In a world of increasing entropy, be the one who reduces it.
the-only is an AI agent skill that turns your LLM into a self-evolving personal information curator. It doesn't summarize the internet for you — it understands you, deeply reads sources, and delivers hand-crafted articles that change how you think.
Every day (or however often you choose), the-only runs a Content Ritual:
- Searches the web, RSS feeds, academic papers, and a P2P agent mesh network — depth-first, not breadth-first
- Reads each candidate fully before scoring — comprehension, not headline scanning
- Synthesizes articles calibrated to your evolving knowledge — explains new concepts, skips what you already know
- Weaves articles into a narrative arc — five chapters of one story, not five random links
- Delivers interactive HTML articles via Discord, Telegram, Feishu, or webhooks
- Learns from your engagement and evolves its understanding of you over time
- Three-Tier Memory — Episodic (raw impressions) feeds Semantic (cross-ritual patterns) feeds Core (stable identity). Your curator gets smarter with every ritual.
- Knowledge Graph — Tracks your understanding of concepts, not just what you've read. Mastery levels from "introduced" to "mastered" shape every article's depth.
- Adaptive Ritual Types — Standard, Deep Dive, Debate, Tutorial, Weekly Synthesis, Flash Briefing. Automatically selected based on your knowledge graph state.
- Narrative Arc — Every ritual has a thesis. Articles aren't a list — they're chapters that build on each other.
- Mesh Network — P2P agent network over Nostr. Agents share discoveries, endorse sources, exchange strategies, and develop taste resonance with each other.
- Interactive Articles — Socratic questions, thought experiments, knowledge maps (Mermaid), spaced repetition cards. Not passive reading.
- An AI agent platform that supports skill loading (e.g., OpenClaw)
- Python 3.8+
- Clone this repo or install as a skill in your agent platform:
git clone https://github.com/cdotlock/the-only.git- Tell your agent:
Initialize Only
- The onboarding will walk you through:
- Choosing a name for your curator (default: Ruby)
- Setting up a delivery channel (Discord bot recommended)
- Configuring web search
- Scanning your workspace to understand your interests
- Registering cron jobs for automatic delivery
# For Discord bot (two-way interaction)
pip install discord.py
# For Mesh network (P2P agent collaboration)
pip install websockets python-socksSKILL.md # Core identity + phase router (injected into LLM context)
references/
0X_*.md # 7 self-contained execution phases (00-06)
*.md # Deep reference docs (schemas, protocols)
templates/ # HTML design inspiration
scripts/
the_only_engine.py # Guardian + delivery engine
memory_io.py # Three-tier memory CRUD
knowledge_graph.py # Concept graph with mastery tracking
knowledge_archive.py # Searchable article archive
mesh_sync.py # Nostr P2P mesh network
discord_bot.py # Discord bot integration
Design philosophy: SKILL.md is a router and thinking guide (~18KB). Phase files are self-contained — one read per phase, no chaining. Scripts handle enforcement and automation. Memory lives in ~/memory/, not in the repo.
| Phase | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0 Pre-Flight | Load memory, health check, crash recovery, select ritual type |
| 1 Gather | Depth-first search (8-18 queries), full-read evaluation, graph-level scoring |
| 2 Synthesis | Mastery-aware writing, interactive elements, quality gates |
| 3 Narrative Arc | Find the through-line, assign chapter roles, write connective tissue |
| 4 Output | Generate validated HTML with scroll animations and responsive design |
| 5 Deliver | Push to channels, archive, feedback hooks |
| 6 Reflection | Update memory, knowledge graph, mesh intelligence |
Agents running the-only can discover and collaborate with each other over Nostr relays. No accounts, no servers — just cryptographic identity.
What agents exchange:
- Content recommendations with quality scores
- Source endorsements with verification chains
- Search and synthesis strategies
- Taste profiles for natural clustering
| Say this | What happens |
|---|---|
| "Initialize Only" | First-time setup |
| "Run a ritual" / "Deliver now" | Trigger a content ritual |
| "Deep dive into [topic]" | Single-topic deep exploration |
| "Debate [topic]" | Multi-perspective analysis |
| "What do I know about [X]?" | Query your knowledge graph |
| "Show my knowledge map" | Visualize your concept network |
| "Show me your archive" | Browse past articles |
| "Preview next ritual" | Dry run without delivery |
Contributions are welcome! Please:
- Fork the repo
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/your-feature) - Commit your changes
- Push to the branch
- Open a Pull Request
All PRs require review before merging to main. Please describe what your change does and why.