remix-apple-notes-ad-from-sample

name

remix-apple-notes-ad-from-sample

description

Remix a published Apple Notes video ad from the Goose Ads library for a new brand — keep the source's note structure and typing pacing, swap in the brand's product, voice, and promo code, get the note approved in-session, then render with create-apple-notes-video-ad and publish the MP4 back to Gooseworks with live stage reporting. The Apple Notes typing-reveal counterpart to remix-imessage-ad-from-sample; this is what the app's Apple Notes format tab calls.

remix-apple-notes-ad-from-sample

First end-to-end validated 2026-06-08 (local, no-backend loop): two Bioma remixes of Apple Notes typing-reveal sources — a "subscriptions to cancel" memo (2 pre-typed lines + 6 typed paragraphs, 18.97s master) and a "things nobody told me about 45" diary (0 pre-typed + 7 typed paragraphs, 24.87s master). Both at 1180×2100 native 9:16, one continuous Playwright typing recording crossfading (300ms) into a scrapbook end card with the injected brand wordmark SVG + product bottle. Per-keystroke iPhone keyboard SFX (kb-tick/kb-space/kb-return) on the subscriptions cut, --no-sfx calm mix on the diary cut, optional music bed highpassed at 60Hz / -11dB on both. The Gooseworks MCP publish steps (Phase 4) were stubbed in that loop; everything up to and including meta-upload/ exports ran clean.

Purpose

Given one published Apple Notes ad sample (from the Goose Ads library) + a researched brand, produce a finished Apple Notes typing-reveal video for that brand. The source sample defines the shape — pre-typed vs typed paragraph counts, typing pace, pre-pauses, end-card recipe — and this skill swaps the substance: the note copy is rewritten in the brand's voice, the written-out CTA code becomes the brand's, and the end card carries the brand's real wordmark + CTA code.

This skill is orchestration: it derives + gets approval for the note, then hands rendering to create-apple-notes-video-ad and handles all Gooseworks I/O (render rows, stage reporting, durable upload, final pin). Creative craft rules (per-keystroke SFX, seeded typing rhythm, end-card recipe) live in the create molecule — do not duplicate or override them here.

It runs on the user's machine inside their Claude Code session (the goose-video local-worker model). The runtime contract — MCP tools, proxies, durable URLs — is the installed ads-remix master skill; this recipe assumes it.

Inputs

Input	Required	Notes
project_id	yes (app flow)	A draft Gooseworks ad project with source_sample_id + format_key: "apple-notes". The paste-prompt carries it. Without one, create_ad_project { brand_id, name, source_sample_id, format_key: "apple-notes" } first.
source sample	from project	get_ad_template { template_id: <source_sample_id or slug> } → recipe.note (the source note.json: title, pre_typed_body, typed_body, end_card, optional music_bed_path), extracted_script (the note's text), how_to, media_url (watch it if the structure is unclear).
brand	yes	Researched brand pack (research_status: "complete"); else run the brand-research recipe first. Needs: voice/tone, wordmark/logo, product bottle/hero image (for the end card), CTA code or tagline.
angle	optional	User-supplied steer ("sell the trial", "code SUMMER20", "make it a memo to self"). Folded into the note draft.
machine	yes	ffmpeg + Playwright Chromium on the user's machine (preflight below).

Composed Atoms

• create-apple-notes-video-ad — the renderer (sibling molecule): one continuous Playwright typing recording, per-keystroke iPhone keyboard SFX, scrapbook end card, exports. This skill never re-implements its steps.
• create-apple-notes-mockup — the deterministic light-mode Apple Notes renderer (generate.js + templates/) the create molecule drives character-by-character; the Phase 0 preflight confirms it resolves on the machine.
• render-ios-keyboard — supplies the iOS QWERTY keyboard chrome shown during typing; the source note's keyboard_state carries forward unchanged.
• watch — watch the rendered MP4 (frames + transcript) for the output QC pass.
• create-music-elevenlabs — optional music bed, only when the source sample carries one (route through the Gooseworks ElevenLabs proxy locally).
• mix-master — bed + per-keystroke SFX mix, invoked via the create molecule's stitch workflow.

Workflow

Phase 0 — Fetch + gates (no render row yet)

1. get_ad_project { project_id } → keep source_sample_id, app_url, brand_url, brand_id.
2. get_ad_template { template_id: source_sample_id } → keep recipe.note, extracted_script, how_to, media_url. If recipe.note is missing, reconstruct the structure from extracted_script (one paragraph per line; treat the first 1–2 lines as pre_typed_body and the rest as typed_body) and /watch the media_url to confirm the typing pace.
3. Brand gate: get_ad_brand { brand_id }.
   • research_status: "complete" → REUSE the existing pack — do NOT re-run research. Read it over MCP: agent-config/brands/<slug>/brand-research/*.md (voice, palette, never-say) + brand-assets/manifest.json (wordmark, product imagery). Re-research is a ~10-minute spend the user already paid for; repeating it on a complete brand is a bug, not thoroughness.
   • Not complete → run the master skill's "Set up a brand" workflow (idempotent), then continue.
   • Only exception: the status says complete but the pack files are missing/unreadable, or the user explicitly asked to refresh the research — say which case applies before re-running.
4. Machine preflight (video renders locally — fail fast and friendly): ffmpeg -version and npx playwright --version + a Chromium launch check, and confirm the renderer atom resolves — create-apple-notes-video-ad require()s the create-apple-notes-mockup atom's generate.js (the light-mode Notes renderer; see Local render contract below). If any of the three is missing, tell the user exactly what to install (brew install ffmpeg, npx playwright install chromium) or to run goose-video doctor, and STOP — do not open a render row that can only fail.

Phase 1 — Derive the brand's note.json

Map the source note onto the brand. Rules:

• Keep the source's structure: same pre_typed_body count (the lines visible at t=0), same typed_body paragraph count (±1), same per-paragraph type_seconds / pre_pause_seconds pacing and post_hold_seconds, same end-card recipe (headline shape, 3-item checklist, background/ink colors). The structure is why this ad works — the hook here is the note itself (no attachment image, unlike iMessage), so the pacing of the reveal is the whole effect.
• Swap the substance: write the note copy in the brand's voice — calm/considered/personal monologue or memo-to-self register (lowercase ok, list items as • not —; the format suits a measured voice, not rapid-fire marketing). The written-out CTA code and the reveal line carry the brand name + CTA code from the brand pack or angle. Smart quotes stay straight in the JSON (', ") — the atom converts them. Keep autocorrect_underline tokens exact-case.
• End card: brand's REAL wordmark file (never CSS-faked text — see the create molecule's critical-knowledge #0) plus the brand's product bottle/hero image, the CTA code, and the scrapbook checklist mapped to the note's payoff. Match background_color / ink_color to the brand palette.
• Compliance: zero source-brand leakage — no source product, name, code, or competitor reference may survive anywhere in the note text or end card.

Phase 1.5 — Approval gate (in-session)

Show the user the drafted note as a readable script (title, then each pre-typed and typed paragraph one per line, plus the end-card line) and ask them to approve or edit. Persist the draft so the app can see it: write_file → agent-config/brands/<slug>/projects/<project_id>/working/note.json, append_project_message { role: "agent", content: <the script> }, and mirror it to the project row so the APP's Review panel shows it: update_ad_project_script { project_id, script_drafts: { format: "apple-notes", note, audio: { treatment: "silent" | "ticks" | "bed", bed_label? }, materials: [...] }, script: <the readable title + paragraph lines + end card> }. Ingredients for the in-app review — the user reviews on the project page, not in the CLI. A path ingredient shows a real thumbnail / player; a pending: true one shows only a grey "composed at render time" line — so images are visible ONLY if you upload them. Generate the review stills NOW and upload them — the end card and any product/wordmark image are free, local, deterministic renders (no credits, independent of the typing recording), so they are ALWAYS path ingredients and NEVER pending:

• End card → render the COMPOSED slate now (the create molecule's end-card step, a free local HTML→PNG) so the user reviews the real card, not just its ingredients.
• The brand wordmark/logo, any product image, and the music bed if one is planned.

For each: get_upload_url → PUT to working/review/<name>, then list it. Prefer the container-tagged shape — ingredients: [{ container: "endcard" | "image" | "music", label, subtitle?, path: "working/review/<name>" }] (legacy materials: [{ kind, label, path }] still works). Reserve pending: true ONLY for what genuinely cannot exist before the long paid render (the recorded typing clip, the final mixed audio) — never the end card or a chosen image. Do not render until the user says go — a render is minutes of their machine time. If they edit, update note.json + re-mirror and re-confirm once.

Draft-only mode (free review): if the user's instruction says "draft only" / "script only" / "just the draft", STOP right after the mirror above — no render row, no asset generation, zero credits spent. Tell the user the draft is now visible on the project page in the app, and that re-running the prompt (or replying "render it") completes the ad. No-review escape: if the user's instruction says to skip review ("no review", "single-shot", "don't ask for approval"), skip the pause entirely — still write working/note.json

• the append_project_message script mirror, then render immediately.

Phase 2 — Render (open the row FIRST, report stages)

Video runs are long, so unlike the static flow the render row opens BEFORE generating:

1. submit_render { project_id, kind: "full" } → keep render_id.

2. update_render_status { render_id, status: "running", stage: "script" } — then keep the stage current as you work. The app shows it live; a silent >10 min run shows as stalled:

   stage	when
   script	note approved, assets being lined up
   assets	end-card wordmark / product bottle / keyboard SFX downloads ready
   record	Playwright recording the typing
   assemble	crossfade typing → end card
   mix	per-keystroke SFX (+ optional bed) mix-master
   export	9:16 master + social cut encode

3. Follow create-apple-notes-video-ad end-to-end with the approved note.json. Local translations:

   • Scaffold a temp working dir (NOT a brand repo folder) in the create molecule's layout: notes/note.json; assets/ (brand-logo SVG, product-bottle PNG); audio/sfx/ (the create molecule's bundled kb-{tick,space,return}.mp3 + optional music-bed.mp3); clips/ (record-master.js, render-end-card.js, end-card.template.html → master-typing.mp4 + master-typing.sfx.json, end-card.mp4); edits/stitch.sh → master-final.mp4; meta-upload/ (the 9:16 export). Copy the closest reference build and swap.
   • Run the recorder/end-card scripts with the messaging atom's deps on NODE_PATH (NODE_PATH=<atom>/node_modules node clips/record-master.js) — the recorder require()s the atom's generate.js and reuses its Playwright; the recipe folder bundles no node_modules.
   • Music bed only if the source had one (recipe.note.music_bed_path present) — generate via the Gooseworks ElevenLabs proxy (<apiBase>/api/internal/elevenlabs-proxy + ?token=, same pattern as the FAL helper) or reuse a stored asset; this bills the user's credits, so skip the bed when the source is SFX-only (and pass --no-sfx for calm/diary cuts where ticks intrude).

Local render contract. Rendering is the create molecule's two Node scripts + one stitch script driving the create-apple-notes-mockup atom — that atom (generate.js + templates/) is the light-mode Notes renderer, and it must be present on the machine. It ships with the installed ads-remix master skill (the goose-video local-worker installs it alongside this recipe), not inside the recipe folder. The recorder walks up to 8 levels looking for the atom's generate.js, so point its atom require() + NODE_PATH at the installed atom (or the lab atom in a dev loop). The atom's DOM contract the recorder depends on: p.note-paragraph[data-typed-pid] typed rows, a growing span.typed, the yellow #FFCC00 cursor, the .note scroller, and the iOS keyboard chrome anchored bottom: 0 at the shortened VIEW_H = 2100 canvas. When changing VIEW_H, move all three files together (record-master.template.js, render-end-card.template.js, end-card.template.html) or the typing↔end-card xfade fails silently (create molecule Critical knowledge #11).

Phase 3 — QC by watching

Run watch on the rendered master (or step its frames + audio directly): every character in typed_body shows up on screen exactly once with no per-paragraph flicker (the only cut is the 300ms typing → end-card crossfade), the yellow cursor sits at the end of the actively-typing paragraph, autocorrect underlines land on the intended exact-case words, the end card shows the real wordmark + product bottle + code, and duration is within ±20% of the source. Per-keystroke SFX (when not --no-sfx) lands with the visible keystrokes. Fix-and-re-render at most once per issue; then run the create molecule's own Quality Checks list.

Phase 4 — Publish (durable URLs, then the links)

1. get_upload_url → PUT the master MP4 to agent-config/brands/<slug>/projects/<project_id>/working/final.mp4 (content_type: video/mp4); grab a poster frame (ffmpeg -ss 1 -frames:v 1) and PUT it as working/final-thumb.jpg.
2. update_render_status { render_id, status: "complete", output_url: "/api/ads/projects/<project_id>/render-file?path=working/final.mp4", thumbnail_url: "/api/ads/projects/<project_id>/render-file?path=working/final-thumb.jpg", stage: "export", duration_sec: <ffprobe seconds> } — the render-file path is the DURABLE form; never store a CDN or raw S3 URL.
3. One render → done (latest shows by default). Multiple kept versions → set_final_render with the best render_id.
4. End with BOTH links exactly as the master skill requires: app_url + brand_url, verbatim.

Decision Rules

• This skill vs create-apple-notes-video-ad: remixing a library sample for a brand → this skill (it feeds the create molecule). A net-new Apple Notes ad from a brief with no source sample → the create molecule directly.
• Note derivation source: recipe.note when present (normal); else extracted_script + watching media_url. Never invent a structure the source doesn't have.
• Audio matches the SOURCE sample by default — watch/probe the source first: a silent (or effectively silent) source remixes silent (--no-sfx); keyboard ticks only when the source audibly carries them or the user asks. State the planned audio treatment (silent / ticks / bed) in the Phase-1.5 approval message — it's part of what the user approves, never a silent decision. If the SFX assets are LFS stubs or unsourceable, ship silent and say so — never fabricate stand-in sounds (live incident 2026-06-11, Alitu: synthesized noise-burst clicks shipped on a calm diary cut).
• Music bed: only if the source sample has one (recipe.note.music_bed_path). SFX-only sources stay SFX-only (cheaper, faster). For calm/diary cuts where keyboard ticks intrude, pass the create molecule's --no-sfx flag and let the bed carry the audio.
• Approval: always pause at Phase 1.5 on the first render of a project. On an explicit re-run where the user already gave note edits in the same message, apply them and proceed without a second pause. No-review escape: if the user's instruction says to skip review ("no review", "single-shot", "don't ask for approval"), skip the pause entirely — still write working/note.json
  • the append_project_message script mirror, then render immediately.
• Render variant: Apple Notes has no plain/iphone-frame variant axis — the format is always the light-mode Notes screen recorded at the 9:16-native VIEW_H = 2100 canvas. There is no variant to honor from the sample; do not branch on recipe.render_variant for this format.
• Batch runs (the prompt lists several project ids): run Phases 0–1.5 for each first (collect all approvals in one message), then render sequentially — Playwright recordings fight for the display, and parallel ffmpeg encodes thrash laptop CPUs.

Output

• working/note.json — the approved brand note (in the project's Gooseworks folder).
• working/final.mp4 (9:16 master) + working/final-thumb.jpg in the project folder; the social 9:16 export uploaded alongside when produced (working/final-9x16-1080.mp4).
• A complete render row carrying the render-file output_url, thumbnail_url, duration_sec, and final stage; set_final_render pin when >1 version.
• A closing message with the project app_url + brand brand_url.

Quality Checks

• Note reads in the brand's voice — a calm/considered monologue or memo-to-self, not ad copy.
• Source structure preserved: pre-typed vs typed paragraph counts, typing pace, pre-pauses, and end-card recipe match the sample.
• Zero source-brand leakage anywhere (note text, end card) — compliance-critical.
• The note itself is the hook; copy is legible at phone scale and the reveal line carries the brand name + CTA code.
• End card uses the brand's real wordmark file + product image + correct CTA code; passes the create molecule's end-card recipe checks.
• Every character types in once with no per-paragraph flicker; per-keystroke SFX (when enabled) lines up with the keystrokes; audio mix passes the create molecule's loudness check.
• duration_sec reported matches ffprobe; render row carries render-file URLs, not CDN links.

Failure Modes

• ffmpeg / Playwright missing → caught in Phase 0 preflight; user told the install commands (goose-video doctor); no render row opened.
• Renderer atom missing (cannot locate create-apple-notes-mockup/generate.js) → the light-mode Notes renderer isn't installed/reachable within 8 levels of the working dir. Caught in Phase 0 preflight — point at the atom installed by the ads-remix master skill (see Local render contract) before opening a render row.
• Sample has no recipe.note and no usable extracted_script → tell the user this sample isn't remix-ready yet and stop; do not improvise a structure (the admin needs to fill the sample's remix payload).
• Brand pack lacks a wordmark or product image → ask the user for the official SVG + a product bottle/hero (or a URL) before the approval gate; the end card cannot be CSS-styled lookalike text or a generic stock photo.
• Render dies mid-run (Playwright crash, encode failure) → one retry of the failed phase; on second failure update_render_status { status: "failed", error_message } and report — never leave the row running.
• Upload fails → retry the presigned PUT once; persistent failure → mark the render failed with the local file path in error_message so nothing is lost.

Tests

See tests/ — structural smoke, a sample project/sample input pair, the expected artifact list, a manual end-to-end script, and the verifier checklist.

Skill Location & Related

• This skill: skills/ads/packs/video-ad-formats/remix-apple-notes-ad-from-sample/
• Renderer: create-apple-notes-video-ad
• Note renderer atom: create-apple-notes-mockup
• iMessage counterpart: remix-imessage-ad-from-sample
• Registry entry: formats.json → "apple-notes" (the app + CLI route here through it)