publish-x-article

name

publish-x-article

description

Publish Markdown articles to X (Twitter) Articles editor with proper formatting. Use when user wants to publish a Markdown file/URL to X Articles, or mentions "publish to X", "post article to Twitter", "X article", or wants help with X Premium article publishing. Handles cover image upload, converts Markdown to rich text, and automatically converts unsupported elements (tables, mermaid diagrams, deep headers) to images.

Publish X Article

Publish Markdown content to X (Twitter) Articles editor, preserving formatting with rich text conversion. Automatically handles X Premium limitations by converting unsupported elements to images.

Credits

This skill is inspired by and based on wshuyi/x-article-publisher-skill. Thank you to the original author for the foundational work.

Interactive Setup: Ask Subscription Type

IMPORTANT: Before processing the article, ask the user about their X subscription type if not already known.

Prompt the User

Before publishing, I need to know your X subscription type to handle formatting correctly:

1. **X Premium** - Basic tier ($8/month)
2. **X Premium+** - Plus tier ($16/month)

Which subscription do you have? (Premium / Premium+)

For Chinese users:

在发布之前，我需要了解您的 X 订阅类型以正确处理格式：

1. **X Premium** - 基础版 ($8/月)
2. **X Premium+** - 高级版 ($16/月)

您使用的是哪个版本？(Premium / Premium+)

Remember the Answer

Once the user answers, remember their subscription type for the rest of the session. Don't ask again unless they explicitly want to change it.

X Subscription Feature Comparison

Feature	X Premium	X Premium+
H1 headers (#)	Title only	Title only
H2 headers (##)	Yes	Yes
H3+ headers (###, etc.)	No	Yes
Markdown tables	No	Yes
Mermaid diagrams	No	No (not supported by X)
Code blocks	Blockquotes	Blockquotes
Bold, italic, links	Yes	Yes
Lists	Yes	Yes
Blockquotes	Yes	Yes
Images	Yes	Yes

Pre-Processing Required by Subscription

X Premium (Basic):

• Convert H3+ headers → H2 or bold
• Convert tables → PNG images
• Convert mermaid → PNG images

X Premium+ (Plus):

• Keep H3+ headers as-is
• Keep tables as-is (rendered natively)
• Convert mermaid → PNG images (still not supported)

Prerequisites

• Playwright MCP for browser automation
• User logged into X with Premium subscription
• Python 3.9+ with dependencies:
  • macOS: pip install Pillow pyobjc-framework-Cocoa markdown
  • Windows: pip install Pillow pywin32 clip-util markdown
• For Mermaid diagrams: npm install -g @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli

Scripts

Located in ~/.claude/skills/publish-x-article/scripts/:

parse_markdown.py

Parse Markdown and extract structured data:

python parse_markdown.py <markdown_file> [--output json|html] [--html-only]

Returns JSON with: title, cover_image, content_images (with block_index for positioning), html, total_blocks

copy_to_clipboard.py

Copy image or HTML to system clipboard:

# Copy image (with optional compression)
python copy_to_clipboard.py image /path/to/image.jpg [--quality 80]

# Copy HTML for rich text paste
python copy_to_clipboard.py html --file /path/to/content.html

table_to_image.py

Convert Markdown tables to PNG images:

python table_to_image.py /path/to/table.md /path/to/output.png [--style dark|light]

Pre-Processing: Handle Unsupported Elements

Before publishing, scan the Markdown for unsupported elements and convert them to images.

Step 0: Analyze Content for Limitations

# Check the markdown file for unsupported elements
cat /path/to/article.md

Look for:

1. Deep headers (H3+): ###, ####, etc.
2. Markdown tables: Lines with | characters forming table structure
3. Mermaid code blocks: ```mermaid

Converting Unsupported Elements to Images

1. Markdown Tables → PNG

When a table is detected:

# 1. Extract table to temp file
cat > /tmp/table.md << 'TABLE_EOF'
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Data 1   | Data 2   | Data 3   |
TABLE_EOF

# 2. Convert to image
python ~/.claude/skills/publish-x-article/scripts/table_to_image.py /tmp/table.md /tmp/table-001.png

# 3. Replace table in markdown with image reference
# ![Table description](/tmp/table-001.png)

2. Mermaid Diagrams → PNG

When a mermaid block is detected:

# 1. Extract mermaid to temp file
cat > /tmp/diagram.mmd << 'MERMAID_EOF'
flowchart TD
    A[Start] --> B[Process]
    B --> C[End]
MERMAID_EOF

# 2. Convert to image using mermaid-cli
mmdc -i /tmp/diagram.mmd -o /tmp/diagram-001.png -b white -s 2

# 3. Replace mermaid block in markdown with image reference
# ![Diagram description](/tmp/diagram-001.png)

3. Deep Headers (H3+) → Simplified Structure

Goal: Preserve the article's logical structure and readability while working within X Premium's H2-only limitation.

Guidelines for the AI:

When you encounter H3, H4, or deeper headers in a Premium user's article, think about what the author intended:

• If the header introduces a distinct subtopic under a section, convert it to bold text as a paragraph opener. This maintains visual hierarchy without breaking X's formatting.

• If the header is a major section that happens to be H3, consider promoting it to H2 — but only if this doesn't create a flat, meaningless structure. The article should still flow logically.

• If there's a deep hierarchy (H2 → H3 → H4), flatten thoughtfully:

  • Keep H2 as H2
  • Convert H3 to bold paragraph
  • Convert H4 to italic or just merge into the paragraph naturally

• Preserve meaning over structure. A header like ### Why This Matters might become a bold lead-in: **Why does this matter?** followed by the content. Use your judgment.

• Read the content. If an H3 header is just "Example" or "Note", it might work better as a blockquote or inline emphasis rather than a standalone bold line.

The goal is not mechanical conversion — it's creating an article that reads well on X while honoring the author's intent.

Pre-Processing Workflow

Before publishing, read through the article and prepare it for X:

1. Understand the article's structure — Read it first. What are the main sections? How does the author use headers to organize ideas?

2. Handle tables and mermaid diagrams — These need to become images. Extract each one, convert to PNG, and note where they should be inserted.

3. Adapt headers for the subscription tier:

   • For Premium+ users: Keep headers as-is (H3+ supported)
   • For Premium users: Thoughtfully restructure H3+ headers while preserving the article's flow and intent (see guidelines above)

4. Create the modified markdown — Save your adapted version to a temp file, ready for parsing.

The goal is an article that reads naturally on X, not a mechanically transformed document.

Main Workflow

Strategy: "先文后图后分割线" (Text First, Images Second, Dividers Last)

For articles with images and dividers, paste ALL text content first, then insert images and dividers at correct positions using block index.

1. Pre-process: Convert tables/mermaid to images, flatten deep headers
2. Parse modified Markdown with Python script → get title, images, dividers (all with block_index), HTML
3. Navigate to X Articles editor
4. Upload cover image (first image)
5. Fill title
6. Copy HTML to clipboard (Python) → Paste with Cmd+V
7. Insert content images at positions specified by block_index
8. Insert dividers at positions specified by block_index (via Insert > Divider menu)
9. Save as draft (NEVER auto-publish)

高效执行原则 (Efficiency Guidelines)

目标: 最小化操作之间的等待时间，实现流畅的自动化体验。

1. 避免不必要的 browser_snapshot

大多数浏览器操作（click, type, press_key 等）都会在返回结果中包含页面状态。不要在每次操作后单独调用 browser_snapshot，直接使用操作返回的页面状态即可。

❌ 错误做法：
browser_click → browser_snapshot → 分析 → browser_click → browser_snapshot → ...

✅ 正确做法：
browser_click → 从返回结果中获取页面状态 → browser_click → ...

2. 避免不必要的 browser_wait_for

只在以下情况使用 browser_wait_for：

• 等待图片上传完成（textGone="正在上传媒体"）
• 等待页面初始加载（极少数情况）

不要使用 browser_wait_for 来等待按钮或输入框出现 - 它们在页面加载完成后立即可用。

3. 并行执行独立操作

当两个操作没有依赖关系时，可以在同一个消息中并行调用多个工具：

✅ 可以并行：
- 填写标题 (browser_type) + 复制HTML到剪贴板 (Bash)
- 解析Markdown生成JSON + 生成HTML文件

❌ 不能并行（有依赖）：
- 必须先点击create才能上传封面图
- 必须先粘贴内容才能插入图片

4. 连续执行浏览器操作

每个浏览器操作返回的页面状态包含所有需要的元素引用。直接使用这些引用进行下一步操作：

# 理想流程（每步直接执行，不额外等待）：
browser_navigate → 从返回状态找create按钮 → browser_click(create)
→ 从返回状态找上传按钮 → browser_click(上传) → browser_file_upload
→ 从返回状态找应用按钮 → browser_click(应用)
→ 从返回状态找标题框 → browser_type(标题)
→ 点击编辑器 → browser_press_key(Meta+v)
→ ...

5. 准备工作前置

在开始浏览器操作之前，先完成所有准备工作：

1. 扫描不支持的元素（表格、Mermaid、深层标题）
2. 转换表格/Mermaid 为图片
3. 解析 Markdown 获取 JSON 数据
4. 生成 HTML 文件到 /tmp/
5. 记录 title、cover_image、content_images 等信息

这样浏览器操作阶段可以连续执行，不需要中途停下来处理数据。

Step 0: Read and Adapt the Article

First, read the article. Understand what it's about, how it's structured, and what the author is trying to communicate.

Preserve the Original

IMPORTANT: Never modify the user's original file. If adaptations are needed:

1. Save the adapted version as a copy (e.g., /tmp/article_adapted.md or alongside the original as article_for_x.md)
2. Tell the user what was changed and where both files are:

   I've adapted your article for X Premium. Here's what changed:
   - Converted 2 tables to images
   - Restructured 3 H3 headers to bold text for better flow
   
   Original preserved: /path/to/article.md
   Adapted version: /path/to/article_for_x.md
   

3. Proceed with the adapted copy for publishing

This ensures the user can review the changes and keeps their original work intact.

Adaptation Based on Subscription

For Premium Users (Basic Tier)

Ask yourself:

• Are there tables? → Convert each to a PNG image
• Are there mermaid diagrams? → Convert each to a PNG image
• Are there H3+ headers? → Restructure them thoughtfully (see header guidelines above)

Create a modified version of the markdown that will work within Premium's limitations while preserving readability.

For Premium+ Users

Ask yourself:

• Are there mermaid diagrams? → Convert to PNG (still not supported on any tier)
• Tables and H3+ headers can stay as-is

Converting Elements to Images

# Tables → PNG
python ~/.claude/skills/publish-x-article/scripts/table_to_image.py /tmp/table-1.md /tmp/table-1.png

# Mermaid → PNG
mmdc -i /tmp/diagram-1.mmd -o /tmp/diagram-1.png -b white -s 2

Replace these elements in the markdown with image references, positioning them where the original element was.

Step 1: Parse Markdown (Python)

Use parse_markdown.py to extract all structured data:

python ~/.claude/skills/publish-x-article/scripts/parse_markdown.py /path/to/modified_article.md

Output JSON:

{
  "title": "Article Title",
  "cover_image": "/path/to/first-image.jpg",
  "content_images": [
    {"path": "/tmp/table-1.png", "block_index": 5, "after_text": "context..."},
    {"path": "/tmp/mermaid-1.png", "block_index": 12, "after_text": "another context..."}
  ],
  "dividers": [
    {"block_index": 7, "after_text": "context before divider..."},
    {"block_index": 15  
  
   
   

Key fields:

• block_index: The image/divider should be inserted AFTER block element at this index (0-indexed)
• total_blocks: Total number of block elements in the HTML
• after_text: Kept for reference/debugging only, NOT for positioning
• dividers: Array of divider positions (markdown --- must be inserted via X's menu, not HTML <hr>)

Save HTML to temp file for clipboard:

python parse_markdown.py modified_article.md --html-only > /tmp/article_html.html

Step 2: Open X Articles Editor

browser_navigate: https://x.com/compose/articles

重要: 页面加载后会显示草稿列表，不是编辑器。需要：

1. 等待页面加载完成: 使用 browser_snapshot 检查页面状态
2. 立即点击 "create" 按钮: 不要等待 "添加标题" 等编辑器元素，它们只有点击 create 后才出现
3. 等待编辑器加载: 点击 create 后，等待编辑器元素出现

# 1. 导航到页面
browser_navigate: https://x.com/compose/articles

# 2. 获取页面快照，找到 create 按钮
browser_snapshot

# 3. 点击 create 按钮（通常 ref 类似 "create" 或带有 create 标签）
browser_click: element="create button", ref=<create_button_ref>

# 4. 现在编辑器应该打开了，可以继续上传封面图等操作

注意: 不要使用 browser_wait_for text="添加标题" 来等待页面加载，因为这个文本只有在点击 create 后才出现，会导致超时。

If login needed, prompt user to log in manually.

Step 3: Upload Cover Image

1. Click "添加照片或视频" button
2. Use browser_file_upload with the cover image path (from JSON output)
3. Verify image uploaded

Step 4: Fill Title

• Find textbox with "添加标题" placeholder
• Use browser_type to input title (from JSON output)

Step 5: Paste Text Content (Python Clipboard)

Copy HTML to system clipboard using Python, then paste:

# Copy HTML to clipboard
python ~/.claude/skills/publish-x-article/scripts/copy_to_clipboard.py html --file /tmp/article_html.html

Then in browser:

browser_click on editor textbox
browser_press_key: Meta+v

This preserves all rich text formatting (H2, bold, links, lists).

Step 6: Insert Content Images (Block Index Positioning)

关键改进: 使用 block_index 精确定位，而非依赖文字匹配。

定位原理

粘贴 HTML 后，编辑器中的内容结构为一系列块元素（段落、标题、引用等）。每张图片的 block_index 表示它应该插入在第 N 个块元素之后。

操作步骤

1. 获取所有块元素: 使用 browser_snapshot 获取编辑器内容，找到 textbox 下的所有子元素
2. 按索引定位: 根据 block_index 点击对应的块元素
3. 粘贴图片: 复制图片到剪贴板后粘贴

For each content image (from content_images array):

# 1. Copy image to clipboard (with compression)
python ~/.claude/skills/publish-x-article/scripts/copy_to_clipboard.py image /path/to/img.jpg --quality 85

# 2. Click the block element at block_index
# Example: if block_index=5, click the 6th block element (0-indexed)
browser_click on the element at position block_index in the editor

# 3. Paste image
browser_press_key: Meta+v

# 4. Wait for upload (use short time, returns immediately when done)
browser_wait_for textGone="正在上传媒体" time=2

反向插入

注意: 每插入一张图片后，后续图片的实际位置会偏移。建议按 block_index 从大到小的顺序插入图片。

如果有3张图片，block_index 分别为 5, 12, 27：

1. 先插入 block_index=27 的图片
2. 再插入 block_index=12 的图片
3. 最后插入 block_index=5 的图片

Step 6.5: Insert Dividers (Via Menu)

重要: Markdown 中的 --- 分割线不能通过 HTML <hr> 标签粘贴（X Articles 会忽略它）。必须通过 X Articles 的 Insert 菜单插入。

为什么需要特殊处理

X Articles 有自己的原生分割线元素，只能通过 Insert > Divider 菜单插入。HTML <hr> 标签会被完全忽略。

操作步骤

For each divider (from dividers array), in reverse order of block_index:

# 1. Click the block element at block_index position
browser_click on the element at position block_index in the editor

# 2. Open Insert menu
browser_click on "Insert" button (Add Media button)

# 3. Click Divider menu item
browser_click on "Divider" menuitem

# Divider is inserted at cursor position

反向插入

和图片一样，按 block_index 从大到小的顺序插入分割线，避免位置偏移问题。

与图片的插入顺序

建议先插入所有图片，再插入所有分割线。两者都按 block_index 从大到小的顺序：

1. 插入所有图片（从最大 block_index 开始）
2. 插入所有分割线（从最大 block_index 开始）

Step 7: Save Draft

1. Verify content pasted (check word count indicator)
2. Draft auto-saves, or click Save button if needed
3. Click "预览" to verify formatting
4. Report: "Draft saved. Review and publish manually."

Critical Rules

1. NEVER publish - Only save draft
2. Pre-process first - Convert tables/mermaid/deep headers before parsing
3. First image = cover - Upload first image as cover image
4. Rich text conversion - Always convert Markdown to HTML before pasting
5. Use clipboard API - Paste via clipboard for proper formatting
6. Block index positioning - Use block_index for precise image/divider placement
7. Reverse order insertion - Insert images and dividers from highest to lowest block_index
8. H1 title handling - H1 is used as title only, not included in body
9. Dividers via menu - Markdown --- must be inserted via Insert > Divider menu (HTML <hr> is ignored)

Supported Formatting (After Pre-Processing)

Element	Support	Notes
H2 (##)	Native	Section headers
Bold (**)	Native	Strong emphasis
Italic (*)	Native	Emphasis
Links ([](url))	Native	Hyperlinks
Ordered lists	Native	1. 2. 3.
Unordered lists	Native	- bullets
Blockquotes (>)	Native	Quoted text
Code blocks	Converted	→ Blockquotes
Tables	Converted	→ PNG images
Mermaid	Converted	→ PNG images
H3+ headers	Converted	→ H2 or bold
Dividers (---)	Menu insert	→ Insert > Divider

Example Flow

User: "Publish /path/to/article.md to X"

# Step 0: Analyze content
# Found: 1 table, 1 mermaid diagram, 2 H3 headers

# Step 0.1: Convert table to image
python ~/.claude/skills/publish-x-article/scripts/table_to_image.py /tmp/table-1.md /tmp/table-1.png

# Step 0.2: Convert mermaid to image
mmdc -i /tmp/mermaid-1.mmd -o /tmp/mermaid-1.png -b white -s 2

# Step 0.3: Create modified markdown with image refs and flattened headers
# Save to /tmp/article_modified.md

# Step 1: Parse modified markdown
python ~/.claude/skills/publish-x-article/scripts/parse_markdown.py /tmp/article_modified.md > /tmp/article.json
python ~/.claude/skills/publish-x-article/scripts/parse_markdown.py /tmp/article_modified.md --html-only > /tmp/article_html.html

2. Navigate to https://x.com/compose/articles
3. Click create, upload cover image (browser_file_upload for cover only)
4. Fill title (from JSON: title)
5. Copy & paste HTML:

   python ~/.claude/skills/publish-x-article/scripts/copy_to_clipboard.py html --file /tmp/article_html.html
   

   Then: browser_press_key Meta+v
6. For each content image (including converted table/mermaid PNGs), in reverse order of block_index:

   python copy_to_clipboard.py image /path/to/img.jpg --quality 85
   

   • Click block element at block_index position
   • browser_press_key Meta+v
   • Wait until upload complete
7. Verify in preview
8. "Draft saved. Please review and publish manually."

Best Practices

为什么用 block_index 而非文字匹配？

1. 精确定位: 不依赖文字内容，即使多处文字相似也能正确定位
2. 可靠性: 索引是确定性的，不会因为文字相似而混淆
3. 调试方便: after_text 仍保留用于人工核验

为什么用 Python 而非浏览器内 JavaScript？

1. 本地处理更可靠: Python 直接操作系统剪贴板，不受浏览器沙盒限制
2. 图片压缩: 上传前压缩图片 (--quality 85)，减少上传时间
3. 代码复用: 脚本固定不变，无需每次重新编写转换逻辑
4. 调试方便: 脚本可单独测试，问题易定位

等待策略

关键理解: browser_wait_for 的 textGone 参数会在文字消失时立即返回，time 只是最大等待时间，不是固定等待时间。

# 正确用法：短 time 值，条件满足立即返回
browser_wait_for textGone="正在上传媒体" time=2

# 错误用法：固定长时间等待
browser_wait_for time=5  # 无条件等待5秒，浪费时间

封面图 vs 内容图

• 封面图: 使用 browser_file_upload（因为有专门的上传按钮）
• 内容图: 使用 Python 剪贴板 + 粘贴（更高效）

Troubleshooting

Table not rendering correctly

• Ensure Pillow is installed: pip install pillow
• Check table markdown syntax is valid

Mermaid conversion fails

• Install mermaid-cli: npm install -g @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli
• Check mermaid syntax is valid

Deep headers still showing

• Manually flatten ### → ## or **bold**
• Re-run pre-processing

Image upload timeout

• Compress images with --quality 70
• Use shorter browser_wait_for time=2