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tools/
README.md
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SKILL.md
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Journal Skill

Claude Code skill for managing Journelly-format journal entries.

Overview

This skill enables Claude to create and manage journal entries in the Journelly org-mode format. Journelly is an iOS app that stores journal entries as org-mode headings in a single file with optional GPS/weather metadata.

Components

SKILL.md

The skill definition and documentation. Contains:

  • Journelly format specification
  • Usage examples
  • Best practices
  • Integration patterns

tools/journelly-batch-functions.el

Emacs Lisp batch functions for programmatic journal manipulation:

  • journelly-batch-create-entry - Create new entry
  • journelly-batch-append-to-today - Append to today’s entry
  • journelly-batch-list-entries - List recent entries
  • journelly-batch-search - Search content
  • journelly-batch-get-entry - Get specific entry by date

tools/journelly-manager

Bash CLI wrapper around the Emacs batch functions. Provides a user-friendly interface for all journal operations.

Usage

Via Claude

Simply ask Claude to create journal entries:

"Create a journal entry about today's work on the Journal skill"
"Add to today's journal that I finished the implementation"
"Search my journal for entries about homelab"
"Show me my last 5 journal entries"

Direct CLI Usage

# Create entry
~/.config/claude/skills/Journal/tools/journelly-manager create \
  ~/desktop/org/Journelly.org "Home" "Today was productive!"

# Create with weather
~/.config/claude/skills/Journal/tools/journelly-manager create \
  ~/desktop/org/Journelly.org "Kyushu" "Work notes" \
  --latitude=48.8672 --longitude=2.1851 \
  --temperature="15,2°C" --condition="Cloudy" --symbol="cloud"

# Append to today
~/.config/claude/skills/Journal/tools/journelly-manager append \
  ~/desktop/org/Journelly.org "Additional thoughts for the day"

# List recent entries
~/.config/claude/skills/Journal/tools/journelly-manager list \
  ~/desktop/org/Journelly.org --limit=5

# Search
~/.config/claude/skills/Journal/tools/journelly-manager search \
  ~/desktop/org/Journelly.org "claude"

# Get specific entry
~/.config/claude/skills/Journal/tools/journelly-manager get \
  ~/desktop/org/Journelly.org "2025-12-08"

Journelly Format

Journal entries follow this structure:

* [YYYY-MM-DD Day HH:MM] @ Location
:PROPERTIES:
:LATITUDE: 48.86721377062119
:LONGITUDE: 2.1850910842231994
:WEATHER_TEMPERATURE: 5,8°C
:WEATHER_CONDITION: Cloudy
:WEATHER_SYMBOL: cloud
:END:
Entry content goes here...

- Section Title (use indented lists, NOT sub-headings)
  - Item 1
  - Item 2
  • Reverse chronological: Newest entries at top
  • Optional properties: GPS/weather metadata from iOS app
  • Content format: Org-mode support (lists, links, code blocks)
  • NO sub-headings: Use indented lists instead of ** level 2 headings
  • Single file: All entries in ~/desktop/org/Journelly.org

Integration

With Journelly iOS App

  • Primary mobile interface for journal
  • Automatically adds GPS and weather data
  • Syncs via iCloud
  • Photos captured on iPhone

With Claude Code

  • Create entries via natural language
  • Search and review past entries
  • Append to existing entries
  • Generate journal entries from work sessions

With Syncthing

  • Sync across devices
  • Available on desktop and mobile
  • Changes sync bidirectionally

Testing

Test the journelly-manager tool:

# Show help
~/.config/claude/skills/Journal/tools/journelly-manager --help

# List entries (read-only)
~/.config/claude/skills/Journal/tools/journelly-manager list \
  ~/desktop/org/Journelly.org --limit=3

# Search entries (read-only)
~/.config/claude/skills/Journal/tools/journelly-manager search \
  ~/desktop/org/Journelly.org "test"

Development

The skill uses Emacs batch mode for reliable org-mode parsing and manipulation:

  1. journelly-batch-functions.el: Core logic in Emacs Lisp
  2. journelly-manager: Bash wrapper for CLI interface
  3. SKILL.md: Documentation for Claude integration

All operations return JSON for programmatic integration.

  • Notes: Denote-format note-taking (multi-file, topic-based)
  • TODOs: Task management with org-mode
  • Org: Core org-mode manipulation library

The Journal skill complements these by providing time-based, personal reflections while Notes provides topic-based knowledge management.

Version

1.0.0

Author

Vincent Demeester vincent@demeester.fr

License

Part of personal Claude Code configuration.