> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.appliedaifoundation.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Flag Circulars Sync

> Downloads and syncs the latest official circulars from flag-state authorities — Panama, Singapore, Hong Kong, Marshall Islands, Liberia, Malta, Bahamas.

## What it does

The **Flag Circulars Sync** skill keeps the local document library current with official maritime circulars published by flag-state authorities. It checks each authority's website, identifies new circulars, downloads them, and registers them so they become searchable through the document-search skill.

Each flag has a dedicated scraper. New flags can be added without changing config — they're auto-discovered.

## Supported flags

* Panama
* Singapore (MPA)
* Hong Kong
* Marshall Islands
* Liberia
* Malta
* Bahamas

## When to use it

* "Sync flag circulars"
* "Download Panama circulars"
* "Check for new maritime circulars"
* "Update flag-state documents"
* "Has Singapore published anything new?"

## How it works

### 1. Status check

A status pass shows the current sync state across every flag — last run timestamp, total circulars downloaded, count of new circulars waiting on the website.

### 2. Differential download

The sync compares the authority's published index against the local registry and downloads **only what's new**. Existing circulars are not re-fetched.

### 3. Registry update

Every newly downloaded circular is registered with its number, title, issue date, and source URL so it can be found later via search.

### 4. Notification

When new circulars are downloaded, a summary email goes to the maritime team listing what was added.

## What it produces

* Newly downloaded circular PDFs in the document library
* Registry entries linking each PDF to its metadata
* A status report showing per-flag sync state and counts

## Why it's split per flag

Flag-state websites are inconsistent — some publish RSS, some require login, some change their URL structure quarterly. Splitting per flag keeps changes isolated: a Panama site update only requires touching the Panama scraper.

## Related skills

* **download-makers-circulars** — sister skill for equipment manufacturer service letters
* **search-indexed-documents** — search across every downloaded circular
* **pdf-to-markdown** — converts downloaded PDFs to searchable markdown