notslop-write-readme-pitch

name	notslop-write-readme-pitch
description	Use when the user wants to write or improve the top section of a README for an open-source project — the part above the fold that convinces a developer to keep reading. Pulls competitor READMEs + recent traction signals to ground positioning.

Providers required

Capability	Required	Providers (BYOK)	Setup	Cost
Pull social signal (Reddit/HN/blogs)	yes	built-in, no key needed	—	free
Rerank by relevance	yes	ZeroEntropy zerank-2	PROVIDERS.md#zeroentropy-rerank--embed	free tier OK
Embed for cross-source dedup	yes	ZeroEntropy zembed-1	PROVIDERS.md#zeroentropy-rerank--embed	free tier OK
Scrape X posts	only if topic needs X data	Orthogonal (ScrapeCreators)	PROVIDERS.md#x-twitter--via-orthogonal	~$0.02/handle, $10 free at signup

When to use this skill

• "Write me a README hero for "
• "Improve the top of my README"
• "Draft the above-the-fold for my open-source project"
• The user mentions README, hero section, or repo landing.

For Show HN launch posts, use notslop-write-show-hn-post instead.

Setup

notslop init configured. ZeroEntropy key set.

Steps

1. Ask the user (if not already provided):

   • Repo name
   • What it does in one sentence
   • Language / stack
   • License
   • Install command (e.g. npm install x, pip install x, brew install x)
   • Key competitor repos (optional — helps with the "why it's different" section)

2. Read what's resonating in the niche:

   notslop digest "github <topic>" --since 30d --top 10 --for-content
   

3. Surface comparable repos:

   notslop find-related "<repo description>" --top 5
   

4. Draft the README hero in markdown. Order:

   # <RepoName>
   
   **<One-line tagline, <100 chars, no emoji>**
   
   ![License](placeholder) ![Language](placeholder) ![CI](placeholder)
   
   <3-sentence plain prose: what it is, who it's for, what makes it different.>
   
   ## Quickstart
   
   ```bash
   <install command>
   <minimal usage example, 3-5 lines max>
   

   Why

   • <Differentiator 1 — contrast with a real competitor approach>
   • <Differentiator 2 — concrete capability, not adjective>
   • <Differentiator 3 — optional>

5. Show the draft. Suggest 2 alternative taglines.

Output format

Print:

1. The full markdown hero (everything from # Title through ## Why).
2. 2 alternate taglines.
3. 2-3 competitor repos you cited (from the digest), so the user can verify the framing is fair.

Constraints

• Quickstart must be 5 lines max in the code block (excluding the install line). If it can't fit, link to a longer "Getting started" section instead.
• No "blazingly fast", "modern", "powerful", "robust", "lightweight", "next-generation", "battle-tested".
• No emojis in the tagline. Badges count as visual, not emoji.
• The hero must read well on GitHub mobile preview — assume the user is reading on a phone in a Slack thread. Keep paragraphs short.
• "Why " bullets must contrast with real alternatives, not strawmen. Cite specific competitor repos from the digest when appropriate.
• Don't list features as adjectives. Lead with verbs and outcomes.
• License badge, language badge, CI badge are placeholders — let the user fill in URLs.