
The skill inspects items you archived or moved to the "later" list in Readwise Reader over a chosen period. By default, it covers 24 hours. It looks for Readwise MCP tools first and falls back to readwise CLI commands if MCP is missing. Articles staying in "feed" or "new" are completely ignored.
Documents get sorted by your engagement level. The assistant scans highlights and notes, pulling out questions, counterarguments, cross-references, and action items. If a reader_persona.md file exists in the working directory, the output tone adapts to your specified interests. The result is a conversational briefing with a separate bulleted list of follow-ups at the end.
You need an active Readwise MCP server or an authenticated readwise CLI beforehand. Without them, data retrieval fails immediately. The skill operates in read-only mode, so it never alters tags or moves reading items in your library.
What it helps with
- summarize articles archived or saved to later over recent days
- extract questions and action items from reading notes
- group finished reading materials by personal engagement level
- connect recent highlights to known interests using
reader_persona.md
Example prompts for the agent
- /reader-recap
- /reader-recap 7
- /reader-recap 30
How to install reader-recap
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill reader-recap -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/reader-recap/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/reader-recap/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill reader-recap -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/reader-recap/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill reader-recap -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/reader-recap/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install readwiseio/readwise-skills reader-recap2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/reader-recap/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill reader-recap -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/readwiseio/readwise-skills --path skills/reader-recapManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/reader-recap/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill reader-recap -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about reader-recap
How to install reader-recap in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add readwiseio/readwise-skills --skill reader-recap -a claude-code. This adds the skill to your Claude Code setup.
What does reader-recap do?
It produces a conversational recap of documents you read or saved in Readwise Reader. It groups items by engagement and builds a list of actionable follow-ups from your notes.
What dependencies are required for reader-recap?
It requires Readwise MCP tools or an authenticated readwise CLI. You can also place an optional reader_persona.md in the working directory to personalize the recap.
