| name | Demo Script |
| description | "Use when preparing a conference talk, customer demo, or workshop, and you need a reliable, reproducible script. Triggers on "demo", "talk", "workshop", "keynote", "prepare presentation", "live coding"." |
Demo Script
When to invoke
- "Prepare a 20-minute demo for a conference talk."
- "Build a reproducible live-code demo that will not break."
- "Turn this feature into a customer workshop."
Demo principles
- Tell a story. Problem -> tension -> solution -> outcome.
- Never live-code from scratch. Start from a prepared state; add the 1-2 lines that prove the point.
- Rehearse 3 times minimum. Once alone, once recorded (watch it back), once in front of a human.
- Have a Plan B for every network call, every auth, every reveal.
- Fail gracefully. If the demo breaks, explain what was supposed to happen and move on. Do not debug live.
- Time yourself. Each section should fit in a budget. Overrun is a sign of missing rehearsal.
Story arc (20-minute talk)
| Minute | Section | Content |
|---|
| 0-2 | Hook | A concrete problem the audience has. One vivid example. |
| 2-4 | Tension | Why current solutions fall short. |
| 4-6 | Setup | Intro the tool/approach. What it is, in 3 sentences. |
| 6-14 | Demo | The meat. 2-3 short "beats", each with a clear takeaway. |
| 14-17 | Outcome | What just happened, why it matters, real metric. |
| 17-19 | Call to action | Where to start. Link. Concrete first step. |
| 19-20 | Q&A setup | Invite questions. Have 3 planted ones ready. |
Demo beats (inside the demo section)
Each beat = one clear point. Structure:
- Before state (15 s): what is it like without the solution?
- The move (30-60 s): the one action that shows the magic.
- After state (15 s): what changed? Name the metric.
Three beats is the sweet spot. Four is already long.
Pre-flight checklist
Output template
## Demo - <Title> - <Duration>
### Core message
One sentence the audience should repeat tomorrow.
### Setup (before start)
- Repo: <url> at tag `demo-v1`
- DB seeded with: <script>
- Browser tabs open: <list>
- Terminals: 2 (one for build, one for curl)
### Script
#### Beat 1: <Title> (3 min)
**Before**: <state>
**Say**: "<exact line>"
**Do**: <exact commands>
**After**: <state>
**Takeaway**: <one sentence>
#### Beat 2: ... etc
### Plan B
- If build fails -> show pre-recorded 30s clip.
- If network dies -> switch to localhost-only demo.
- If time runs short -> skip Beat 3, go to outcome.
### Rehearsal log
- 2026-04-25 solo - 22 min (cut 2 min from intro).
- 2026-04-26 recorded - 19 min, stumble at Beat 2 (memorise line).
- 2026-04-27 live to 2 colleagues - 20 min.
Anti-patterns
- Live-coding from a blank file to prove a point.
- Reading slides verbatim.
- "Let me just fix this error real quick" (never works).
- No rehearsal; "I'll wing it".
- Demo depends on internet, no offline fallback.
Quality gate
Never take a demo on stage that has not been rehearsed end-to-end at least 3 times.
