ctx-journal-normalize

Normalize journal source markdown for clean rendering. Use after journal site shows rendering issues: fence nesting, metadata formatting, broken lists.

41 stars

Best use case

ctx-journal-normalize is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.

Normalize journal source markdown for clean rendering. Use after journal site shows rendering issues: fence nesting, metadata formatting, broken lists.

Teams using ctx-journal-normalize should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.

When to use this skill

  • You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.

When not to use this skill

  • You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
  • You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.

Installation

Claude Code / Cursor / Codex

$curl -o ~/.claude/skills/ctx-journal-normalize/SKILL.md --create-dirs "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ActiveMemory/ctx/main/internal/assets/integrations/copilot-cli/skills/ctx-journal-normalize/SKILL.md"

Manual Installation

  1. Download SKILL.md from GitHub
  2. Place it in .claude/skills/ctx-journal-normalize/SKILL.md inside your project
  3. Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill

How ctx-journal-normalize Compares

Feature / Agentctx-journal-normalizeStandard Approach
Platform SupportNot specifiedLimited / Varies
Context Awareness High Baseline
Installation ComplexityUnknownN/A

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this skill do?

Normalize journal source markdown for clean rendering. Use after journal site shows rendering issues: fence nesting, metadata formatting, broken lists.

Where can I find the source code?

You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.

SKILL.md Source

Reconstruct journal entries as clean markdown from stripped plain text.

## When to Use

- After `ctx journal site` shows rendering issues
- When journal entries have fence nesting problems
- When metadata blocks render as raw `**Key**: value`
- Before running `ctx-journal-enrich` (clean markdown improves extraction)

## When NOT to Use

- On entries already normalized (check `.state.json`)
- When the site renders correctly
- On non-journal markdown files

## Output Rules

1. **Fences**: Always use backtick fences. Innermost code gets
   3 backticks. Each nesting level adds 1.
2. **Metadata**: `**Key**: value` blocks become collapsed `<details>`.
3. **Tool output**: Collapse into `<details>` when > 10 lines.
4. **Lists**: 2-space indent per level.
5. **No invented content**: Every word in output traces to input.

## Process

1. **Backup first**: copy journal directory to `.bak` sibling
2. Identify files to normalize (skip already-normalized via `.state.json`)
3. Process files turn-by-turn (not whole file at once)
4. Write back the fixed files
5. Mark normalized: `ctx system mark-journal <filename> normalized`
6. Regenerate site: `ctx journal site --build`
7. Report what changed

## Quality Checklist

- [ ] Backup created before modifying
- [ ] Already-normalized files skipped
- [ ] No content was invented or lost
- [ ] State file updated for processed entries

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