CtrlK
BlogDocsLog inGet started
Tessl Logo

talk-stage2-research

Stage 2 (REX mode only) — Git archaeology, changelog analysis, verified factual timeline. Skip automatically in Concept mode.

Install with Tessl CLI

npx tessl i github:FlorianBruniaux/claude-code-ultimate-guide --skill talk-stage2-research
What are skills?
Invalid
This skill can't be scored yet
Validation errors are blocking scoring. Review and fix them to unlock Quality, Impact and Security scores. See what needs fixing →
SKILL.md
Review
Evals

Talk Stage 2: Research (REX mode only)

Builds the git proof for a REX talk. Cross-references git history, CHANGELOG, and the Stage 1 summary to produce a verified timeline and velocity analysis.

Automatically skipped in --concept mode — only runs when the source material is a REX with git repository access.

When to Use This Skill

  • After Stage 1 (Extract) when building a REX talk
  • When you have access to the project's git repository
  • To verify metrics mentioned in the source material against actual git data

What This Skill Does

  1. Reads the summary — understands the period and themes from Stage 1
  2. Git archaeology — extracts velocity metrics (read-only commands only)
  3. Changelog analysis — scans releases, features, documented metrics
  4. Cross-references — aligns git, CHANGELOG, and summary
  5. Builds the timeline — verified dates, not estimated
  6. Writes 3 output files

Input

  • talks/{YYYY}-{slug}-summary.md (from Stage 1 — required)
  • repo_path — absolute path to the git repository
  • Optional: CHANGELOG path if different from {repo_path}/CHANGELOG.md

Output

Three files:

  • talks/{YYYY}-{slug}-git-archaeology.md
  • talks/{YYYY}-{slug}-changelog-analysis.md
  • talks/{YYYY}-{slug}-timeline.md

Git Commands (read-only only)

# Commits by month
git -C {repo_path} log --pretty=format:"%Y-%m" | sort | uniq -c

# Commits by contributor
git -C {repo_path} shortlog -sn --no-merges

# First and last date
git -C {repo_path} log --pretty=format:"%ad" --date=short | tail -1
git -C {repo_path} log --pretty=format:"%ad" --date=short | head -1

# Merged PRs (if merge commit convention)
git -C {repo_path} log --merges --oneline | wc -l

# Tags (releases)
git -C {repo_path} tag --sort=version:refname

# Velocity peak (busiest months)
git -C {repo_path} log --pretty=format:"%Y-%m" | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -5

Output Formats

git-archaeology.md

# Git Archaeology — {slug}

**Repo**: {repo_path}
**Period analyzed**: {start date} → {end date}
**Commands run**: {list}

## Global Metrics

| Metric | Value | Source |
|--------|-------|--------|
| Total commits | {n} | git log |
| Total merges/PRs | ~{n} | git log --merges |
| Total releases (tags) | {n} | git tag |
| Human contributors | {n} | git shortlog |
| Period covered | {n} months | first → last date |

## Monthly Velocity

| Month | Commits | Notes |
|-------|---------|-------|
| {YYYY-MM} | {n} | {context if notable} |
...

## Contributors

| Rank | Name | Commits | % |
|------|------|---------|---|
| 1 | {name} | {n} | {%} |
...

---
*Generated by talk-stage2-research — {date}*

changelog-analysis.md

# Changelog Analysis — {slug}

**Source**: {CHANGELOG path}
**Releases analyzed**: {n} (v{first} → v{last})

## Features by release (summary)

| Release | Date | Key features | Metrics mentioned |
|---------|------|--------------|------------------|
| {version} | {date} | {features} | {metrics} |
...

## Patterns identified

### Acceleration
{Periods of high velocity and what drove them}

### Inflection points
{Pivots, direction changes, major releases}

### Verifiable metrics in CHANGELOG
{Exhaustive list of numbers mentioned in CHANGELOG with their release}

---
*Generated by talk-stage2-research — {date}*

timeline.md

# Factual Timeline — {slug}

**Period**: {start} → {end} ({n} months)
**Cross-referenced sources**: Summary × Git history × CHANGELOG

---

## Month-by-month timeline

| Month | Commits | Releases | Versions | Key features | Talk event |
|-------|---------|----------|----------|--------------|-----------|
| {YYYY-MM} | {n} | {n} | {versions} | {features} | {anecdote/event} |
...

## Cross-reference: Conflicts and inconsistencies

{If dates or metrics contradict between sources, note here}

---
*Generated by talk-stage2-research — {date}*
*Sources: git log × {CHANGELOG path} × {summary path}*

Key Rules

  • Read-only only — no git commands that modify repo state
  • Verify before asserting — a date not found in git = "unverified"
  • Cross-reference — flag inconsistencies between sources, don't pick one arbitrarily
  • Granularity — month by month minimum; week by week if the period is short (< 2 months)

Anti-patterns

  • Running git commands that modify the repository
  • Estimating dates instead of verifying them in git
  • Rounding metrics without flagging it
  • Silently merging contradictory data from different sources
  • Omitting quiet periods — plateaus tell a story too

Validation Checklist

  • Only read-only git commands executed
  • Timeline covers the full period from summary
  • All metrics have an explicit source (git or CHANGELOG)
  • Conflicts between sources flagged in dedicated section
  • 3 files generated and saved

Tips

  • The timeline is what Stage 3 (Concepts) uses to enrich concept scores — a good timeline makes the concept catalogue stronger
  • "Quiet periods" in git velocity often correspond to hardest engineering challenges — worth noting
  • If the CHANGELOG has no version tags, fall back to date-based anchoring

Related

  • Stage 1: Extract — prerequisite
  • Stage 3: Concepts — reads this timeline
  • Orchestrator
Repository
FlorianBruniaux/claude-code-ultimate-guide
Commit

352e748

Last updated
Created

Is this your skill?

If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.

Claim skill