second-brain-query
Answer questions against the knowledge base wiki. Use when the user asks a question about their collected knowledge, wants to explore connections between topics, says "what do I know about X", or wants to search their wiki.
npx skills add NicholasSpisak/second-brain --skill second-brain-query --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Second Brain — Query Answer questions by searching and synthesizing knowledge from the wiki. ## Search Strategy ### 1. Start with the index Read `wiki/index.md` to identify relevant pages. Scan all category sections (Sources, Entities, Concepts, Synthesis) for entries related to the question. ### 2. Use qmd for large wikis If `qmd` is installed (check with `command -v qmd`), use it for search: ```bash qmd search "query terms" --path wiki/ ``` This is especially useful when the wiki has grown beyond ~100 pages where scanning the index becomes inefficient. ### 3. Read relevant pages Read the wiki pages identified by the index or search. Follow `[[wikilinks]]` to pull in related context from linked pages. Read enough pages to give a thorough answer, but don't read the entire wiki. ### 4. Check raw sources if needed If the wiki pages don't fully answer the question, check relevant source summaries in `wiki/sources/` for additional detail. Only go to files in `raw/` as a last resort. ## Synthesize the Answer ### Format Match the answer format to the question: - **Factual question** → direct answer with citations - **Comparison** → table or structured comparison - **Exploration** → nar
- Search Strategy
- 1. Start with the index
- 2. Use qmd for large wikis
- 3. Read relevant pages
- 4. Check raw sources if needed
- Synthesize the Answer
- Format
- Citations
- Offer to save valuable answers
- Conventions
- Related Skills
qmd search "query terms" --path wiki/
What does the second-brain-query skill do?
Answer questions against the knowledge base wiki. Use when the user asks a question about their collected knowledge, wants to explore connections between topics, says "what do I know about X", or wants to search their wiki.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add NicholasSpisak/second-brain --skill second-brain-query --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From NicholasSpisak/second-brain, a repository with 652 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.