x-for-you-growth

# X For You Growth Turn the open-source X **For You** algorithm (`xai-org/x-algorithm`) into practical drafting, posting, and engagement coaching. Prefer primary sources (repo README + `home-mixer/params/param.rs`) over third-party blogs. Production defaults are mirrored into the repo on a cadence; **re-check weights** before giving numeric advice. This skill does **not** post, spam, buy engagement, or game safety systems. It drafts and coaches. Confirm before any live publish. ## When to Use - User wants more reach, impressions, followers, or replies on X/Twitter - User asks how the X / For You / Phoenix algorithm works for creators - Drafting hooks, threads, reply strategy, or a posting cadence for X - Auditing a draft or account against ranking signals - Comparing formats (text, image, video, quote, thread, link) **Don't use for:** LinkedIn-only growth, ad buying playbooks, engagement pods/bots, mass follow-unfollow, or circumventing visibility/safety labels. ## Prerequisites - Optional: fetch latest weights from the public repo before numeric claims - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/xai-org/x-algorithm/main/home-mixer/params/param.rs - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/xai-org/x-algorithm/main/README.md - Scoring math: `home-mixer/scorers/ranking_scorer.rs` - See also `references/param-baselines-2026-08.md` in this skill (snapshot; may go stale) ## Core model (what actually ranks) ``` Sources (parallel) Thunder → in-network (accounts viewer follows), recent posts Phoenix retrieval→ out-of-network two-tower similarity SimClusters → community / engagement-cluster OON ↓ Pre-filters (age ≤ ~48h, blocks/mutes, muted keywords, already seen/served, duplicates, OON retweet/reply rules, …) ↓ Phoenix ranker → P(favorite), P(reply), P(repost), P(quote), P(share…), P(dwell…), P(follow), P(negatives…) ↓ Final Score ≈ Σ (weight_i × P(action_i)) ↓ Adjustments: author diversity decay · OON discount · new-author/cold-start boost · VM-ranker diversity reorder ↓ Visibility filtering can DROP / interstitial after rank (spam, safety, labels) ``` **Implications:** 1. You need **candidate selection** (followers + OON retrieval/clusters) **and** a high weighted score. 2. The model optimizes **predicted viewer actions**, not abstract "quality." 3. **Negative feedback** (report/mute/not interested/block) crushes score. 4. Content older than the age filter (~**48 hours**) is out of For You consideration. 5. Multiple posts from the same author in one feed are **decayed** (diversity). 6. Out-of-network posts are **discounted** vs in-network (need stronger predicted engagement to surface). ## Published weight baselines (mirror ~2026-08-12) Re-fetch `param.rs` before treating these as current. Relative to **favorite = 0.5**: | Signal | Default weight | ≈ × favorite | Creator takeaway | |--------|----------------|--------------|------------------| | Share via copy link | 20.0 | 40× | Make something people save/forward | | Bidirectional-follow **reply** boost | +15.0 on reply path | huge | Mutuals replying (and deep reply chains with people who follow each other) are elite | | Reply | 5.0 | 10× | Optimize for conversation, not likes | | Quote | 5.0 | 10× | Quotable, disagreeable, specific takes | | Share via DM | 5.0 | 10× | Private "you need to see this" value | | Follow author | 4.0 | 8× | Profile-worthy posts convert lurkers | | Share (general) | 2.0 | 4× | Shareable one-liners / frames | | Retweet | 1.0 | 2× | Amplification still matters | | Favorite (like) | 0.5 | 1× | Weak alone; vanity metric | | Click | 0.4 | 0.8× | Curiosity / expand still helps | | Open link | 0.2 | 0.4× | External links are **weak positives** in-score (and often hurt stay-on-platform behavior in practice) | | Photo expand / video open / VQV | ~0.05 | tiny | Media helps via dwell/expand, not as a magic multiplier alone | | Continuous dwell time | 0.004 | tiny per unit | Long readable content still compounds via attention heads | | Not dwelled | -0.02 | small neg | Instant skips hurt | | Not interested | -43.2 | catastrophic | Topic mismatch / bait fatigue | | Block author | -31.2 | catastrophic | Polarizing-to-hostile is risky | | Mute author | -58.8 | catastrophic | | | Report | -234.0 | nuke | Spam, scams, harassment, policy breaks | Also important (not a simple weight): - **Author diversity:** `decay=0.5`, `floor=0.25` → 2nd post from same author heavily attenuated in one feed build. - **OON factor:** `0.75` (topic OON `0.5`) → discovery posts need stronger predicted engagement than follower feed posts. - **Cold-start / new-author boost** exists for low-impression authors (quality + early velocity still required). - **OON-style discount** can also hit **in-network replies/reposts** when that rescoring flag is on. Third-party "author reply = 150 likes" lore comes from older hand-tuned systems. **Current public Phoenix weights emphasize reply/quote/share/copy-link/follow and mutual-reply boosts** — treat old absolute multipliers as directional only unless you re-derive them from live `param.rs` + scorer code. ## Procedure ### 1) Refresh algorithm facts when stakes are high If the user needs numeric claims or the repo may have moved, re-read `param.rs` and the README scoring section. Completion: you can state last-synced defaults and whether reply/share/report weights changed. ### 2) Diagnose the growth goal Capture: niche, audience, current follower band, posting frequency, best/worst recent posts, link-in-bio needs, Premium or not, primary KPI (followers vs site clicks vs authority). Completion: one-sentence goal + constraint list. ### 3) Account hygiene (candidate + trust layer) Coach, do not automate abuse: - Clear niche bio + pinned proof post (raises follow conversion when `P(follow)` fires) - Healthy follow graph (engage real peers; avoid mass follow/unfollow patterns that look inauthentic — behavioral detection / cred systems exist) - Check **Under the Hood** labels if reach suddenly dies: https://x.com/i/under_the_hood - Remove spammy media, engagement bait templates, misleading claims that drive reports/mutes Completion: short account checklist with pass/fail. ### 4) Draft for high-weight actions When writing or reviewing a post, force these properties: 1. **Reply bait without empty "thoughts?"** — specific claim, prediction, tradeoff, or sharp question a niche peer can answer in one line. 2. **Quotable core** — one sentence others can quote-tweet with their own spin. 3. **Copy-link / DM worthiness** — "send this to X role" utility (checklist, non-obvious number, crisp framework). 4. **Follow reason** — reader should know what they get by following (series, beat, POV). 5. **Dwell** — short paragraphs, concrete nouns, media that rewards expand; threads when depth beats a blob. 6. **Minimize negatives** — no scrape-bait, fake urgency, tag-spam, or topic bait-and-switch. **Format defaults:** | Format | Use when | Notes | |--------|----------|--------| | Single text | Hot take / news reaction | Highest reply rate if opinionated and specific | | Image + text | Diagram, screenshot, before/after | Photo expand is a real head; keep text self-contained | | Native video | Demo, talking head, screen record | Optimize completion / VQV; native upload, not YouTube link as the post | | Thread (3–7) | Teaching / story | First tweet is the ad; each line earns the next; end with a reply prompt | | Quote-tweet | Commentary on a primary source | Your frame must stand alone if parent is collapsed | | Link | Distribution of off-platform asset | Prefer **value in main post**, link in **first reply** (or later) so ranking is not wedded to weak `open_link` | **Link policy:** score weight for open-link is low; many creators still see weaker distribution with external URLs in the root post. Default: native insight first, URL in reply unless user insists otherwise. Completion: draft has hook, body, CTA-to-reply or follow, and optional media note. ### 5) Timing and first-hour ops (velocity) For You still needs early positive actions so OON retrieval/social proof can fire: 1. Post when **core followers are online** (use their history / analytics if available). 2. Block **20–40 minutes** after posting for real replies (not emoji spam). 3. Reply in ways that **add information** (extends dwell + more reply probability on the thread). 4. Soft-seed: reply thoughtfully on 3–5 niche posts before/after your post (human, on-topic — not "great post!" spam). 5. Do **not** blast the same link 10 times; author diversity + spam labels will punish. Completion: post plan includes time window + reply SOP. ### 6) Cadence vs diversity penalty - Prefer **fewer stronger posts** over many near-duplicates the same hour. - There is **author diversity decay** inside a single feed assembly: back-to-back near-identical posts cannibalize each other. - There is a **~48h age cutoff** for For You candidates — evergreen recycling only helps if reposted/refreshed as a new candidate with new engagement, not as infinite old inventory. Completion: weekly calendar with spacing, not a firehose. ### 7) Growth loops that match the math Priority order for organic growth: 1. **Conversation density** on your posts (replies + your substantive replies) 2. **Quotes and copy-link shares** (high weights) 3. **Follow conversions** from profile-worthy posts 4. **In-network amplification** from mutuals (bidirectional reply boost path) 5. **Cluster belonging** via consistent niche (SimClusters + Phoenix history) 6. Likes last (lowest positive engagement weight) Avoid: pods, reply-guy spam under huge accounts, engagement bait that triggers not-interested/report. ### 8) Deliverables by request type | User ask | Deliver | |----------|---------| | Explain algorithm | Short pipeline + weight table + caveats + links to repo | | Write a post | 2–3 variants optimized for reply/quote/share; hook graded | | Content audit | Score draft on reply, quote, share, follow, dwell, negative risk | | 30-day plan | Niche pillars, cadence, reply hours, metrics to watch | | Thread | Outline + tweet-by-tweet with completion CTA | | "Why did reach die?" | Checklist: age, labels/UTH, spam patterns, link-only posts, diversity spam, topic drift, negatives | ## Quick drafting checklist - [ ] Specific audience + one clear POV in line 1 - [ ] Invites a **real reply** (not generic engagement bait) - [ ] One **quotable** line - [ ] Useful enough to **copy link / DM** - [ ] Media native if used; text works if media fails - [ ] External link deferred to reply (default) - [ ] No multi-post spam in the same window - [ ] Plan to **answer replies** in first hour - [ ] Topic matches account niche (reduces not-interested) - [ ] Nothing that invites mass report/mute ## Metrics that matter (coach the user) Watch for 24–48h per post: 1. **Replies** and reply rate (primary) 2. **Quotes + shares** (incl. soft signals if available) 3. **Profile visits → follows** 4. **Bookmark / share behavior** if shown in analytics 5. Dwell proxies: detail expands, video completion 6. Negative: "not interested," blocks, reports (if visible), sudden distribution cliffs → Under the Hood Deprioritize raw like count as the success metric. ## Pitfalls 1. **Stale third-party weight tables.** Always prefer live `param.rs`. Blogs often mix 2023 hand-tuned weights with 2026 Phoenix. 2. **Like farming.** Favorite weight is low; reply/quote/share/follow dominate. 3. **Link-in-root habit.** Weak score contribution; often worse distribution in practice. 4. **Thread-as-essay dump.** First tweet must earn the click; each hop needs a reason. 5. **Engagement bait** ("like if you agree") → not-interested and mute risk. 6. **Spam replies under celebrities.** Short-term impressions, long-term cred/label risk. 7. **Ignoring negatives.** One report weight dwarfs many likes. 8. **Posting 8 near-duplicates daily.** Author diversity + filters + fatigue. 9. **Topic whiplash.** Phoenix user history + SimClusters reward coherent niches; random viral formats train the wrong retrieval neighbors. 10. **Promising guaranteed virality.** System is personalized per viewer; same post scores differently for every user. ## Verification - Algorithm summary cites **repo paths** and notes param sync uncertainty. - Every growth recommendation maps to a **named signal** (reply, quote, share_via_copy_link, follow_author, OON discount, age filter, diversity decay, VF/labels). - Drafts pass the **Quick drafting checklist**. - If user reports dead reach: include Under the Hood + hygiene checklist before "just post more." ## Sample usage Worked prompts and abbreviated ideal answers live in [`references/sample-usage.md`](references/sample-usage.md). Full freeze-dried agent outputs from a live skill test: [`references/sample-output-live.md`](references/sample-output-live.md). | Prompt | What you should get | |--------|---------------------| | "How does For You actually rank posts?" | Pipeline + weight hierarchy + 48h/OON/diversity caveats + repo links | | "Rewrite: Excited to share my blog… link in bio" | 2–3 variants optimized for reply/quote/share; URL moved to reply; signal map | | "Audit this draft before I send" | Scored rubric (reply, quote, copy-link, follow, dwell, negative risk) + fix list | | "First-hour plan after I post at 8am" | Timed SOP (seed replies, stay present, no spam duplicates) | | "Impressions collapsed — same niche" | Ordered diagnosis (Under the Hood → bait/links → topic drift → cadence) | | "7-day plan for a small personal-AI account" | Day-by-day format + target signal + KPI focus on replies/follows | **Quick invoke lines** - Explain X For You ranking like a creator coach. - Rewrite this tweet for replies and quotes; put the link in a reply. - Audit this draft against Phoenix weights. - My reach died — run the diagnosis checklist. ## Reference links - Repo: https://github.com/xai-org/x-algorithm - README scoring section (How It Works → Scoring and Ranking) - Params: `home-mixer/params/param.rs` - Scorer: `home-mixer/scorers/ranking_scorer.rs` - DeepWiki index: https://deepwiki.com/xai-org/x-algorithm - Under the Hood: https://x.com/i/under_the_hood - Local snapshot: `references/param-baselines-2026-08.md` - Sample prompts/outputs: `references/sample-usage.md` - Live freeze-dried run: `references/sample-output-live.md`