name: aminet-index description: "Manages Aminet INDEX infrastructure: fetch, parse, cache, and incremental update of ~84,000-entry package database. Use when managing INDEX data, checking freshness, or parsing .readme files." metadata: extensions: gsd-skill-creator: triggers: intents: - "aminet.*index" - "aminet.*update" - "index.*fetch" - "readme.*parse" files: - "src/aminet/index-fetcher.ts" - "src/aminet/index-parser.ts" - "src/aminet/index-freshness.ts" - "src/aminet/readme-parser.ts" contexts: - "aminet index management" - "package database" threshold: 0.7 token_budget: "1.5%" version: 1 enabled: true plan_origin: "242-aminet-integration" phase_origin: "242"
Aminet Index
Purpose
Manages the complete lifecycle of the Aminet INDEX database: fetching INDEX.gz from mirrors, parsing ~84,000 package entries into structured data, caching results for offline use, checking freshness against 24-hour thresholds, and performing incremental updates via RECENT file diffing. Also handles .readme metadata extraction for individual package detail views.
Capabilities
- Fetch INDEX.gz from Aminet mirrors with gzip decompression
- Parse ~84,000 INDEX entries using token-based regex in ~114ms
- ISO-8859-1 decoding via TextDecoder for correct character handling
- JSON cache with INDEX + INDEX.meta.json sidecar for offline access
- K=1x and M=1000x size suffix normalization
- 24-hour freshness detection with configurable thresholds
- RECENT-based incremental merge by fullPath for efficient updates
- Parse .readme files extracting raw headers (lowercase keys, multi-value split on comma+semicolon)
- Barrel file exporting complete public API
Key Modules
| Module | Purpose |
|---|---|
src/aminet/index-fetcher.ts | Fetches INDEX.gz from Aminet mirrors with gzip decompression |
src/aminet/index-parser.ts | Parses INDEX entries into structured PackageEntry objects |
src/aminet/readme-parser.ts | Extracts metadata from .readme files with header parsing |
src/aminet/index-freshness.ts | Checks INDEX age against 24h threshold, triggers RECENT-based incremental merge |
Usage Examples
Fetch and parse the INDEX:
import { fetchIndex } from './index-fetcher.js';
import { parseIndex } from './index-parser.js';
const raw = await fetchIndex({ mirrorUrl: 'https://aminet.net' });
const entries = parseIndex(raw);
// entries: PackageEntry[] with ~84,000 items
Check freshness and update incrementally:
import { checkFreshness } from './index-freshness.js';
const result = await checkFreshness({ cacheDir: './cache', maxAgeMs: 86400000 });
if (!result.fresh) {
// Fetch RECENT, merge new entries by fullPath
}
Parse a .readme file:
import { parseReadme } from './readme-parser.js';
const metadata = parseReadme(readmeText);
// metadata.short, metadata.author, metadata.uploader, metadata.type, etc.
Dependencies
- Node.js
node:zlibfor gzip decompression - Node.js
node:fsfor cache persistence - Aminet mirror network for INDEX.gz and RECENT files
Token Budget Rationale
1.5% budget reflects the 4 modules covering INDEX fetch, parse, freshness, and readme extraction. The ~84,000-entry parsing logic with ISO-8859-1 handling, size suffix normalization, and incremental merge via RECENT requires comprehensive context for correct operation and troubleshooting.