Commute Matrix

Overview

Locate research directory: Read .claude/kids-camp-planner.local.md to get the research_dir path (default: camp-research). All user data paths below are relative to this directory. The family profile is at <research_dir>/family-profile.md. The API key is stored in .claude/kids-camp-planner.local.md under apis.geoapify_api_key.

Calculate travel times between home, work, and camp locations using the Geoapify Route Matrix API. Models full commute chains (Home -> Camp -> Work in the morning, Work -> Camp -> Home in the evening) across multiple travel modes, and flags providers that exceed the family's maximum commute constraint.

Prerequisites

• Geoapify API key: Free tier at https://myprojects.geoapify.com/ (3,000 matrix requests/day, 90,000 geocoding/month)
• Key stored in .claude/kids-camp-planner.local.md under apis.geoapify_api_key
• If no API key is configured, prompt the user to set one up (link to the setup skill)

Workflow

Step 1: Read Configuration and Family Profile

Read .claude/kids-camp-planner.local.md to extract:

• research_dir — path to the research directory
• apis.geoapify_api_key — API authentication

Read <research_dir>/family-profile.md to extract:

• home_address — origin for all commute calculations
• parents[].work_address — destinations for chain calculations
• max_commute_minutes — hard constraint threshold

If no API key is found, inform the user:

To use automated commute calculations, you need a free Geoapify API key.
Get one at https://myprojects.geoapify.com/ and add it to .claude/kids-camp-planner.local.md
under apis.geoapify_api_key, or run the setup skill to configure it.

Step 2: Scan Provider Files

Read all <research_dir>/providers/*.md files and extract:

• Camp name (H1 heading)
• Address (from **Location**: line in Basic Information section)
• File path (for later updates)

Step 3: Run Commute Calculator

Execute the commute calculator script:

python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/commute-matrix/scripts/commute_calculator.py \
  --profile <research_dir>/family-profile.md \
  --providers <research_dir>/providers/ \
  --api-key <GEOAPIFY_API_KEY> \
  --modes drive,transit \
  --output-md <research_dir>/commute-report.md \
  --output-json <research_dir>/commute-matrix.json \
  --update-providers \
  --geocache <research_dir>/geocache.json

Read the API key from .claude/kids-camp-planner.local.md (apis.geoapify_api_key) and pass it via --api-key.

Arguments:

• --profile: Path to family profile (reads home address, work addresses, max commute)
• --providers: Directory containing provider markdown files
• --api-key: Geoapify API key (read from .claude/kids-camp-planner.local.md)
• --modes: Comma-separated travel modes: drive, transit, walk, bicycle (default: drive,transit)
• --output-md: Path for commute report markdown
• --output-json: Path for structured JSON output (consumed by schedule-optimizer)
• --update-providers: Flag to update provider files' Distance & Commute section
• --geocache: Path to geocoding cache file (avoids re-geocoding known addresses)

Replace <research_dir> with the actual research directory path from the thin config, and <GEOAPIFY_API_KEY> with the actual key value.

Step 4: Review Results

After the script runs, present the user with:

1. Summary table showing each camp's direct drive/transit time and chain times
2. Constraint violations — camps exceeding max_commute_minutes
3. Recommendations — suggest removing flagged camps or adjusting the constraint

Step 5: Update Provider Files (Optional)

If --update-providers was used, the script splits each provider's Distance & Commute section into:

• Manual — user-provided data (transit accessible, parking)
• Computed — API-calculated data (distances, times, chains, status)

The computed subsection is auto-updated on each run; manual data is preserved.

Output Files

Commute Report (<research_dir>/commute-report.md)

Human-readable markdown with:

• Summary table (all camps, all modes, chain times, status)
• Detailed per-camp chain breakdowns
• Constraint violation list

Commute Matrix JSON (<research_dir>/commute-matrix.json)

Structured data consumed by the schedule-optimizer agent:

• Per-camp, per-mode direct times and chain times
• exceeds_max flag for constraint filtering
• best_mode and best_chain_minutes for quick optimization

Geocache (<research_dir>/geocache.json)

Caches geocoding results to avoid redundant API calls. Keyed by normalized (lowercased, stripped) address. Safe to delete to force re-geocoding.

Integration with Other Skills

• Schedule Optimizer: Reads <research_dir>/commute-matrix.json to apply commute constraints and preferences
• Research Camps: Provider template includes Manual/Computed commute subsections
• Setup: Collects Geoapify API key during initial configuration

Troubleshooting

• "No API key found": Add geoapify_api_key under apis: in .claude/kids-camp-planner.local.md
• "Could not geocode address": Check the address format — include city, province, postal code
• "Rate limit exceeded": Free tier allows 3,000 matrix requests/day; wait or upgrade
• Stale data: Delete <research_dir>/geocache.json to force re-geocoding, then re-run