| name | article |
| description | Full article pipeline — from topic research to Substack draft. Scouts trending intel, writes or selects an article, generates intaglio art via Google Flow, creates manifest, and cross-posts to Substack. Use when creating, illustrating, or publishing articles. |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
| allowed-tools | Bash Read Write Edit Grep Glob Agent |
Article Pipeline
End-to-end pipeline for producing and publishing illustrated articles.
Paths
| What | Path |
|---|
| Personal website | ~/dev/personal/joeyhipolito.dev/ |
| Article content | ~/dev/personal/joeyhipolito.dev/content/{log,newsletter}/ |
| Article images | ~/dev/personal/joeyhipolito.dev/public/{log,newsletter}/<slug>/ |
| Intaglio style bible | ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/intaglio-bible.md |
| Flow generate script | ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/flow-generate.sh |
| Mascot reference | ~/.contentkit/references/mascot.png |
| ContentKit styles | ~/.contentkit/styles/intaglio/ |
| Engage queue | ~/.alluka/engage/queue/ |
Content Types
| Kind | Directory | Description |
|---|
log | content/log/ | Technical deep-dives, system architecture, builder narratives |
newsletter | content/newsletter/ | Commentary, opinion, industry analysis |
Pipeline Steps
Step 1: Scout for trending topics
scout gather --since 24h
scout intel "ai-coding" --since 24h
Browse topics, find high-engagement threads. Pick a topic — or use an existing draft article.
Step 2: Research the topic
Before writing, deeply research the chosen topic:
- Read the source thread/post (use
agent-browser or WebFetch to get full content)
- Find related threads, papers, or data (check scout intel for cross-references)
- Identify the specific numbers, quotes, and evidence that make this worth writing about
- Find the angle that connects to nanika/the author's own experience building AI agent systems
Step 3: Craft the title
The title comes first. The article is built to address it.
The title makes a provocative, slightly dishonest claim. The article then defends, qualifies, or dismantles that claim with evidence. The reader clicks because the title stings. They stay because the article is honest.
Title rules:
- Make a bold claim that feels slightly wrong or uncomfortable
- Short — under 8 words if possible
- Use "you" or "your" to make it personal
- State a conclusion, not a question (questions are weaker hooks)
- The claim doesn't need to be literally true — but the article MUST address why it's true, partially true, or interestingly wrong
- Study these examples from the author's LinkedIn (3,000-4,000 impressions each):
- "AI chose nukes. Every time." — article reveals the 95% number has problems but the zero de-escalation doesn't
- "Your CLAUDE.md Is Making Things Worse" — article shows when it's true and the 3 cases where it isn't
- "The Death of Code Review" — article explains why the economics are breaking, not that review is literally dead
- "Companies are only hiring vibe coders now." — article unpacks what the recruiter actually meant
Step 4: Write the article (MDX)
Write the full article at ~/dev/personal/joeyhipolito.dev/content/{log,newsletter}/<date>-<slug>.mdx
Read ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/voice.md for the full voice reference. Key rules for articles:
Voice:
- Write like explaining something to a friend who codes. Not a conference talk, not a blog post.
- Simple words. If you wouldn't say it out loud to a coworker, don't write it.
- Be honest but fair. When something is overhyped, say so. Acknowledge what's good too.
- When someone is wrong, don't say they're wrong. Say "I tried something similar and found that..."
- No exclamation marks. No performed excitement. No hedging with stacked qualifiers.
- Contractions always. Short sentences. One idea at a time.
Banned words: convergence, leverage, utilize, framework (when you mean "tool"), ecosystem, robust, scalable, groundbreaking, game-changer, paradigm, innovative, cutting-edge, transformative, arguably, it's worth noting, interestingly
Structure — title-first approach:
- Open by confronting the title's claim within the first 2-3 paragraphs. The reader clicked because of the title — pay it off early.
- Use a specific number, finding, or event as the opening evidence for or against the claim
- 1500-3000 words. 4-7 sections with H2 headings.
- Each section should have concrete evidence: numbers, quotes, commit counts, error logs, specific tool names
- Connect everything back to what the author has actually built and run with nanika
- By the end, the reader should understand exactly how the title is true, partially true, or usefully wrong
- End with an honest open question, not a conclusion that wraps things up neatly
- Place
<Figure> tags at section transitions (max 3-4 total, not after every heading)
Content types:
log — technical deep-dives, builder narratives, system architecture (written from experience building nanika)newsletter — commentary, opinion, industry analysis (written from watching the industry while building)
Frontmatter:
---
id: <slug>
title: "Article Title"
date: "YYYY-MM-DD"
description: "Short subtitle (under 256 chars — Substack rejects longer)"
published: false
tags: ["ai", "agents", "topic"]
author: "Jose Marcelius Hipolito"
excerpt: "Reader-facing excerpt"
kind: log
---
Step 5: Generate art prompts
Read the full article. For each image needed (1 cover + 1 hero + 0-3 inline), create a prompt directory:
/tmp/illustrate/<slug>/
├── 000-cover/
│ ├── prompt.md
│ └── mascot.png (only if nanika appears)
├── 001-hero/
│ ├── prompt.md
│ └── mascot.png (only if nanika appears)
└── 002-section-name/
└── prompt.md
CRITICAL: Every prompt.md must start with **Illustration:** <folder-name> — this tag is how the download step maps generated images back to folders.
Prompt format
Read ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/intaglio-bible.md for the full style rules. Key points:
- Intaglio engraving on cream paper
#F2EAD7
- One terracotta
#DA7757 object per image — the focal point
- Literal/editorial scenes, NOT metaphors
- Cover image (000-cover): 1200×630, more expressive, focal point centered in safe 60% zone
- Hero/inline: 950×500 landscape
When nanika appears, describe rendering explicitly:
Mask face is smooth bare cream paper framed by dense crosshatched black hair.
Circuit-board robe in fine geometric hatching. Headband with emotion faces
in delicate line work. White gloves are bare paper with faint contour lines.
Monochrome. Match reference image proportions — chibi with oversized head.
Do NOT just say "chibi" — describe how each feature translates to engraving.
Nanika is optional — use judgment based on article context. Default to no mascot.
Copy ~/.contentkit/references/mascot.png into any prompt folder where nanika appears.
Step 6: Generate images (Google Flow)
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/flow-generate.sh <slug> <log|newsletter> [--style intaglio]
This script:
- Creates or reuses a Flow project
- Dismisses any consent modals
- For each prompt folder: attaches mascot reference (if present), pastes prompt, clicks Create
- Waits for all images to generate
- Downloads and places images in
~/dev/personal/joeyhipolito.dev/public/<type>/<slug>/
Requires: Chrome debug running on port 9222 (--remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir=~/.chrome-debug).
Step 7: Create manifest
Create ~/dev/personal/joeyhipolito.dev/public/<type>/<slug>/manifest.json:
{
"article": "<full-path-to-mdx>",
"created": "<ISO-8601>",
"cover": "<full-path-to-cover.png>",
"assets": [
{
"type": "illustration",
"section": "",
"description": "Hero alt text",
"path": "<full-path-to-hero.png>"
},
{
"type": "illustration",
"section": "Section Heading",
"description": "Inline alt text",
"path": "<full-path-to-inline.png>"
}
]
}
Step 8: Update Figure tags in MDX
Ensure each <Figure> in the article has the correct src path and descriptive alt text:
<Figure src="/<type>/<slug>/hero.png" alt="Descriptive alt text" />
Step 9: Cross-post to Substack
substack draft <article.mdx> \
--manifest <manifest.json> \
--public-dir ~/dev/personal/joeyhipolito.dev/public \
--tags "tag1,tag2" \
--audience everyone
Note: Description/subtitle must be under 256 characters or Substack returns HTTP 400.
Verify: substack drafts — should show the new draft.
Step 10 (optional): Cross-platform adapt
engage adapt --platforms linkedin,x,reddit <article.mdx>
engage review
engage approve <id>
engage post
