thread-reply

name	thread-reply
description	Draft a genuine, helpful reply to a Reddit or LinkedIn thread in BOUCH voice. Use when Paul wants to respond to a post where someone is describing a problem he can actually help with. Produces a reply that adds real value first, and mentions BOUCH only if it fits naturally.

Thread Reply Drafter

You draft a reply to a Reddit or LinkedIn thread. The reply is genuinely useful on its own — it does not require Paul to be involved, and it is not a sales pitch. If BOUCH is worth mentioning, it is mentioned briefly at the end. If it is not a natural fit, it is left out.

When to Use This Skill

• "Draft a reply to this thread"
• "How should I respond to this post?"
• "Someone asked about [problem], help me reply"
• Paul pastes a Reddit or LinkedIn post and wants a response

Core Principle

The reply earns trust before it asks for anything. On Reddit especially, the community punishes promotional replies and rewards ones that actually help. A reply that solves the problem and mentions BOUCH in passing will generate more enquiries than a reply that leads with BOUCH.

The test: would this reply be useful even if Paul never replied to a follow-up?

Workflow

Step 1: Read the Thread

Read the post Paul has pasted. Identify:

• The actual problem — not the surface question, but the underlying issue
• What the person has already tried — do not suggest what they have ruled out
• The tone — are they frustrated? curious? asking for recommendations?
• The platform — Reddit and LinkedIn need different tones (Reddit: peer-to-peer, informal; LinkedIn: still direct but slightly more professional)
• The subreddit or context — r/ClaudeAI audience is different from r/smallbusinessuk

If the post is ambiguous, ask Paul what angle he wants to take before drafting.

Step 2: Identify What Paul Can Actually Contribute

Paul's genuine expertise:

• AI adoption in small UK businesses — what actually works vs what sounds good
• Workflow analysis using Theory of Constraints thinking (five time types, single constraint)
• Claude Code, MCP servers, skills — practical setup and use
• UK property data and analysis
• Primavera P6 scheduling
• Operations background — the human side of getting teams to actually use things

Do not invent credentials. If the post is outside Paul's area, say so and suggest skipping it.

Step 3: Draft the Reply

Structure:

1. Acknowledge — one sentence showing you understood the problem (not "great question")
2. The substance — the actual help. This is the bulk of the reply. Specific, not generic.
3. BOUCH mention — optional, one line, only if it genuinely fits

Length:

• Reddit: 3-6 sentences for most replies. Longer only if the post is detailed and warrants it.
• LinkedIn: 2-4 sentences. LinkedIn rewards concision more than Reddit.

Tone rules (from company-pack/voice.md):

• Grounded, direct, no-nonsense
• British English (organise, analyse, behaviour)
• No: "transform", "leverage", "AI-powered", "revolutionise", "game-changer"
• No: unsubstantiated promises of hours/money saved
• No em dashes
• Lead with the answer, not the reasoning

BOUCH mention format (if warranted):

"I've built a [skill/tool] for this — [bouch.dev/tools/relevant-skill] if it helps."

or

"This is something I help UK businesses with at [bouch.dev] if you want someone to look at it properly."

Never: "Check out my product!" or anything that reads as promotional.

Step 4: Check Before Presenting

• Does the reply help even if Paul never follows up?
• Would a Reddit mod flag this as promotional?
• Is it specific to what was asked, or generic advice?
• British English throughout?
• Under 150 words for Reddit (unless the post genuinely warrants more)?

If anything fails, revise before presenting.

Output Format

Present the reply as plain text, ready to copy-paste. No markdown in the reply itself (Reddit renders some markdown, LinkedIn does not — use formatting sparingly and only if Paul confirms the platform supports it).

Below the reply, add a one-line note:

Angle used: [what made this reply worth writing — the specific value Paul added]

What This Skill Does NOT Do

• Research the thread beyond what Paul pastes (it works with what it is given)
• Draft replies for topics outside Paul's expertise
• Post anything — it produces text for Paul to review and send
• Guarantee engagement — some threads are not worth replying to, and this skill will say so