X Post Generator Skill

Twitter/X Post Generator

Generate trending-optimized Twitter/X posts for any subject. Output is platform-native, algorithm-aware, and ready to schedule. The goal is multi-feed reach: posts that work on Twitter/X and that translate cleanly to Hacker News, Reddit, and quote-tweet chains.

> Throughout this skill, "Twitter/X" refers to the same platform — X is the current name, Twitter is the legacy name still widely used in search and conversation. "Tweet" is retained as the noun for a single post.

When this skill applies

Trigger whenever the user:

• Asks to write tweets, Twitter/X posts, or Twitter/X threads about a specific subject
• Mentions wanting to "trend", "go viral", or "build an audience" on Twitter or X
• Asks for content strategy that includes Twitter/X
• Wants to launch a product, release, paper, or analysis and asks how to share it
• Wants cross-platform content where Twitter/X is one of the channels

This skill covers Twitter/X only. For other platforms (LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube), invoke a platform-specific skill if one is available, or treat the cross-platform variants in references/cross-post-variants.md (Hacker News, Reddit, Substack) as the primary scope.

The Six Operating Principles

These principles come from analyzing how the Twitter/X ranking model actually weights content — see the open-source Twitter/X algorithm. Apply them in order of priority.

1. Specificity beats cleverness. Concrete numbers, direct quotes, file paths, dates, percentages outperform witty prose every time. Why: the human eye locks onto specifics; vague claims trigger scroll-past, which the ranker treats as a negative signal.

1. Reply provocation > like provocation. The Twitter/X ranker has 19 prediction heads (favorite, reply, quote, repost, click, dwell, followauthor, plus negatives like block, mute, report). The reply and quote heads carry high positive weight. Posts that end with a question, forced choice, or contrarian take outperform identical posts that don't. Why: a reply triggers all three of (dwell, reply, profileclick) — the strongest amplification chain in the algorithm.

1. Design for screenshot independence. The best post is one that strangers screenshot in their own threads, crediting you in passing. Why: this is virality that doesn't require your engagement. Aim for a closing line, a code block, or a side-by-side that someone else would want to repost as an image.

1. Pacing is a constraint, not a suggestion. The home-mixer's author-diversity scorer attenuates repeat authors within a feed. Five great posts across a week beats twenty in three days. Why: the second post by the same author the same day gets penalized; the third and fourth get crushed.

1. Anti-bait. Negative signals (block, mute, report, not_interested) carry large negative weights in the final scorer. Sharp ≠ abrasive. Provoke replies, not blocks. Why: one report from a high-credibility account can offset hundreds of likes in the model's eyes.

1. One owned channel. Always include at least one Substack/blog/newsletter in the campaign. Owned channels survive algorithm changes. Why: the algorithm could change tomorrow; an email list won't.

The Workflow

Execute in order. Skipping discovery is the most common failure mode and the single biggest predictor of generic, non-trending output.

Phase 1 — Discovery (always do this first)

Before drafting anything, learn the subject in depth. Read:

• Primary sources: codebase, paper, product page, README, launch post, press release
• The subject's "headline claim" — usually a quote in the README, abstract, or keynote
• Specific numbers: LOC, dimensions, parameters, dates, prices, percentages, durations
• Press coverage (if any) to find angles others have already taken (and avoid)

Produce an intelligence brief (internal — for your own use):

• The 1-sentence headline claim
• 5-10 specific numbers, with sources
• 3-5 surprising design or product decisions
• 5-10 obvious gaps or unaddressed concerns
• 1-3 historical contrasts (vs. prior version, vs. competitor)

Without this brief, every post will be generic. With this brief, every post writes itself.

Phase 2 — Angle extraction

For the subject, mine angles using these prompts. Each prompt usually yields 2-4 candidate tweets.

| Prompt | What it produces | |--------|---------| | What's the central claim that reframes the field? | The headline shift tweet | | What single decision surprised me most? | The cleverest-thing tweet | | What did they do that nobody else does? | The counterintuitive choice tweet | | What's missing or NOT in the release? | The hot-take / "what's not in" tweet | | How does this compare to the prior version? | The historical contrast tweet | | What principle here transfers to other domains? | The universally-applicable tweet | | What's worth screenshotting (code, diagram, quote)? | The visual-quotable tweet | | What does this signal about the future? | The industry-implication tweet | | What does the consensus get wrong about this? | The contrarian / hot-take tweet | | What would a smart-but-new person not know? | The educational explainer tweet | | What should the reader DO after reading? | The practical-advice tweet | | What's my personal story with this? | The narrative hook tweet |

Aim for 15-25 candidate angles before drafting. See references/hooks-and-structures.md for hook patterns.

Phase 3 — Algorithmic ranking

Score each candidate against these criteria (1-10 each):

1. Hook strength — do the first 7 words stop a scroll?
2. Specificity — concrete numbers, quotes, paths?
3. Reply provocation — forced choice, question, or controversial?
4. Cross-platform fit — does it work as-is on >1 platform?
5. Visual potential — pairs with a screenshot, diagram, or side-by-side?
6. Anti-bait resistance — risk of triggering block/mute/report?
7. Quotability — is the closing line screenshot-worthy?

Tiering:

• Tier S — average ≥8 across criteria. Ship this week.
• Tier A — average ≥7. Ship next week.
• Tier B — passes but no asymmetric upside. Use only for filler days.

If Tier S has fewer than 3 posts, the discovery phase was probably weak — go back to Phase 1.

Phase 4 — Drafting

For each Tier S/A angle, draft:

• Full tweet text (target 200-280 chars for single tweets; threads can be longer)
• A [lever] annotation: which viral mechanism does this use?
• An [end] annotation: what's the reply prompt or call-to-action?

See references/hooks-and-structures.md for templates by hook type.

Phase 5 — Sequencing

Build a 7-14 day posting schedule. See references/timing-matrix.md for audience-specific timing.

Default cadence for tech / ML audiences (US time):

| Day | Time (ET) | Post type | |-----|-----------|-----------| | Mon | 9:00am | Top-of-funnel single tweet | | Tue | 8:30am | Visual / screenshot tweet | | Tue | 11:00am | Hacker News submission | | Wed | 9:00am | Contrarian / reply-harvester tweet | | Wed | 2:00pm | Reddit (specialist subreddit) | | Thu | 8:00am | Long thread (compound reach) | | Thu | 3:00pm | Substack post (owned channel) | | Fri | 10:00am | Practical-advice tweet | | Sat | 11:00am | Reddit r/programming (weekend dev crowd) | | Sun | 8:00pm | Quote-RT engagement on trending account |

Between scheduled posts, budget 30 minutes/day for reply work — both on your posts and on adjacent big accounts.

Phase 6 — Visual assets

For every Tier S tweet, recommend at least one visual:

• Code screenshots (Carbon.now style)
• Architecture diagrams (Excalidraw, Whimsical)
• Side-by-side comparisons (then vs. now)
• Annotated diagrams (red boxes for what's missing)
• Data viz (latency, line counts, dimensions)
• Charts with specific numbers

Visual tweets consistently outperform prose tweets for the same content (the photo_expand action is a positively-weighted head in the Twitter/X Phoenix scorer, and images extend dwell time). Always recommend a visual.

Output Format

When complete, deliver a single markdown file with these sections:

# Twitter/X Content Plan: [Subject]

## 1. Intelligence Brief
[from Phase 1]

## 2. Tier S Posts (ship this week)
For each:
- The full tweet text
- [lever] and [end] annotations
- Visual recommendation
- Best day/time to post

## 3. Tier A Posts (ship next week)
[same structure, shorter annotations]

## 4. Tier B Posts (filler days, optional)
[one-line each]

## 5. Posting Schedule
[7-14 day calendar]

## 6. Cross-Platform Variants
- Hacker News submission (title + body)
- Reddit post for relevant subreddit
- Substack outline

## 7. Visual Asset Checklist
[list of 5-10 visuals to create]

## 8. Anti-Patterns to Avoid
[from references/anti-patterns.md]

References — load only as needed

• references/hooks-and-structures.md — viral tweet templates, hook patterns, thread design, quote-tweet patterns. Load when drafting Phase 4.
• references/algorithm-levers.md — the Twitter/X ranker's action heads (positive and negative), engagement-chain mechanics, and scorer notes. Load when ranking in Phase 3 or designing reply prompts.
• references/timing-matrix.md — best posting times by audience (devs, founders, ML, design, finance). Load during Phase 5.
• references/cross-post-variants.md — Hacker News, Reddit r/programming, r/MachineLearning, r/[domain] templates. Load during Phase 6 or if user requests cross-platform.
• references/anti-patterns.md — what to never do. Load if user's draft contains anything risky.

Decision Tree

User asks for a "tweet about [subject]"
  → Did they specify a subject? 
    → No: ask one clarifying question, then Phase 1.
    → Yes: Phase 1 directly.

User asks for "Twitter/X strategy" / "content campaign"
  → Run all six phases; produce the full output document.

User asks for "viral tweet / viral Twitter/X post about [subject]"
  → Tier S only; smaller output (3-5 posts + visuals).

User asks to "improve this tweet" / "improve this Twitter/X post"
  → Skip Phase 1-2; score against Phase 3 criteria; rewrite for higher score.

User mentions Twitter/X alongside other platforms (LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.)
  → This skill produces Twitter/X output only. Hacker News, Reddit, and Substack variants are covered in `references/cross-post-variants.md`. For other platforms, defer to a platform-specific skill if installed.

Pre-Delivery Checklist

Before handing the user the output document, verify each item:

• [ ] Discovery brief includes ≥5 specific numbers from primary sources (Phase 1)
• [ ] At least 3 Tier S posts exist; if not, revisit discovery
• [ ] Every Tier S post has a [lever], [end], and visual recommendation
• [ ] Posting schedule respects the 4+ hour spacing rule (author-diversity attenuation)
• [ ] At least one owned-channel slot (Substack/blog) is in the schedule
• [ ] At least one cross-platform variant (HN or Reddit) is included
• [ ] No post fails the self-check in references/anti-patterns.md (engagement bait, rage bait, abrasive framing)
• [ ] If the subject is a release, the most quotable primary-source sentence is the lead of Day 1

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: jnkindi
• Source: jnkindi/x-post-generator-skill
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.