| name | create-storyboard |
| model | sonnet |
| description | Plan story direction, scenes, narrative arc, pacing |
| disable-model-invocation | false |
| argument-hint | <book-slug> |
Create Storyboard
Plan story direction for a Bookie book video. This is pure narrative planning — no script text, no timestamps, no image prompts. Those come later in the pipeline.
Context
- When to use: After
/extract-notes produces notes.md with a chosen angle. Before /write-video.
- Input:
notes.md (book insights, stories, criticism research, chosen angle)
- Output:
storyboard.md (story arc + per-scene direction)
Pipeline Position
/extract-notes → notes.md + angle
↓
/create-storyboard → storyboard.md ← YOU ARE HERE
↓
/write-video → chunks-display.md + chunks.md
↓
make voice → audio + timing
↓
/generate-prompts → image-prompts.md
The storyboard guides /write-video — it defines WHAT each scene should accomplish and FEEL like, so the script writer can focus on HOW to say it.
Steps
-
Validate: Check that $ARGUMENTS is provided. If missing, ask Hai for the book slug (e.g., "atomic-habits"). Set SLUG=$ARGUMENTS. Check that projects/ai-book-video/books/$SLUG/ exists.
-
Read input: Read projects/ai-book-video/books/$SLUG/notes.md. Extract:
- Book title and author
- Key insights (concepts, stories, examples)
- Chosen angle (from "Angle đã chọn" section)
- Recommended template (if specified in chosen angle)
- Criticism research (if contrarian angle)
- Competitive analysis (what others have done)
- Vault context (if present — cross-book connections, existing themes)
If notes.md has no "Angle" section or is empty, abort: tell user to run /extract-notes first.
-
Template selection:
Read projects/ai-book-video/templates/narrative-templates.md and projects/ai-book-video/knowledge-base/ to evaluate which templates are activated by vault state.
a. Check vault state:
- Read
knowledge-base/library.md — how many books covered
- Read
knowledge-base/connections/ — any cross-book tensions/agreements
- Read relevant
knowledge-base/concepts/ files — theme overlap
b. Evaluate each template's trigger condition:
- Contrarian Analysis: 1+ book in library, mainstream reception, gap in VN YouTube → always available after first book
- Hidden Connection: 1+ entry in connections/ linking 2 books → available when vault has cross-book data
- Meta-Pattern: 3+ entries in one concepts/ file from different books → available when theme has depth
- Author Portrait: Substantial authors/ file, 2+ books by same author → available for well-researched authors
- The Tension: High-tension entry in contradictions/ → available when clear author-vs-author clash exists
c. Present activated templates with rationale. If notes.md already recommends a template, highlight it. Ask Hai to pick a template or "custom" (freeform arc).
-
Detect mode:
- If
storyboard.md exists with content → ask Hai whether to overwrite or revise specific scenes
- If missing or empty → new draft mode
-
Plan the story arc: Based on the chosen angle + selected template, design the narrative shape.
If template selected: Use its scene structure as the skeleton. The template defines the scene labels, purposes, and emotional arc. The storyboard fills in specific content from notes.md.
If custom: Design from scratch. Think about:
- What's the emotional journey? (curiosity → realization → action)
- Where's the tension? Where's the release?
- What's the "one thing" the viewer should remember?
- How many scenes? (typically 7-10 for a 5-8 minute video)
-
Design each scene: For every scene, define:
- Purpose: What this scene accomplishes in the story (one sentence)
- Emotion: What the viewer should feel during this scene
- Key content: Which insight/story/example from notes.md drives this scene
- Visual concept: A metaphor or image that communicates the idea visually. Think editorial illustration — abstract, symbolic, evocative. Not literal.
- Pace:
slow (dramatic, reflective), normal (narration), or fast (energetic)
- Shorts candidate: Could this scene work as a standalone 15-60s clip?
-
Present to Hai: Show the storyboard. This is naturally iterative — Hai may want to:
- Reorder scenes
- Change the emotional arc
- Swap visual metaphors
- Add or remove scenes
- Adjust pacing
-
Write output: Write to projects/ai-book-video/books/$SLUG/storyboard.md
Output Format
# Storyboard: [Book Title] — [Angle/Subtitle]
> **Tác giả**: [Author]
> **Angle**: [Chosen angle from notes.md]
> **Template**: [Template name or "Custom"]
> **Scenes**: [N] scenes
## Story Arc
[One-paragraph summary of the narrative shape. What's the emotional journey?
Where does tension build? Where does it release? What's the takeaway?]
## Scenes
### Scene 01 — [Short label, e.g., HOOK]
- **Purpose**: [What this scene does for the story]
- **Emotion**: [What the viewer feels]
- **Key content**: [Which insight/story from notes.md]
- **Visual concept**: [Metaphor or symbolic image]
- **Pace**: slow | normal | fast
- **Shorts**: Yes | No
### Scene 02 — [Label]
...
## Summary
| Scene | Label | Emotion | Pace | Shorts |
|-------|-------|---------|------|--------|
| 01 | HOOK | Curiosity → doubt | slow | Yes |
| 02 | CONTEXT | Respect | normal | No |
...
What This Skill Does NOT Include
These are handled by other pipeline steps:
- Narration text: That's
/write-video. The storyboard says "this scene should make the viewer feel doubt" — the script writer decides the exact words.
- Timestamps: Timing comes from
make voice (actual TTS output). The storyboard doesn't predict duration.
- Image prompts: Those are generated by
/generate-prompts after voice, when actual scene timing is known.
The storyboard is a direction document, not a production spec. Keep it lean and focused on story intent.
Scene Design Guidelines
- HOOK should be provocative or surprising — not "Xin chào" or channel intro
- CONTEXT establishes credibility and fairness before diving into content
- Each content scene should follow: concept → specific story/example → real-world connection
- TAKEAWAY gives the viewer one actionable thing they can do today
- CTA is light — subscribe, comment, suggest next book. Never pushy.
- Visual concepts should be metaphorical, not literal. "A cracking graph" not "a person reading a book."
- Pace variety matters — if everything is
normal, the video feels flat. Use slow for dramatic moments and fast for energy.
- Mark strong shorts candidates — these drive discovery on YouTube/TikTok.
Important
- All output content in Vietnamese (scene labels can mix Vietnamese and English where natural)
- The storyboard is a living document — it guides the script but doesn't constrain it rigidly
- Focus on emotional arc over information density. A video that makes viewers feel something gets shared; one that dumps information gets forgotten.