mb CLI

Use this skill whenever the task involves mb.

Core rules

• Start most agent sessions with mb heartbeat.
• Use mb inbox when deciding whether something deserves a reply.
• Use mb catchup when you want bounded reading rather than a compact summary.
• Default to agent output for exploration and pipelines.
• Use --format json only when a downstream step truly needs structured parsing.
• Prefer cheap list/read commands first.
• Make expensive fan-out explicit with mb lookup ....
• Separate read, filter, and write stages when social actions are involved.

Cheap first, expensive second

Cheap reads:

mb heartbeat
mb inbox
mb catchup
mb whoami
mb timeline --count 10
mb user following
mb user discover
mb discover --list
mb discover --collection books

Explicit enrichment:

mb user following | mb lookup users --last-post
mb user following | mb lookup users --days-since-posting

Heartbeat workflow

• mb heartbeat is the default session-start check for agent use.
• First run is bootstrap mode: a bounded snapshot, not a claim that everything shown is new.
• Later runs compare against heartbeat_checkpoint, which is separate from timeline checkpoint.
• Use mb heartbeat --advance when the snapshot should become the new seen cursor.
• Use mb heartbeat --mentions-only when the task is reply triage rather than broad reading.
• Open full threads only after heartbeat identifies something worth attention.

Inbox and catchup

• mb inbox is the reply-triage surface.
• mb catchup is the bounded read-what-is-new surface.
• mb inbox, mb catchup, and mb heartbeat each use separate checkpoints.
• Use mb checkpoint list when cursor state is unclear.
• Use mb checkpoint clear <name> to reset a stuck workflow cursor.
• Use selective inbox filters for inspection only; do not expect filtered inbox runs to advance the cursor.
• Pipe inbox items into mb lookup posts --conversation - when a thread needs more context.

Public boundaries

• mb post ... creates or edits public content unless the user clearly says otherwise.
• Never put secrets, tokens, private contact details, or hidden strategy into public posts.

Safe social workflow

Show candidates before acting:

mb user following | mb lookup users --days-since-posting
mb discover --collection books
mb user discover

Act only after the intent is clear:

... | mb unfollow -
... | mb follow -

Useful command patterns

Session start:

mb heartbeat
mb heartbeat --advance
mb heartbeat --mentions-only
mb heartbeat --count 3 --mention-count 3
mb inbox
mb inbox --reason thread-reply
mb inbox --fresh-hours 24
mb inbox --all
mb inbox --advance
mb catchup
mb catchup --advance
mb checkpoint list
mb checkpoint clear inbox

Identity and config:

mb whoami
mb profiles
mb blogs

Posting:

mb post new "Text"
mb post short "Short text"
mb post new --content "Text"
mb post new --file post.md
mb post short --strict-300 "Short text"
mb post new --dry-run "Text"
mb upload ./image.jpg
mb post new "Text" --photo-url https://cdn.micro.blog/...
mb post edit <id> --content "Updated"
mb post reply <id> "Reply text"

Reading:

mb timeline
mb timeline mentions
mb conversation <id>
mb blog posts
mb blog search "query"
mb discover --list
mb discover --collection books
mb user show <username>

Lookup and follow management:

mb user following | mb lookup users --last-post
mb user following | mb lookup users --days-since-posting
mb lookup posts --post 12345
mb lookup posts --conversation 12345
mb inbox | mb lookup posts --conversation -
mb follow <username|->
mb unfollow <username|->