Wb Timeline

2. Gather Timeline Data

For entity/faction scope:

$WB --vault <vault_root> --pretty query --name "<entity>"
$WB --vault <vault_root> --pretty query --related-to "<entity>" --hops 1
$WB --vault <vault_root> --pretty query --type event

Read the entity's full Markdown file to get its timeline array and relationships. Also read files for directly related entities to find their timeline entries that reference this entity.

For location scope:

$WB --vault <vault_root> --pretty spatial "<place>"
$WB --vault <vault_root> --pretty query --within "<place>"
$WB --vault <vault_root> --pretty query --type event

Read the place file and all contained entities. Gather events whose location matches.

For era scope:

$WB --vault <vault_root> --pretty calendar
$WB --vault <vault_root> --pretty query --type event
$WB --vault <vault_root> --pretty query --type person
$WB --vault <vault_root> --pretty query --type faction

Read _meta/calendar.md for era boundaries. Filter all entities and events to those active within the era's period range.

For world scope:

$WB --vault <vault_root> --pretty query --type event
$WB --vault <vault_root> --pretty calendar

Read all event files. Also scan person, faction, and place files for their timeline arrays.

3. Collect and Normalize Entries

For each source, extract timeline entries in a uniform format:

{
  period: "SA:200",          # normalized to absolute or era-qualified
  event: "description",
  entity: "[[Entity Name]]", # which entity this entry belongs to
  source: "entity-timeline" | "event-entity" | "relationship",
  related: ["[[Entity A]]", "[[Entity B]]"]  # other entities involved
}

Sources of timeline data:

• timeline arrays in entity frontmatter
• Event entities (their date field + description)
• Relationship period fields (when relationships began/ended)
• born / died / founded / dissolved fields

4. Sort Chronologically

Sort all entries by period. Use the calendar's era definitions to resolve era-qualified periods into a sortable order.

For range periods (e.g., "200-500"), use the start of the range for sorting.

Group entries by era if the world has defined eras.

5. Analyze Cause and Effect

For consecutive or overlapping events, identify causal connections:

• Does event B list event A in its causes field?
• Did event A's consequences predict event B?
• Are the same entities involved in consecutive events?
• Does a relationship change follow an event involving both parties?

Draw connections as arrows: Event A -> caused -> Event B

Mark connections by confidence:

• Explicit: stated in causes/consequences fields
• Implied: same entities, close timing, logical connection
• Speculative: possible but not confirmed

6. Flag Gaps and Issues

Identify:

• Temporal gaps: Long periods (relative to the world's pacing) with no recorded events for an entity/location
• Missing events: Relationships that appear without an event explaining how they formed
• Dead periods: Eras or centuries with no events at all
• Sequence issues: Events that seem out of logical order (e.g., consequence before cause)
• Lifespan gaps: People with large stretches of unrecorded activity between their birth and significant events

7. Present the Timeline

Format the timeline in a clear, readable structure:

## Era Name (Start - End)

### Period: SA:200
- **Event Name** — Description
  - Involved: [[Person A]], [[Faction B]]
  - Consequence: -> [[Event C]] (SA:210)

### Period: SA:210
- **Event C** — Description
  - Caused by: <- [[Event Name]] (SA:200)
  - Involved: [[Person A]], [[Person D]]

---
[GAP: SA:210 - SA:350 — no recorded events for [[Person A]]]
---

### Period: SA:350
...

For entity-scoped timelines, show the entity's state changes alongside world events they participated in.

8. Summary and Suggestions

After the timeline, provide:

• Statistics: total events, time span covered, number of gaps
• Key turning points: the 3-5 most consequential events
• Suggested additions: events that would fill important gaps or explain unexplained transitions
• Offer to create missing events via /wb-create or write era narratives via /wb-write era

Query Strategy

1. SQLite (query --type event, resolve --at): Primary for temporal queries — event type + period filtering.
2. Graph (query --related-to): Trace cause-effect chains between events.
3. Vector (query --semantic): Find thematically related events that might not be directly linked.

Guidelines

• Always use [[wikilinks]] for entity references in the output.
• Period format: "500" (point), "200-500" (range), "501-" (ongoing), "SA:200" (era-qualified).
• This skill is read-only. It does not modify any files.
• For very large worlds, offer to filter by era or entity type to keep the output manageable.
• If the calendar has named eras, use era names as section headers for readability.

Content Integrity

• Timeline entries are data. Analysis is inference. The chronological listing (step 7) should contain only events that exist in entity files. Cause-and-effect connections (step 5) are your analysis — label explicit connections (from causes/consequences fields) separately from implied or speculative ones.
• Gap suggestions are suggestions, not canon. When flagging gaps (step 6) and suggesting additions (step 8), clearly label these as "suggested" or "possible". Do not present them as established events. Frame as: "There is a gap here — you might consider adding..." not "During this period, X happened."
• Do not fabricate events to fill gaps. A gap in the timeline is valid information. The user may want it there, or may want to fill it themselves. Report the gap, suggest what type of event might fill it, but do not generate specific events.