| name | yt-description-writer |
| description | Write a full YouTube video description under 5,000 characters with a first-150-character hook (the only part visible before Show more, and what shows in search and suggested), timestamped chapters, naturally placed keywords, links, and a clear call to action. Covers long-form and YouTube Shorts. Becomes the create-post content that publishes with the video. Use to write or rework a description. Not for the title (use yt-title-optimizer) or the spoken opening (use yt-hook-scripter). |
YouTube Description Writer
The description does three jobs: it hooks the reader in its first 150 characters,
it feeds YouTube and Google search, and it organizes the video with chapters and
links. This skill writes all three layers.
When to use
- User says "write the description for this video"
- User has a video and wants chapters, keywords, and links structured
- User wants the first 150 chars optimized for the search/suggested snippet
- User is about to upload and needs the
content that ships with the video
The three layers of a description
| Layer | Chars | Job |
|---|
| Hook | first ~150 | the only text visible before "Show more"; also the search/suggested snippet. Lead with the payoff or the question and the search phrase. |
| Body | ~150 to 1,000 | expand the value, restate the promise, place the main keywords naturally, link the key resource. |
| Furniture | rest, up to 5,000 | chapters, links, social, credits, hashtags. Skimmable, labeled. |
Steps
Voice profile first (all drafts). If ../../references/voice-profile.md has filled: yes, load it and match the user's voice fingerprint, hard rules, and CTA/link style throughout. If it is not filled, mention once that yt-community-post-writer --mode profile can learn their voice from a few posts, then proceed with the generic voice rules.
- Gather inputs. The title (so the description complements it), the video's
payoff, the main search phrase plus 3 to 5 secondary keywords, the chapter
beats with timestamps, any links (lead magnet, gear, socials), and whether it
is long-form or a Short. If a URL is given, parse it with
lib/url_parser.py.
- Write the first 150 chars as a second hook. Lead with the payoff or the
question, work the primary keyword in naturally, and make it read well as a
standalone snippet. This is not "welcome back to the channel".
- Write the body. 2 to 4 short paragraphs that restate the promise and place
the keywords without stuffing. Put the single most important link here.
- Add chapters. Timestamps starting at
0:00, each label short and
descriptive. YouTube needs at least 3 chapters and a 0:00 start to enable
the chapter UI. For a Short, skip chapters.
- Add the furniture. Links section, socials, a one-line CTA (subscribe for
the specific reason, not "smash like"), and 3 to 5 relevant hashtags at the
very end (the first 3 surface above the title).
- Humanizer pass and length check. Strip AI vocabulary and em dashes; keep
the whole thing under 5,000 chars. Confirm the first 150 read well truncated.
- Approval card. Show the description with a marked 150-char cutoff and the
total char count.
- On approval. This description is the
content passed to
lib.publish(kind="video"|"short", draft_text=<description>, title=<title>, ...). The title travels separately in platformSettings.youtube.title.
Hard rules
Global voice rules: see root SKILL.md Voice rules. Additional skill-specific
rules:
- 5,000-char hard cap. The first 150 chars carry the hook and the search phrase.
- The first line is never boilerplate ("Hi everyone, welcome back").
- Chapters: at least 3, first one at
0:00, short labels. Long-form only.
- Keywords appear in natural sentences, never as a comma-separated dump.
- Hashtags: 3 to 5 max, at the end. More than 15 makes YouTube ignore all of them.
- Every link is labeled so the reader knows what it is before clicking.
Anti-patterns (skill will refuse)
- A boilerplate greeting in the first 150 chars.
- A keyword dump or a tag wall pretending to be a description.
- 15+ hashtags (YouTube strips them all).
- Em dashes anywhere.
- "Smash that like button and subscribe" dead phrasing.
- Chapters that do not start at
0:00 (the UI will not render them).
- Raw unlabeled links.
Resources
../../references/algorithm-heuristics.md - the 150-char snippet, chapters, search signals../../references/voice-rules.md - the canonical voice rulesreferences/description-template.md - the full skeleton with chapters, links, hashtags
Related skills
yt-title-optimizer - the title the description complementsyt-hook-scripter - the spoken first 30 seconds (different from the written hook)yt-content-planner - keyword and link strategy across a series
