name: x-writing
description: Transforms notes into X (Twitter) posts. Triggers when user asks to create social content, draft tweets, or turn notes/ideas into posts.
approved:
- Read:references/
- Read:.social/
- Write:.social/
- Bash:./scripts/fetch-notes.sh

X Writing Skill

Overview

Transform your notes, work updates, and observations into engaging X (Twitter) content. This skill analyzes your notes to identify the most shareable insights, then crafts authentic posts that match your voice and drive engagement.

Supports macOS Notes integration - Automatically fetch ideas from your Notes app to draft posts.

Process

Phase 1: Preparation and Analysis

1.1 Load Writing Guides (REQUIRED - Load First)

Before any other work, read ALL THREE reference files:

1. Growth Principles (references/x-strategy.md) - Content selection criteria, what makes posts shareable, engagement patterns, and what to prioritize from notes. This guides WHAT to share.

2. Style Guide (references/style-guide.md) - Voice, tone, structure, banned phrases, and signature patterns. This guides HOW to share it.

3. Anti-Patterns (references/anti-patterns.md) - AI writing patterns to avoid. Critical for ensuring posts sound human and authentic, not AI-generated. Avoid patterns like "It's not X, it's Y", formal transitions, hedging language, and AI-specific vocabulary.

PRIORITY RULE: When guides conflict, references/x-strategy.md wins. Content value and shareability take precedence over stylistic preferences.

1.2 Understand the Source Material

Get clarity on what notes to work with:

• Ask which notes, ideas, or updates they want to transform into posts
• macOS Notes Integration: When the user asks to "look in my notes" or "fetch from Notes", use scripts/fetch-notes.sh get to pull content from their configured Notes app note (default: "Tweets")
• Read the source material (markdown files, text, pasted content, or Notes app content)
• Identify the core insights, learnings, or updates
• Note any specific tools, projects, numbers, or details mentioned

Using macOS Notes Integration:

# Fetch content from default note (configured in .env.local)
./scripts/fetch-notes.sh get

# Fetch content from a specific note
./scripts/fetch-notes.sh get "Note Name"

# List all available notes
./scripts/fetch-notes.sh list

Multiple ideas/notes workflow:
- When the user provides multiple distinct ideas or notes, work through them ONE AT A TIME
- Create post options for the first idea
- Wait for user approval/feedback before moving to the next idea
- This prevents overwhelming the user and allows for refinement as you go

1.3 Apply Selection Criteria

Using principles from references/x-strategy.md, evaluate the notes:

• High Priority: Shipped features with learnings, non-obvious insights, specific tool recommendations, solutions to common problems
• Medium Priority: Industry takes with unique angles, process improvements with examples
• Low Priority: Generic progress updates, future plans, obvious observations
• Skip: Engagement bait, vague hype, complaints without solutions

For each potential post, verify:
- Does it teach something specific?
- Is it backed by real experience?
- Would you want to read this if someone else posted it?

Phase 2: Content Creation

2.1 Select the Best Angle

From your analysis, identify:
- One clear idea - What's the single most interesting insight?
- Specific details - What names, numbers, or examples prove the point?
- The hook - What's the opening line that makes someone stop scrolling?

2.2 Choose the Format

Based on the content:

Single Tweet (most content) - Use for:
- One clear insight or observation
- Quick ship updates with learning
- Tool recommendations
- Strong observations

Thread (2-5 tweets) - Only use when you have:
- A narrative with steps
- Multiple related insights that build on each other
- Before/after story with context

2.3 Draft the Content

Apply BOTH guides loaded in Phase 1:

From style-guide.md:
- Direct, zero fluff - Get to the point in line 1
- Hook = first line
- Short sentences (10-15 words max)
- Specific over generic (names, tools, numbers)
- Present tense, active voice
- 180-250 characters (leave room for RTs)
- Avoid banned phrases (game-changer, unlock, dive in, leverage)
- Apply casing preference from CASING_STYLE env var (lowercase by default, capitalize personal names and WordPress)

From x-strategy.md:
- Value first - Give readers something useful
- Show your work - Share process and reasoning
- Specificity builds credibility
- One clear idea per post

Pattern Selection:
Use appropriate pattern from x-strategy.md:
- "Here's what I learned" - For insights
- "Shipped X, learned Y" - For updates
- Specific vs Generic - For challenging assumptions
- Tool Recommendation - For workflow improvements
- Problem → Solution - For how you solved something

2.4 Engagement Optimization

End 70% of posts with engagement:
- Specific question: "How do you handle [specific thing]?"
- Teaser: "More on this soon."
- Invitation: "Curious what you think."
- Hard stop (30%): Let the insight land

2.5 Quality Check

Before finalizing, verify against the three loaded reference files:
- [ ] Did I get to the point in line 1?
- [ ] Is this specific? (names, numbers, examples)
- [ ] Would I actually say this out loud?
- [ ] Does it sound like ME, not ChatGPT?
- [ ] Did I use any banned phrases from style-guide.md?
- [ ] Did I avoid AI patterns from anti-patterns.md?
- [ ] If it's a reaction, did I add MY angle?

Phase 3: Output

3.1 Present the Content

For each post created:

1. The Post(s) - Show the actual tweet(s) ready to copy/paste
2. Format - Indicate if it's a single tweet or thread
3. Character Count - Show length (target: 180-250 chars)
4. Pattern Used - Which pattern from x-strategy.md was applied
5. Key Elements - What specifics, tools, or projects were highlighted

3.2 Offer Options

When appropriate, provide 2-3 variations:
- Different angles on the same insight
- Single tweet vs thread format
- Different engagement endings

3.3 Explain Selections

Briefly note what was prioritized and why:
- Which insights from notes were selected
- Why certain details were emphasized
- What was intentionally left out

3.4 Save Approved Posts

When the user approves a post, append it to .social/X.md at the top level (create if missing).

File location:
- Always save to: .social/X.md (top-level, works from any directory)

Markdown format:

---

**Category:** Learning
**Type:** Single
**Status:** approved
**Date:** 2026-01-01

WordPress.com AI adds conversation alongside block editing.

People who couldn't navigate the UI before are shipping sites now. Others still use blocks for fine-tuning.

Both work. The conversation path just removes the skill barrier.

---

For threads, use markers to distinguish tweets:

---

**Category:** Learning
**Type:** Thread
**Status:** approved
**Date:** 2026-01-01

[THREAD - Tweet 1/4]
WordPress.com AI changes how people build sites.

[Tweet 2/4]
People who couldn't navigate block editing are shipping now.

[Tweet 3/4]
The UI is still there for fine-tuning. But conversation removes the skill barrier.

[Tweet 4/4]
Ask or click. Both paths work.

---

Categories:
- Learning - Insights, shipped updates with learnings
- Update - Project progress
- Tool - Recommendations
- Observation - Industry takes

Workflow:
1. Present the post(s) to the user
2. When approved, append to .social/X.md
3. User can copy-paste directly into X (text is ready with proper line breaks)
4. User removes the section after posting, or asks you to remove it

Output Format

After creating social content, provide:

📱 Post 1 (Single Tweet, 210 chars)
─────────────────────────────────
[Actual tweet text ready to copy/paste]

Pattern: "Shipped X, learned Y"
Specifics: agents.foo, conversational context matching
Engagement: Specific question

─────────────────────────────────

From your notes, I prioritized:
✓ The discovery insight (most shareable)
✓ Why traditional search failed (specific learning)
✗ Timeline details (not core value)

Alternative angles:
• Focus on the technical implementation
• Thread breaking down the 3 attempts

Example Interaction

User: "Help me create a post from these notes about building the curation feature"

Response:

Let me analyze your notes and create X content.

[Phase 1: Loads references/x-strategy.md and references/style-guide.md]
[Reads the notes, identifies key insights and specific details]

─────────────────────────────────
📱 Post (Single Tweet, 218 chars)
─────────────────────────────────

Shipped curation v1 for agents.foo today.

Discovery is way harder than app stores. Agents are conversations, not static features.

Had to rebuild around context matching instead of keyword search.

Pattern: "Shipped X, learned Y"
Key specifics: agents.foo, context matching vs keyword search
Engagement: Implicit (landing the insight)

─────────────────────────────────

From your notes, I selected:
✓ Core insight: agent discovery is different
✓ Specific solution: context matching
✓ Concrete detail: agents.foo
✗ Number of rebuild attempts (not essential to the insight)

Would you like me to:
• Save this approved post to .social/ for tracking
• Create a thread version breaking down why search patterns failed
• Add a question ending for more engagement
• Draft additional posts from other insights in your notes

Tips for Best Results

1. Provide context: "Notes from building curation feature" vs just pasting notes
2. Mention specific parts: "Focus on the learning about context matching" helps prioritize
3. Indicate quantity: "Create 3 posts from these notes" vs "create posts"
4. Specify format preference: "Single tweets only" or "open to threads"
5. Request variations: "Show me a few angles" gives options to choose from
6. Iterate: After the draft, request adjustments: "Make it more specific" or "Add a question ending"

Working with Different Note Types

Technical/Dev Notes

• Extract specific tools, frameworks, or technical decisions
• Focus on the "why" behind technical choices
• Include measurable improvements (time saved, performance gains)

Personal Observations

• Find the counter-intuitive angle
• Add specific examples from your work
• Tie to practical application

Meeting Notes

• Extract actionable insights
• Skip procedural details
• Focus on decisions or learnings

Work Updates

• Lead with what shipped
• Include one key learning
• Make it specific (not "made progress")

Advanced: Batch Processing

For multiple posts from one set of notes:

1. Identify 3-5 distinct insights worth sharing
2. Create separate posts for each (don't try to cram everything)
3. Space them out - Don't post all at once
4. Vary patterns - Use different structures for variety
5. Test and iterate - See what resonates, refine approach

Remember

Quality over quantity. 2 valuable posts beat 10 generic ones.

Specificity is everything. Names, numbers, tools, projects - these make posts shareable.

Your voice matters. Follow the guides but sound like yourself, not a template.

Value first. If it doesn't teach, share insight, or help someone - reconsider posting it.