carousel-auto

name	carousel-auto
description	Automate the weekly carousel pipeline from market-scan signals to publish-ready package. This skill should be used when the user says "auto-carousel", "run my carousel workflow", "weekly carousel", "carousel from market scan", "carousel from this week's scan", "generate this week's carousel", "automate my carousel", "what should I carousel this week", "build a carousel from the scan", or "turn this week's signal into a carousel". Reads the latest market-signals file, scores signals for carousel potential, picks the strongest arc shape and theme, chains through carousel-pdf to render the deck, then optionally chains to carousel-visuals for cover art and motion teaser — all in one guided run.
license	MIT
metadata	{"version":"0.5.0","phase":"4C","capability_tier":"production"}

carousel-auto Skill

One command → one complete, publish-ready LinkedIn carousel — copy, PDF, cover art, and motion teaser — sourced from the week's market scan output. Human approval is required before rendering and before any paid generation. Everything else runs automatically.

---

When to use this skill

• User says: "auto-carousel", "run my carousel workflow", "carousel from this week's scan", "what should I carousel this week", "weekly carousel"
• Market scan just ran and the colleague wants to turn the strongest signal into a post
• User wants a hands-off pipeline that picks the topic, selects the shape, and chains through to a publish package without them doing it manually step by step

What this skill does NOT do

• Does NOT skip approval gates — arc must be approved before rendering; budget must be confirmed before paid steps
• Does NOT post to LinkedIn (human gate required — copy/upload manually)
• Does NOT replace carousel-pdf or carousel-visuals — it orchestrates them

---

Workflow — exact sequence

Step 1 — Read context

Read in parallel:

1. profiles/<active>/PROFILE.md — pull name, language, monthly_tool_budget_usd, per_run_cap_usd, higgsfield
2. Latest market-signals file — find the most recent market-signals/YYYY-WW-signals.md in the working folder. If none exists, tell the colleague: "No market-scan output found — run your market scan first (run my market scan) then come back."
3. Existing carousels — list any carousel-*.pdf files in the working folder so recently covered topics can be deprioritized.

Step 2 — Score signals for carousel potential

Read each signal in the market-signals file. For each H-rated or M-rated signal, score it:

Criterion	Points
H-rated signal	+2
M-rated signal	+1
Clear myth or misconception to correct	+2 → myth-bust shape
Concrete step-by-step action available	+1 → how-to shape
Customer proof point or case study available	+1 → case-study shape
Broad framework / thought-leadership angle	+1 → framework shape
Topic already covered in a recent carousel (check existing PDFs)	−3
Regulatory or compliance angle (high-signal for the active company's ICP)	+1
Hook strength: signal contains a specific number, named entity, or contrarian claim	+1
Save-worthy asset angle: a checklist, cheat sheet, or framework falls out naturally	+1

Sum the points. Take the top 2–3 signals. For each, note the highest-scoring arc shape and recommended theme (dark or light — see carousel-pdf/references/light-theme.md for guidance).

Show the colleague a short ranked list:

This week's top carousel picks from your market scan:

1. ★★★  [Signal headline]
   Shape: myth-bust · Theme: dark · Trigger word: TRUST
   Why: [one sentence — what makes this high-signal]

2. ★★   [Signal headline]
   Shape: framework · Theme: light · Trigger word: FABRIC
   Why: [one sentence]

Pick one (type 1 or 2), or say "something else" to choose a different signal.

Wait for the colleague's pick before proceeding.

Step 3 — Read carousel-pdf knowledge sources

Once a signal is picked, do the mandatory reads from carousel-pdf Step 1:

File	What to pull
profiles/<active>/knowledge/product.md	Feature names, pain owners, solution themes
profiles/<active>/knowledge/case-studies.md	Proof points — verbatim quotes, metrics, customer names
profiles/<active>/knowledge/icp-personas.md	Buyer context
profiles/<active>/knowledge/company.md	Brand voice, British English, "never say" list

Also read carousel-pdf/references/sample-carousels.md for the arc template matching the chosen shape.

Step 4 — Draft the copy arc (approval required)

Following the carousel-pdf Step 3 workflow:

1. Draft three hook options using the six-formula library in carousel-pdf/references/platform-playbook.md §4 and the shape-specific templates from sample-carousels.md — judge each against the 3-second test
2. Draft the full 8–9 card arc following the chosen shape, applying the momentum rules (playbook §5: ≤50 words/card, forward pull on every middle card, re-hook at card 4–5)
3. Pick the close mode (playbook §2): default = compliant close (recap + ONE ask + identity). Auto-pick a trigger word (logic in carousel-pdf/SKILL.md) only if the signal is a natural lead magnet AND no lead-magnet carousel shipped in the last 3–4 weeks — present it as an opt-in
4. Show per-card summaries (card role · headline · layout · forward pull)

Present clearly:

Here's the draft arc for "[Signal topic]" (myth-bust · dark):

Hook options (pick one):
  A. [hook]
  B. [hook]
  C. [hook]

Arc:
  Card 1  HOOK     [chosen hook]
  Card 2  MYTH     [...]
  ...
  Card 9  CLOSE    Recap + [single ask]

Close mode: compliant (default) — say "lead magnet" to switch to the Comment-TRIGGER close
(suggested trigger word if switched: TRUST)
Arc looks good? I'll compose the deck once you confirm.

Do not compose the deck until the arc is approved.

Step 5 — Compose

Once the arc is approved, follow carousel-pdf Step 5: the brain authors slides.md directly — no scaffold, no npm install, no knowledge-pack sync. The deck-renderer sidecar bakes the deck-theme, so the only artefact to produce is the source.

1. Write slides.md into the carousel working folder under the resolved content root (gtm_core.paths.resolve_content_root() → content/<active>/carousels/<topic-slug>/slides.md; the file must be named exactly slides.md). Compose the approved arc using the layout conventions and frontmatter fields from carousel-pdf/SKILL.md. Set colorSchema to match the chosen theme; do not add a theme: field (the sidecar pins it).

Step 6 — Render (via the deck MCP tool)

Render by calling mcp__deck__export_deck — this is the render path; the brain never runs node/npm/npx.

• PDF (the post): mcp__deck__export_deck(slides_md_path=<abs path to slides.md>, format='pdf')
• Per-slide PNGs: mcp__deck__export_deck(slides_md_path=<abs path to slides.md>, format='png')

The tool returns the output path. On a [deck-error] string, DO NOT retry — surface it to the operator verbatim.

Operator-run fallback (only when the deck tool is absent). If the deck MCP tool isn't available (sidecar not configured → deck_renderer_url unset → the deck server is omitted), hand off the deck source (slides.md) and tell the operator to render it locally from their Terminal in their Slidev deck workspace. Do not attempt node/npm/npx yourself — they are denied by the least-privilege policy; retrying only burns budget. Local commands the operator runs:

# From the operator's local Slidev deck workspace directory:
npm run export -w "@<deck-scope>/<deck-slug>"                                           # → outputs/carousel.pdf
npm run export -w "@<deck-scope>/<deck-slug>" -- --format png --output outputs/slides   # per-slide PNGs

After the render returns, write the publish text files to the carousel working folder's outputs/:

• caption.md — two caption variants (hook-led + story-led), 0–3 hashtags, alt-text line for the cover
• dm.md — delivery DM + one follow-up (lead-magnet mode only — omit in the default close)

Step 7 — Visuals and motion teaser (optional, budget-guarded)

After the PDF is confirmed, ask:

"PDF is ready. Want to add:

• V1 — Cover art: AI-generated 4:5 background for the hook card (~X credits)
• V3 — Motion teaser: 9:16 animated reel from the hook card (~Y credits)
• V1+V3 together (common pairing)
• Skip — text-only carousel is ready"

If they choose any visual option:

• Hand off to carousel-visuals, which is runtime-aware: headless runtimes use the in-repo gemini_image (image) + higgsfield_video (DoP teaser) workers; interactive runtimes use the Higgsfield connector (nano_banana_pro / kling3_0). Run its budget preflight — headless estimates from the per-image/per-teaser rate; interactive does balance → get_cost: true → confirm.
• See references/motion-brief.md for the motion-teaser prompt template (model routing per path).

Never generate without explicit budget confirmation. Free fallback: the text-only carousel is complete and post-ready without visuals.

Step 8 — Assemble publish package

Once all chosen components are ready, create carousel-[topic-slug]-[YYYY-MM-DD]/ in the carousel working folder under the content root (content/<active>/carousels/<topic-slug>/) with:

File	Source
carousel.pdf	The path returned by mcp__deck__export_deck(..., format='pdf')
slides/	The PNG folder returned by mcp__deck__export_deck(..., format='png') (if exported)
cover-art.png	If V1 generated
teaser.mp4 (or .gif)	If V3 generated
caption.md	From Step 6
dm.md	From Step 6 — lead-magnet mode only
publish-checklist.md	Write now (see template below)

publish-checklist.md template

Write this file with the specifics filled in:

# Publish checklist — [Topic] carousel · [Date]

## Before posting
- [ ] PDF opens — [N] pages, portrait, correct background ([dark #020617 / light #F8FAFC])
- [ ] Hook card: headline is specific and provable (not generic) — passes the 3-second test
- [ ] Stats: every number has a source — no invented figures
- [ ] Close card: exactly ONE ask, gradient-filled ([FOLLOW / SAVE / trigger word])
- [ ] Footer: handle · count · symbol on every card
- [ ] Caption variant chosen: [hook-led / story-led] — payoff inside the first 140 chars
- [ ] Lead-magnet mode only: trigger word in caption matches CTA card: [WORD]
- [ ] Hashtags: 0–3 max, never stacked (remove any that feel off-brand)
- [ ] Alt text ready (bottom of caption.md)

## Post on LinkedIn
- Upload PDF as a Document post (not an image post)
- Paste chosen caption from caption.md
- If cover art generated: use cover-art.png as the post thumbnail
- Reply to early comments in the first 60–90 minutes — distribution is decided there

## Optional — motion teaser
- [ ] If V3 generated: post teaser.mp4 as a separate Reel (link to carousel post in caption)

## DM copy (lead-magnet mode only)
- See dm.md — paste the delivery DM manually when someone comments the trigger word (never automate)

Then append ⟦FILE:…⟧ sentinels at the very end of your response so the Telegram cockpit delivers the PDF (and cover art if generated) automatically:

⟦FILE:/absolute/path/to/content/<active>/carousels/<topic-slug>/carousel-[topic-slug]-[YYYY-MM-DD]/carousel.pdf⟧
⟦FILE:/absolute/path/to/content/<active>/carousels/<topic-slug>/carousel-[topic-slug]-[YYYY-MM-DD]/cover-art.png⟧

Omit lines for files that were not generated. Use the real resolved absolute paths.

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Signal → arc shape cheat sheet

Signal type	Best shape	Theme
"Everyone does X, but X doesn't work for agents"	Myth-bust	Dark
"How to implement [product pattern] in 3 steps"	How-to	Light or Dark
"We solved [problem] with [customer]"	Case study	Dark
"Here's our framework for [big topic]"	Framework	Light
Regulatory or compliance announcement	Framework or Myth-bust	Dark
Product launch or feature release	How-to or Framework	Dark
Competitive signal ("competitor lacks X")	Myth-bust	Dark

---

Guardrails

• Never skip the arc approval gate. The carousel is only as good as the script.
• Never generate without budget confirmation. Show the estimate and wait for yes (interactive: get_cost: true first; headless: estimate from the per-image/per-teaser rate).
• Never invent stats or product claims. All facts must trace to profiles/<active>/knowledge/.
• British English throughout (organisations, recognised, personalised).
• If the market-signals file has no H-rated signals: "No H-rated signals this week — I can build from an M-rated signal, or you can give me a topic directly."
• If the deck MCP tool returns a [deck-error] (or is absent): do not retry. Surface the error and fall back to the operator-run local render (Step 6) — hand off slides.md for the operator to export from their Slidev deck workspace.