brief-on-topic
Description: Get oriented on any API topic using API Evangelist — the relevant topic areas, the tag graph, and the most recent stories, as a quick briefing.
When to use this skill
Use when someone asks “what’s API Evangelist’s take on X”, “get me up to speed on Y”, or “what should I read about Z”. This produces a fast, grounded briefing from sixteen years of research — free, no key needed.
The v1 API
Base URL: https://api.apievangelist.com/v1. Everything here is free.
| Step | Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Orient | GET /search?q=<topic> |
Ranked matches across every content type. |
| 2. Areas | GET /areas?q=<topic> |
The curated topic area(s) that frame it. |
| 3. Tag | GET /tags/<slug> |
Everything tagged with the topic, across stories/areas/guidance/papers. |
| 4. Recent | GET /posts?q=<topic>&sort=date |
The latest thinking, newest first. |
MCP equivalents (https://mcp.apievangelist.com/mcp): search_api_evangelist, find_areas, get_tag, find_posts. Or run the catch_up prompt.
Recipe
B=https://api.apievangelist.com/v1
curl -s "$B/areas?q=governance&limit=2" | jq '.data[] | {slug,title,summary}'
curl -s "$B/posts?q=governance&sort=date&limit=6" | jq '.data[] | {title,url,date}'
Output format (recommended)
A short briefing:
- The 1-2 topic areas that frame it (with links).
- The throughline of the recent stories — what’s new, where it’s heading.
- 3-5 links worth reading first.
For the full research bodies behind the briefing, or a curated bundle, see research-with-api-evangelist (Pro).
Related skills
research-with-api-evangelist— go deep (Pro): the curated guide + full content.find-where-ae-helps— turn a topic into where API Evangelist can help your team.