---
name: machinery-news
description: Query the Machinery News Digest (aihot.the-packing-machine.com) for packaging-machinery industry news. Use when the user asks about packaging machinery industry news, recent developments, supplier announcements, or when researching specific vendors / technologies (VFFS, HFFS, pouch machines, PLCs, films, robotics, trade show launches).
---

# Machinery News Digest Skill

Query a curated B2B packaging-machinery news aggregator at **https://aihot.the-packing-machine.com**. The site auto-aggregates ~30 RSS sources every 6 hours, AI-summarizes each article, classifies it into 1 of 6 categories, scores importance 1-5, and exposes everything as static JSON + RSS.

## When to use

Use this skill when the user asks about:
- Packaging machinery news (VFFS, HFFS, form-fill-seal, pouch machines, labeling)
- Packaging component innovations (sensors, servos, PLCs, sealing bars)
- Materials / films (sustainability, recyclability, mono-material)
- Industrial robotics in packaging lines (pick-place, palletizing, cobots)
- Industry M&A, regulation, market analysis
- Trade show announcements (Interpack, Pack Expo, Hannover Messe, Chinaplas)
- Vendor due diligence (e.g., "what has Bosch Packaging announced recently?")
- Buyer-focused "what this means for you" analysis

## How to query — start here

### 1. Orientation: GET /api/stats.json

```bash
curl -s https://aihot.the-packing-machine.com/api/stats.json
```

Returns: total item count, per-category distribution, importance histogram, trending tags (last 48h), all feed URLs. **Always call this first** to see what's available.

### 2. Enumerate items: GET /api/index.json

```bash
curl -s https://aihot.the-packing-machine.com/api/index.json
```

Returns: slim list of every item (~120KB). Each entry has `slug`, `title`, `published_at`, `category`, `importance`, `featured`, `url`, `detail`.

### 3. Drill into one item: GET /api/items/{slug}.json

```bash
curl -s https://aihot.the-packing-machine.com/api/items/<slug>.json
```

Returns: full record including `ai_summary`, `ai_buyer_angle`, `ai_tags`, `source_url`, `body_markdown`.

### 4. Filter by category: GET /api/category/{cat}.json

```bash
curl -s https://aihot.the-packing-machine.com/api/category/robotics.json
```

Categories: `machines`, `components`, `materials`, `robotics`, `industry`, `trade-shows`.

### 5. Daily digest: GET /api/digest/{YYYY-MM-DD}.json

```bash
curl -s https://aihot.the-packing-machine.com/api/digest/2026-06-27.json
```

Returns: importance>=4 items published that day. Only generated for dates that have qualifying items.

## Categories (6)

| slug | covers |
|---|---|
| machines | VFFS, HFFS, form-fill-seal, labeling, pouch equipment |
| components | sensors, servo motors, PLCs, valves, sealing bars |
| materials | films, laminates, sustainable polymers, recyclability regs |
| robotics | pick-place, palletizing, cobots in packaging lines |
| industry | M&A, regulation, trade news, market analysis |
| trade-shows | Interpack, Pack Expo, Hannover Messe, Chinaplas |

## RSS feeds (alternative to JSON)

- All: https://aihot.the-packing-machine.com/feed/all.xml
- Top stories (importance>=4): /feed/selected.xml
- Weekly (importance>=3, past 7 days): /feed/weekly.xml
- Per category: /rss/{cat}.xml

## Behavior guidelines

- **Default to `importance >= 3`** unless the user asks for "everything" or "all".
- **Filter by category** when the user mentions a specific topic (e.g., "robotics news" → fetch `/api/category/robotics.json`).
- **Use the index + grep** for vendor lookups (e.g., fetch `/api/index.json`, filter client-side by title containing "Bosch").
- **Always cite `source_url`** (original article), not the digest URL, when quoting. The summary is AI-generated; the original source holds the copyright.
- **Respect `published_at`** — clearly state when items were published. Items older than 30 days may be stale.
- **Limit response length** — when the user asks "what's new?", summarize 3-5 items with one-line each rather than dumping full data.

## Common query patterns

### "What's new in packaging machines?"

```bash
curl -s https://aihot.the-packing-machine.com/api/category/machines.json | jq '.items[:10]'
```

### "Any news about Bosch / Krones / ProMach?"

```bash
curl -s https://aihot.the-packing-machine.com/api/index.json | jq '.items[] | select(.title | test("Bosch"; "i"))'
```

### "What did Interpack announce?"

```bash
curl -s https://aihot.the-packing-machine.com/api/category/trade-shows.json | jq '.items[] | select(.title | test("Interpack"; "i"))'
```

### "Top stories this week"

```bash
curl -s https://aihot.the-packing-machine.com/feed/weekly.xml
```

## Installation

This SKILL.md is the entire skill — no binaries, no API keys, no MCP server, no auth. Drop it into your Agent's skills directory:

- **Claude Code**: `~/.claude/skills/machinery-news/SKILL.md`
- **Cline / Continue / Roo Code**: `~/.config/<ide>/skills/machinery-news/SKILL.md`
- **Cursor**: `~/.cursor/skills/machinery-news/SKILL.md`
- **Windsurf**: `~/.codeium/windsurf/skills/machinery-news/SKILL.md`

Or ask your Agent in plain language:

> Install the skill at https://aihot.the-packing-machine.com/machinery-skill/SKILL.md

Most Agent runtimes will fetch the file and place it in the correct directory automatically.

## Limitations

- English-only content. No Chinese / German / Spanish coverage.
- The aggregator polls every 6 hours via GitHub Actions cron. Breaking news may lag by up to 6 hours.
- Items without AI summary (when Gemini daily quota exhausted) appear with `ai_summary: ""` — treat as raw headline only.
- Summaries and buyer angles are LLM-generated (Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite). Verify against `source_url` before business decisions.
- All endpoints are static files — no real-time search. For search, fetch `/api/index.json` and filter client-side.

## Feedback

Coverage gaps? Source URLs not followed? Open an issue at https://github.com/owenwei888-boop/machinery-cf-site/issues or email hello@the-packing-machine.com.