# Ask

> Fast vault Q&A — quick lookups, decision history, blocker status, doc search. Uses QMD hybrid search when available, falls back to vault grep. Use for "/ask what did we decide about auth?" or "/ask who's blocked?".

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-kv0906-pm-kit-ask`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [kv0906](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/kv0906)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Productivity](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/productivity)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [kv0906](https://github.com/kv0906)
- **Source:** https://github.com/kv0906/pm-kit/tree/main/.claude/skills/ask
- **Website:** https://willtran.xyz

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-kv0906-pm-kit-ask
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# /ask — Question Answering

Fast answers from your vault. Uses QMD hybrid search (BM25 + vector + rerank) when available, with automatic fallback to vault grep.

## Context

Config: @_core/config.yaml

## Input

User input: $ARGUMENTS

## Processing Steps

### Step 1: Detect Search Backend

Check if QMD MCP tools are available in the current session:

1. **Try `qmd_status`** (MCP tool) to check QMD availability and index state.
2. **Evaluate result:**
   - QMD available AND has embedded docs → use **QMD mode**
   - QMD available but 0 embedded docs → use **Fallback mode** + hint
   - QMD not available (tool missing/error) → use **Fallback mode**

### Step 2: Parse Question

- Detect project if mentioned
- Identify question type:
  - "what did we decide about X" → decisions
  - "who's blocked" → blockers
  - "find doc for X" → docs
  - "status of X" → index

### Step 3A: QMD Mode (preferred)

When QMD is available and indexed:

1. **Deep search**: Call `qmd_deep_search` with the user's question.
   - Use collection filter from config: `_core/config.yaml → qmd.collection_name` (default: `pm-kit`)
   - Cap results: use `qmd.max_results` from config (default: 8)
2. **Retrieve top docs**: Call `qmd_get` or `qmd_multi_get` for the top-scored results.
   - Apply minimum score threshold from config: `qmd.min_score` (default: 0.35)
3. **Synthesize answer**: Read the retrieved content and produce a grounded answer with source citations.

### Step 3B: Fallback Mode (vault grep)

When QMD is not available or not indexed:

1. **Search Strategy**

   | Question Type | Search Path |
   |--------------|-------------|
   | Decisions | `decisions/{project}/*.md` |
   | Blockers | `blockers/{project}/*.md` |
   | Docs | `docs/{project}/*.md`, `docs/general/*.md` |
   | Status | `01-index/{project}.md` |
   | General | All folders |

2. **Search Methods**
   - Filename match first (fastest — naming-as-API)
   - Frontmatter field match
   - Content grep (slower)

### Step 4: Return Answer

## Output Format

### With results

```markdown
## Answer

{Direct answer — 1-3 sentences, grounded in source content}

### Sources
- `{file-path}` — {brief context why this source is relevant}
- `{file-path}` — {brief context}

### Search Mode
{QMD (deep) | Fallback (vault grep)}
```

### No results

```markdown
## No Results Found

Searched: {folders or QMD collection}
Query: "{query}"

**Suggestions**:
- Try broader terms
- Check spelling
- Run `qmd embed` if QMD is installed but not indexed

### Search Mode
{QMD (deep) | Fallback (vault grep)}
```

### Fallback mode hint

When running in Fallback mode, append after the answer:

> **Tip**: Install [QMD](https://github.com/tobi/qmd) for smarter search with semantic understanding. See [handbook/QMD_INTEGRATION.md](handbook/QMD_INTEGRATION.md) for setup.

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [kv0906](https://github.com/kv0906)
- **Source:** [kv0906/pm-kit](https://github.com/kv0906/pm-kit)
- **License:** MIT
- **Homepage:** https://willtran.xyz

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-kv0906-pm-kit-ask
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/kv0906
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.