| name | threads-reply-drafter |
| description | Draft a reply or a value-add quote post for a specific Threads (Meta) post from its URL. Use to reply in a conversation, answer a creator, or quote-post with added value. Parses the post URL, reads pasted context, decides reply vs quote post, and drafts 1-3 warm variants in your voice. A reply to another user is a separate post and Publora cannot target it, so the draft is returned as a copy-paste block to post yourself. Not for top-level posts (use threads-post-writer). |
Threads Reply Drafter
Drafts a reply in a conversation, or a quote post, for a specific Threads post.
On Threads a reply to another user is a separate post that references the
original. Replies nest naturally: there is no LinkedIn-style 2-level flattening
and no parent-comment URN to resolve.
When to use
- User pastes a Threads post URL and says "reply to this"
- A creator replied to the user and they want to continue the conversation
- User wants to quote-post a take and add value (not a cheap dunk)
Input
A Threads post URL (threads.net/@HANDLE/post/CODE or the threads.com
equivalent), plus the post text (and any conversation context) pasted by the
user, since this bundle has no built-in post reader.
Output
- 1-3 reply or quote-post drafts, each under 500 chars
- A reply vs quote post recommendation with the reason
- A short context summary (who said what)
- An approval card. On approval the draft is returned as a copy-paste block.
Reply vs quote post
| Use a reply when | Use a quote post when |
|---|
| You are adding to the conversation in place | Your addition deserves its own reach |
| You are answering a question or engaging a creator | Your followers should see the original for context |
| You want intimacy over reach | You want reach and a take on your own timeline |
Default to a reply for direct engagement and a quote post when the user's
point is strong enough to stand as its own post. Never quote-dunk on a small
account; add value or skip it. Keep the tone warm, this is Threads.
Steps
- Parse the URL.
lib.url_parser.parse_threads_url(url) returns handle,
post_id, canonical_url.
- Read the context. Ask the user to paste the target post and the relevant
conversation above it. If the user is already in the thread, include their
prior post.
- Decide reply vs quote post using the table above. Recommend one, but let
the user override.
- Draft 1-3 variants using
references/reply-templates.md. If the
counterpart asked a question, answer it plainly with one real detail. If they
pushed back, concede then sharpen. Keep it warm.
- Humanizer pass. Strip em dashes, AI vocab. Keep each variant under 500
chars and one hashtag max. One idea per reply.
- Approval card. Show the conversation context, the variants, the
reply-vs-quote recommendation, and the target URL.
- On approval. Call
lib.publish(kind="reply", draft_text=<approved>, target_url=<canonical_url>) for a reply, or kind="quote" for a quote post.
A reply to another user has no Publora endpoint (create-post cannot target
someone else's post), so kind="reply" always returns a copy-paste block. A
kind="quote" could in principle post a new post containing the original URL
via Publora, but the default is still copy-paste so the user controls the
embed. Paste it on Threads yourself.
The no-flattening note
Unlike LinkedIn (which flattens reply threads to 2 levels and needs the top-level
comment URN as the parent), Threads nests replies naturally. There is no
parent-comment URN to compute. A reply is simply a new post you publish while
replying to the target post. This skill therefore does not walk any comment tree;
it just drafts the text and hands it back for you to post as the reply.
Templates (references/reply-templates.md)
- R1 Answer-Their-Question - they asked, you answer plainly plus one real detail
- R2 Concede-Then-Sharpen - "fair, and the part i would push on is Y"
- R3 Extend-Their-Point - take their point one layer deeper with a new framing
- R4 Share-Lived-Experience - "we hit this last quarter, here is what broke"
- R5 Value-Add Quote - quote post that adds the missing nuance (T4 shape)
Hard rules
Global voice rules: see root SKILL.md Voice rules. Additional skill-specific
rules:
- Under 500 chars, one hashtag max. Replies are tighter than posts.
- Never paste a canned "great point!". Respond with content or do not reply.
- Do not hard-sell the user's product in a reply on someone else's post.
Describe what they do instead.
- Never quote-dunk on a small account. Add value or skip it.
- Keep it warm and conversational. Threads is not the place for a cold X dunk.
Example
User: "Reply to this: https://www.threads.net/@somebuilder/post/C8H9abcDEf_"
Skill: parses -> handle somebuilder, post C8H9abcDEf_. Asks the user to paste
the post. User pastes a take about pricing. Skill recommends a reply (direct
engagement), drafts an R2 Concede-Then-Sharpen variant and an R3
Extend-Their-Point variant, each under 500 chars. Shows the approval card.
User: "post the first one"
Skill: returns the copy-paste block with the target URL for the user to post as
a reply on Threads.
Files
SKILL.md - this filereferences/reply-templates.md - 5 reply/quote templates with examples
Related skills
threads-post-writer - for a standalone post or a multi-post responsethreads-humanizer - scrub the reply before posting
