dgblog

name	DgBlog
description	Blog post authoring for Alternef Digital Garden. USE WHEN writing blog posts, editing posts, EN→FR translation, writing voice questions, moving drafts to published.

Customization

Before executing, check for user customizations at: ~/.claude/PAI/USER/SKILLCUSTOMIZATIONS/DgBlog/

If this directory exists, load and apply any PREFERENCES.md, configurations, or resources found there. These override default behavior. If the directory does not exist, proceed with skill defaults.

🚨 MANDATORY: Voice Notification (REQUIRED BEFORE ANY ACTION)

You MUST send this notification BEFORE doing anything else when this skill is invoked.

1. Send voice notification:

   curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8888/notify \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"message": "Loading DgBlog skill for blog post authoring"}' \
     > /dev/null 2>&1 &
   

2. Output text notification:

   Loading **DgBlog** skill for blog post authoring...
   

This is not optional. Execute this curl command immediately upon skill invocation.

Digital Garden Blog Authoring

Persistent knowledge layer for blog posts in the Alternef Digital Garden. Covers architecture, frontmatter patterns, content structure, writing voice, and EN→FR translation.

Workflow Routing

| Trigger | Workflow Section | How to invoke | ||---------|-----------------|---------------| || Create new blog post | DgNotes Create Workflow (content-type: blog) | "write a blog about X" | || Edit or improve post | DgNotes Improve Workflow | "improve blog post X" | || Translate post to French | Translation Workflow | "translate X to French" | || Publish draft blog post | DgNotes Publish Workflow | "publish blog post X" | || Sync post to GitHub | DgQuartzDev Deployment Workflow | "sync the garden" | || Validate blog structure | Add --validate to any workflow | Use on create/improve |

Context files: BlogStyleGuide.md · TranslationWorkflow.md · BlogPostEnTemplate.md · BlogPostFrTemplate.md

Blog Architecture

content/blog/
├── index.md                    # Blog landing page
├── the-compiled-stack.md       # Technical architecture posts
├── holochain-*.md              # Holochain ecosystem posts
├── rea-valueflows-*.md         # Economics/protocol posts
├── fractal-sovereignty-*.md    # Systems thinking posts
├── fr/                         # French translations
│   ├── index.md                # French blog landing
│   ├── souverainete-fractale-*.md
│   └── symphonie_des_consciences.md
└── ...
content/unpublished/            # Drafts not yet published
├── index.md
└── *.md                        # Work-in-progress posts

Frontmatter Pattern

Required fields

---
title: "Post Title: Subtitle with Context"
date: "YYYY-MM-DD"
author: "Soushi888"
description: "Compelling 1-2 sentence summary for SEO and social sharing (~100-200 chars)"
tags:
  - "blog"              # ALWAYS include "blog" as first tag
  - "primary-topic"
  - "secondary-topic"
  - "technology-or-domain"
---

Optional fields

subtitle: "Extended title or hook"
updated: "YYYY-MM-DD"             # Last modification date
draft: true                    # Exclude from build
type: "article"                # Or "meditation", "report"
categories:                    # Topic grouping
  - "Category Name"
aliases:                       # Alternative names
  - "Short Name"
heroImage: "/blog-placeholder-3.jpg"
language: "fr"                 # For French posts
audience: "technical"          # Or "spiritual-seekers", "general"

Date management rules

• date is the publication date — set once when creating the post, never change it afterward.
• updated is the last modified date — add or update it every time you meaningfully change an existing post.
• When creating a new post: set date only. Do not include updated.
• When editing an existing post: add or update updated: "YYYY-MM-DD" (today's date).

Author conventions

• Primary author: "Soushi888" (most posts)
• Organization: "Alternef" (some older posts)
• AI collaboration: "Claude & Soushi888" (when AI co-authored)

Tag rules

Tag vocabulary and format standards live in DgTags (TagVocabulary.md). Load DgTags when working with tags. After drafting a post, run SuggestTags from DgTags to get tag suggestions.

Blog-specific exception (stays here): blog is always the first tag for every blog post. DgTags' SuggestTags workflow prepends it automatically for content/blog/ paths.

Post Structure

No H1 title in body

Rule: Never start a post with # Title. The title frontmatter field is the canonical title — Quartz renders it as the page H1. Adding # Title in the body duplicates the heading.

Opening pattern

*Italicized hook restating the core thesis in 1-2 compelling sentences*

---

[Opening paragraphs that set context and frame the problem]

Body organization

• 4-6 major sections (H2 ##)
• Each section covers one major concept or technology
• H3 subsections for detailed aspects
• Code examples where relevant (with language specifier)
• Wikilinks to knowledge garden: [[note-name|Display Text]]

"Honest Tradeoff" pattern

This is a signature style element. After presenting benefits of a technology or approach, include:

**The honest tradeoff:** [Genuine limitations, costs, or challenges with this approach.
Not marketing — real constraints that practitioners should understand.]

This pattern appears in technical posts and demonstrates intellectual honesty. It:

• Acknowledges real costs alongside benefits
• Builds reader trust
• Shows deep understanding of tradeoffs
• Prevents the post from reading like advocacy

Closing pattern

Posts typically end with:

• A synthesis section connecting all threads
• Forward-looking perspective
• Sometimes a call to explore related topics

Images

Required pattern (MANDATORY — no exceptions)

<center>
    <img src="filename.jpeg" alt="Descriptive alt text" width="50%" />
</center>

Rules

• Always use the HTML <img> tag inside <center> — never markdown ![alt](path) syntax
• Filename only — no folder prefix. Quartz resolves images by shortest path match across the content tree. Images live in content/blog/assets/ but are referenced by name alone
• Always width="50%"
• Position: after the --- separator that follows the opening italic hook — never before the hook, never in the frontmatter

Correct position in a post

*Italicized opening hook.*

---

<center>
    <img src="image.jpeg" alt="Description" width="50%" />
</center>

First paragraph of body content...

Image storage

Place image files in content/blog/assets/. They resolve correctly from any post location (blog, substack, etc.) via Quartz's shortest-path resolution.

Writing Voice

Characteristics

• Analytical but accessible: Deep technical detail explained clearly
• Honest: Acknowledges limitations alongside strengths
• Concrete-first: Starts with specific examples, generalizes after
• Precise vocabulary: Uses correct technical terms, defines when needed
• No marketing language: Never "blazingly fast", "revolutionary", "game-changing"
• Measured confidence: States what is known vs. what is speculative

Tone markers

• Direct declarative sentences
• "This is..." / "What this means is..." / "The result is..."
• Questions used sparingly to frame sections: "So the question becomes: ..."
• Italics for emphasis and hooks, not bold (bold for technical terms)

Examples from existing posts

Good opening (from The Compiled Stack):

Every layer ships only what it uses. Every tool compiles down to its essence. Nothing carries unnecessary runtime weight.

Good tradeoff (from The Compiled Stack):

The honest tradeoff: Rust's learning curve is real and famously steep. The borrow checker, lifetime annotations, and trait system demand a significant upfront investment...

Good framing:

This is not a sharing economy. It is a micro-service economy with better marketing.

See BlogStyleGuide.md for detailed voice guidance with more examples.

Blog-to-Knowledge Connection

Blog posts should link to knowledge garden notes where relevant:

• Technical concepts: [[rust|Rust]], [[holochain|Holochain]]
• Theoretical frameworks: [[rea-accounting|REA Accounting]]
• Governance models: [[open-value-networks|Open Value Networks]]

This creates bidirectional connections between blog analysis and reference knowledge.

Wikilink rules

When linking to knowledge notes, follow these rules from DgNotes:

• Regular notes: [[note-filename|Display Name]] (shortest path, no folder prefix needed)
• Index files: ALWAYS use the full absolute path from knowledge/:
  • WRONG: [[mystical-oriented-programming|...]]
  • WRONG: [[mystical-oriented-programming/index|...]]
  • CORRECT: [[knowledge/tools-and-technology/.../mystical-oriented-programming/index|...]]
• Never use relative paths (../) — they break in Quartz

Garden MCP Tools — MANDATORY FIRST

BLOCKING RULE: When looking up existing garden content while writing or editing a blog post, a garden MCP tool MUST be called before any Grep/Glob. Do not grep for [[note-name]] patterns or search for existing notes without first querying the index.

Operation	Primary Tool	Fallback (only if MCP unavailable or stale)
Find knowledge notes on a topic	mcp__garden__garden_search	Grep
How a concept connects in the graph	mcp__garden__garden_context	Read + Grep
Blog posts already referencing a knowledge note	mcp__garden__garden_backlinks	Grep
Explore related concepts before writing	mcp__garden__garden_explore	Multiple Grep

Index freshness after edits: After saving a blog post, the index updates within ~1-2s. Use Read directly for immediate post-write verification. For bulk blog updates (e.g., fixing frontmatter across multiple posts), call mcp__garden__garden_status to confirm the index is current before running any MCP searches.

Translation Workflow

Invoked when the user says "translate X to French", "traduis X en français", or "create FR version of Y".

Quick Reference

• File location: content/blog/fr/<kebab-case-french-title>.md
• Frontmatter additions: language: "fr", source: "<original-filename>"
• Source post update: Add fr_translation: "fr/<french-filename>" to original

Execution Steps

1. Load Rules: Read TranslationWorkflow.md for complete EN→FR conventions
2. Read Source: Read the English blog post in full
3. Target Path Derivation: Determine French filename using kebab-case French title
   • Target directory: content/blog/fr/
   • Example: the-compiled-stack.md → content/blog/fr/la-pile-compilee.md
4. Frontmatter Translation:
   • Translate title and description to French
   • Add language: "fr"
   • Keep "blog" tag as-is; translate other tags to French equivalents
   • Add source: "<original-filename>" field pointing to English source
5. Content Translation: Translate body text using Soushi888 voice conventions
   • Analytical but accessible: maintain technical precision in French
   • No emdashes (critical rule)
   • Preserve wikilinks with French display text where appropriate
   • Keep code blocks untranslated
   • Preserve markdown structure, callouts, blockquotes
6. Cross-Reference Update: Add fr_translation: "fr/<french-filename>" to source English frontmatter
7. Review: Validate frontmatter completeness, check for emdashes, verify voice consistency
8. Memory Update: Append new translation patterns to dg-patterns.md

Voice in French

• Maintain the same analytical, honest, concrete-first style
• Use French technical vocabulary where it exists; keep English terms where they are standard (e.g., "blockchain", "frontend")
• Bold for technical terms, italics for emphasis — same as English
• No emdashes — use colons, commas, or parentheses instead

Wikilink Translation

English	French
`[[rust	Rust]]`

ISC

• ISC: Translated file placed in content/blog/fr/ with correct kebab-case French name
• ISC: All required frontmatter fields present including language: "fr" and source:
• ISC: Source English file updated with fr_translation: field
• ISC: Writing voice matches analytical, honest, concrete-first Soushi888 style
• ISC-A: No emdash characters in any translated content
• ISC-A: Source English file content not modified beyond adding fr_translation: field
• ISC-A: Code blocks remain in original language (untranslated)

Examples

Example 1: Write a new blog post

User: "Write a blog post about my experience with Holochain"
→ Loads DgBlog skill, reads BlogStyleGuide.md for voice
→ Invokes /dg:create with content-type blog
→ Creates with required frontmatter: title, date, author "Soushi888", tags starting with "blog"
→ Opens with italicized hook, includes "honest tradeoff" pattern, links to knowledge notes

Example 2: Translate a post to French

User: "Translate the compiled stack post to French"
→ Loads DgBlog skill, reads TranslationWorkflow.md
→ Invokes /dg:translate
→ Creates file in content/blog/fr/ with language: "fr" frontmatter
→ Translates title, description, and body while keeping code blocks intact

Example 3: Publish a draft post

User: "Publish the shadow work draft"
→ Loads DgBlog skill
→ Invokes /dg:publish
→ Moves from content/unpublished/ to content/blog/
→ Removes draft: true from frontmatter, sets publication date