| name | kallaway-addictive-storytelling |
| description | Engineers neurochemical retention — converts "vending machine" content (predictable, zero dopamine, viewer leaves) into "slot machine" content (uncertain outcomes, sustained dopamine drip, viewer locked in) using Kallaway's Four-Step Addiction Loop (Stakes → Big Question → Head Fake → Rehook). Governing metric is Time-Per-Hand — gap between dopamine hits. Use when content "falls flat" despite good information, when retention drops mid-piece, when designing video / YouTube / TikTok / Reels for sustained watch time, when a draft is informative but boring, or when the user asks "why isn't this gripping people?". Trigger proactively even when the user just shares retention-sensitive content without naming Kallaway — the Vending-vs-Slot diagnosis applies to ALL retention-bearing surfaces. |
| expert | Kallaway |
| domain | Neurochemical Retention Engineering (Content Psychology × Audience Obsession) |
Kallaway Addictive Storytelling — SKILL.md
Domain
Neurochemical Retention Engineering — the science of keeping audiences locked in through prediction cycle architecture.
Expert
Kallaway — Retention substrate between Content Psychology ("what to build") and Audience Obsession ("what to implant"). This domain answers: "How do you keep them watching?"
Core Thesis
Dopamine is a prediction chemical, not a pleasure chemical. Content that lets the brain predict correctly produces zero engagement. Content that engineers prediction errors — surprise that is unexpected but immediately logical — produces neurochemical addiction. The Four-Step Addiction Loop (Stakes → Big Question → Head Fake → Rehook) is the operating system for this.
Governing Metric
Time-Per-Hand — the gap between dopamine hits. Like a casino decreasing the time between bets, your content must decrease the gap between predictions. Shorter gaps = longer sessions.
The Decision: Vending Machine vs. Slot Machine
Every piece of content is one of two things:
- Vending Machine: Outcome is predictable from setup → zero dopamine → viewer can leave at any time
- Slot Machine: Outcome is uncertain → sustained dopamine drip + periodic spikes → viewer is chemically locked in
All workflows in this domain convert vending machines into slot machines.
Workflows (11)
Tier 1 — Foundation
| Workflow | Slash Command | What It Does |
|---|
addiction-loop-diagnostic | /addiction-loop-diagnostic | Audits any content for loop presence, coverage, and quality |
addiction-loop-architect | /addiction-loop-architect | Designs the complete loop blueprint before scripting |
stakes-engineer | /stakes-engineer | Engineers the three-component opening (Character + Risk + Urgency) |
blank-page-script-engine | /blank-page-script-engine | Raw topic → finished script: shock-scored facts, hook selection, 7-structure library, emotional payoff (upstream of the loop) |
Tier 2 — Practitioner
| Workflow | Slash Command | What It Does |
|---|
head-fake-forge | /head-fake-forge | Engineers prediction errors with misdirection architecture |
rehook-architect | /rehook-architect | Designs zero-dead-air transitions between loops |
big-question-calibrator | /big-question-calibrator | Calibrates question specificity for maximum sustained drip |
flat-to-addictive-rewrite | /flat-to-addictive-rewrite | Transforms flat content into loop-driven content |
Tier 3 — Stacking
| Workflow | Slash Command | What It Does |
|---|
loop-chain-scripting | /loop-chain-scripting | Chains all components into a full production-ready script |
addiction-copy-engine | /addiction-copy-engine | Adapts the loop to written copy (sales pages, emails, posts) |
loop-density-optimizer | /loop-density-optimizer | Final-pass optimizer that compresses time-per-hand |
Stacking Chains
This domain is designed to triple-stack with existing Kallaway assets:
- Addiction Loop (this domain) = the ENGINE (how to keep them watching)
- Dopamine Ladder (content-psychology) = the MAP (where each piece sits in the viewer's journey)
- Audience Obsession = the PAYLOAD (what you implant while they're locked in)
Common stacking sequences:
/addiction-loop-architect → /loop-chain-scripting → /loop-density-optimizer (full build pipeline)/addiction-loop-diagnostic → /flat-to-addictive-rewrite (audit + fix pipeline)/stakes-engineer → /big-question-calibrator → /head-fake-forge → /rehook-architect (component-by-component precision build)/addiction-loop-architect → /obsession-script-architect (loop architecture + obsession payload injection)
Quality Rubric
All outputs from this domain are evaluated on:
- Prediction Coverage % — at any given point, is there an active prediction? Target: ≥75%
- Time-Per-Hand Score — average gap between dopamine hits vs. format benchmark
- The "Oh! not Huh?" Test — every head fake produces surprise + understanding, never confusion
- Zero Vending Machine Sections — no predictable sections in the final output
- Relay Race Transitions — every section handoff maintains momentum (both runners at full sprint)
- Escalation Curve — head fake surprise magnitude increases across cycles
File Map
skills/kallaway-addictive-storytelling/
├── SKILL.md ← You are here
├── genius.md ← Core intelligence (12 patterns, 3 exemplars, 5 moves)
├── references/
│ └── addiction-loop-anatomy.md ← Structural quick-reference
└── workflows/
├── addiction-loop-diagnostic.md ← Tier 1
├── addiction-loop-architect.md ← Tier 1
├── stakes-engineer.md ← Tier 1
├── blank-page-script-engine.md ← Tier 1 (upstream: topic → script skeleton)
├── head-fake-forge.md ← Tier 2
├── rehook-architect.md ← Tier 2
├── big-question-calibrator.md ← Tier 2
├── flat-to-addictive-rewrite.md ← Tier 2
├── loop-chain-scripting.md ← Tier 3
├── addiction-copy-engine.md ← Tier 3
└── loop-density-optimizer.md ← Tier 3
Execution Prompts (structure-pure v2)
12 deterministic practitioner prompts — each carries an Output Contract, Output Skeleton, and Quality Gate. When a deliverable matches one, Read it and honor its contract instead of improvising the output shape.
- Addiction Loop Audit Report —
skills/kallaway-addictive-storytelling/references/prompts-v2/addiction-loop-audit-report.md
- Addiction Loop Blueprint — [TOPIC/OFFER] —
skills/kallaway-addictive-storytelling/references/prompts-v2/addiction-loop-blueprint.md
- Addictive Rewrite Package — [FLAT CONTENT topic] —
skills/kallaway-addictive-storytelling/references/prompts-v2/addictive-rewrite-package.md
- Blank Page Script — [TOPIC] —
skills/kallaway-addictive-storytelling/references/prompts-v2/blank-page-script.md
- Calibrated Big Question Set —
skills/kallaway-addictive-storytelling/references/prompts-v2/calibrated-big-question-set.md
- Density-Optimized Content —
skills/kallaway-addictive-storytelling/references/prompts-v2/density-optimized-content.md
- Full Addiction-Looped Script — [TOPIC/STORY] —
skills/kallaway-addictive-storytelling/references/prompts-v2/full-addiction-looped-script.md
- Head Fake Design Package —
skills/kallaway-addictive-storytelling/references/prompts-v2/head-fake-design-package.md
- Loop-Driven Copy Package — [OFFER/TOPIC] —
skills/kallaway-addictive-storytelling/references/prompts-v2/loop-driven-copy-package.md
- Premium Story Pillar Architecture — [CREATOR/BRAND] —
skills/kallaway-addictive-storytelling/references/prompts-v2/premium-story-pillar-architecture.md
- Rehook Chain Design —
skills/kallaway-addictive-storytelling/references/prompts-v2/rehook-chain-design.md
- Stakes Architecture Blueprint — [RAW MATERIAL] —
skills/kallaway-addictive-storytelling/references/prompts-v2/stakes-architecture-blueprint.md
