pb-script-write

name

pb-script-write

description

Phase 2 of Harrison Ball's Precision Brass YouTube content engine. Generates a full filming-ready script for a single idea picked from the pb-script menu. Outputs a colorful, scannable HTML doc + PDF (saved to project output AND ~/Downloads/) with the proven 7-beat interleaved structure (Cold Open + Hook, Demo, Apparatus Reveal, Mistake 1 / Mistake 2 / Mistake 3 each woven trap+mistake+test, Funnel). Follows Harrison's voice fingerprint (second-person, "Now,", "right?", repetitions, mid-sentence metaphors) modeled on the $36K embouchure converter. Funnel always points to the embouchure video using the converter's "Hint:" pattern. Use this skill IMMEDIATELY after Timo picks an idea from the pb-script menu (replies with "idea N", "go with

pb-script-write. Phase 2: Filming-Ready Script Generator

When to fire

• Auto: immediately after pb-script outputs the 5-idea menu and Timo replies with a selection ("idea 1", "go with #2", "let's do the mouthpiece one", etc.)
• Manual: any time Timo says "write the script", "make the script", "/pb-script-write", "phase 2", "draft the script for X"

Hard preconditions (do not skip)

Before drafting a single line, you MUST do BOTH of the following:

Precondition A: Read the reference files

1. references/example-mouthpieces-script.md. Proven structural template.
2. references/script-writing-protocol.md. Full ruleset. 14 failure modes. Voice fingerprint. Funnel pattern.
3. references/funnel-layers.md. TOFU/MOFU/BOFU layer spec.
4. /Users/air/.claude/projects/-Users-air-Desktop-Precision-Brass/memory/feedback_script_writing_lessons.md. Project-level failure memory.
5. /Users/air/.claude/projects/-Users-air-Desktop-Precision-Brass/memory/feedback_pb_script_write_master_lessons.md. The 7 master lessons from 2026-05-06. Read these or repeat the 15-iteration mistake.
6. /Users/air/Desktop/Precision-Brass/references/converting-video-embouchure-transcript.md. Source-of-truth Harrison voice.

Precondition B: 6-agent VOC vault sweep (MANDATORY, even on dashboard mode)

Source the script's pain from the database, not from pedagogy guesses. Spawn 6 parallel mining agents against the FULL vault before drafting any beat content. This is the single highest-leverage step in the entire pipeline. A script with REAL prospect quotes converts. A script with invented objections does not.

The full vault (do NOT limit to sales calls):

• voc/raw/sales-calls/ (28 files. Lost AND won deals.)
• voc/raw/testimonials/ (11 files. Before-state language.)
• voc/raw/research/ (deep psychological dive on 19 prospects.)
• voc/raw/converting-video-embouchure/ (transcript + comments.)
• voc/raw/winning-emails/ and voc/raw/email-sequences/ (proven copy patterns.)
• voc/quotes/*.jsonl (pre-tagged: all-quotes, comments-quotes, lost-deals, won-deals, sales-call-outcomes.)
• voc/personas/*.md (voice banks: comments, lost-deals, won-deals, harrison-email-voice, voice-bank, objection-library.)
• youtube-database/ (per-video folders with transcripts, top 200 comments, sales attribution.)
• facebook-ads-database/ (per-ad folders with copy, performance, sales attribution.)

The 6 agents (parallel, each a different lens):

1. Sales calls deep-dive: all 28 sales calls. Verbatim physical descriptions of what prospects do wrong.
2. Testimonials before-state: all 11 testimonials. What they were doing wrong BEFORE Harrison fixed them.
3. Pre-tagged quotes + objection library: all .jsonl files + personas/objection-library.md + voice-banks. Pre-indexed material.
4. Failed-method emotional shame: sales calls + testimonials + the deep psych dive. Find the EMOTIONAL underbelly. Self-blame, defending failed teachers, "I just need to try harder."
5. Specific physical-mistake spotter: sales calls + testimonials + converting-video transcript. Concrete sensory descriptions. Body parts. Sensations.
6. Teacher-blame + bad-advice + YouTube/FB engagement: sales calls + research + youtube-database comments + facebook-ads-database winning-ad comments. Specific bad advice prospects got. Specific reactions to Harrison's existing content.

Each agent returns: verbatim quote + source file + which trap/beat it maps to. 2-5 quotes per beat. Empty section if no real quote exists. NEVER invent.

Then a sequential auditor pass: select the strongest 1-2 quotes per beat. Tag the rest as alternates.

If the topic is Phase-1-driven (idea_id starts with i_): the originating idea ALREADY has VOC quotes from pb-script's mining run. Inherit those AND run the 6-agent sweep on top. The sweep finds material the Phase 1 mining missed because it was filtered through the idea's lens.

If the topic is manual (Timo pastes a brief): the 6-agent sweep is your ONLY source of real pain. Do not skip it.

Skipping the 6-agent sweep = repeating the 2026-05-06 mistake of inventing prospect objections that Timo had to call out and force you to redo.

Funnel layer adaptation (mandatory)

The picked idea carries a TOFU/MOFU/BOFU label from the pb-script menu. Read it. The layer determines:

• TOFU: light pain depth, no comeback/age callout, broad curiosity hook, lighter 5-7 beat structure, CTA = subscribe / next video.
• MOFU: specific named mistakes, comeback/age callout in hook, 7-beat interleaved template, CTA = next-deeper video.
• BOFU: surgical pain depth (comeback grief, age anxiety, failed-method shame), maximum identity load, full 12-move converter template, CTA = strategy call.

If the picked idea has no layer label (older menus or manual invocations), ask Timo for the layer BEFORE drafting. Don't assume.

Structure: each step gets its own shape, not a rigid template

The 7-beat template is ONE valid structure. The 9-step Ed Lawrence chain is another. The right structure depends on the script's content.

Default options:

• 7-beat interleaved (mistakes-first scripts): Hook → Demo → Apparatus Reveal → Mistake 1 woven → Mistake 2 woven → Mistake 3 woven → Funnel.
• 9-step Ed Lawrence chain (do-this scripts): Hook → Demo → Reframe → Action 1 + trap → Action 2 + trap → Action 3 + trap → Action 4 + trap → Payoff → Funnel.

In BOTH structures: each step gets its own shape based on what serves it. One step might lead with VOC quotes. Another might pre-empt a denial. Another might be a brief intro. Don't copy-paste the same bullet structure across all steps. Confirmed 2026-05-06 in the famous-method-killing-embouchure script.

Pick the structure based on the picked idea:

• If the idea is "3 mistakes that..." or "the trap that..." use 7-beat.
• If the idea is "the system to..." or "how to..." use 9-step Ed Lawrence chain.
• If unclear, ask Timo before drafting.

Layer color palette (extends to 9):

#	Color	Hex
01	Coral	#E63946
02	Blue	#2563EB
03	Green	#059669
04	Mustard	#D97706
05	Plum	#7C3AED
06	Magenta	#DB2777
07	Teal	#0891B2
08	Amber	#F59E0B
09	Indigo	#4F46E5

Instructions are directive TO Harrison, not abstract director-speak (2026-05-06)

Write all bullets and director notes as second-person instructions Harrison can act on. NOT third-person abstract intent.

• BAD: "Harrison transitions from naming the problem to proving it on camera."
• GOOD: "Cue the demo. Step into the next take."
• BAD: "Tie back to Step 2. Reps don't matter if the system underneath is wrong."
• GOOD: "Land the point of Step 2. Reps don't matter if the system is wrong."

Trim every "Harrison X" to a verb the reader can do. Trim every "the viewer" reference unless the action genuinely requires the audience POV.

Confirmed 2026-05-06: Timo flagged the v2 script for being too descriptive ("Harrison transitions...") instead of directive ("Cut to camera. Hit the next beat."). Rule applies to action blocks, bullets, bridges, and section labels.

Don't force a curiosity loop into every beat (Ed Lawrence pattern, 2026-05-06)

Curiosity loops are spent currency. Use them only where attention has to be re-bought. Ed Lawrence does NOT loop every section. He uses loops at 4-5 specific moments per video: between the hook and the body, before a counterintuitive twist, before naming the system, and before the funnel. Most beats are clean statements + an objection answered + a transition. Forcing a loop into every beat reads like a copy-paste and kills the loops that earn their place.

Default audit before writing: count your loops. If you have more than 5 in a 9-step script, cut the weakest. Statements and objection-answers can carry beats too.

Source objections from the VOC corpus, not from general pedagogy guesses. The pb-script Phase 1 skill spawns 6 mining agents against voc/raw/sales-calls/, voc/raw/testimonials/, and FB comments. Phase 2 (this skill) is supposed to inherit those VOC quotes from the picked idea. If invoked WITHOUT a Phase 1 idea (manual run from a pasted brief), do not invent traps. Either spawn the 6 mining agents inline, or tag every trap as [HARRISON FILLS] so he writes from his own head. Never make up prospect objections.

Curiosity loop type rotation (when you DO use them)

Cycle through 5 distinct loop types. Never repeat the same shape twice in one script:

1. Pre-empt objection. "Before you think X, let me show you Y."
2. Pose the next obvious question. "But how do you actually do X?"
3. Reveal a contradiction. "This sounds like X, but it's actually Y."
4. Tease new info with stakes. "Before I move on, here's the thing nobody tells you."
5. Bait an explanation with a why-question. "But why did that work?"

Assign one loop type per beat. Track which you've used so you don't repeat. Ed also names a specific (person, piece, exercise) BEFORE naming the pattern. Specificity first, label second.

Bridges between beats follow the same rule. Each bridge picks a DIFFERENT loop type than the prior bridge. Same job (close prior + open next), different angle.

Source: transcripts of Ed Lawrence YouTube videos s5mkBXsBAF4 and fhKgYGhLwKs (mined 2026-05-06).

Bullet anchors are intent, not text Harrison reads (2026-05-06)

Riff bullets must be 1 line of director's intent. Never write the sentences Harrison would say on camera.

• Default bullet length: ~1 line. If it wraps to 2-3 lines, it's already too much.
• Each bullet says WHAT this beat does and WHY (connection to previous beat or payoff for next).
• Locked one-liners (verbatim quotes Harrison must say word-for-word) stay long if needed. Only exception.
• Metaphors and reframes get a short LABEL (e.g. "drop the marathon-with-a-weight metaphor"), not the full speech.

Metaphor exception (CRITICAL): if a bullet references a metaphor by short label, the metaphor itself MUST be defined inline the first time it appears in the doc. Harrison does not have your context. He cannot expand a label he hasn't seen the full version of. Pattern: in the FIRST step that uses the metaphor, write one sentence spelling out what the metaphor is, then in later steps you can use the short label. If the metaphor is in the script header (Backbone metaphor: X), still spell it out in the body the first time it lands.

When in doubt, cut. Harrison improvises better than any draft can write for him. Long bullets kill his voice. Confirmed twice on the 2026-05-06 famous-method-killing-embouchure script. See feedback_bullet_anchors_are_intent_not_text.md.

Voice rules

Match Harrison's converter fingerprint. Examples in references/example-mouthpieces-script.md:

• Second person + "we"
• Conversational fillers: "Now,", "right?", "Look,"
• Names the wrong way before the right way
• Repeats key terms 3-5 times
• Builds metaphors mid-sentence
• Confident declaratives, no hedging
• Demos woven into the talk ("If I play [demo]")

Funnel pattern (always)

End the video with this exact structural move (modeled on the $36K converter):

1. Callback: "if you struggled with any of those tests..."
2. NEW provocation: a question the tests don't answer (e.g., "WHERE on your face is the mouthpiece supposed to sit?")
3. Hint line: "it's not where 99% of teachers tell you"
4. CTA to embouchure video: "I broke it all down in this video right here. Make sure you watch that next."

The funnel ALWAYS points to the embouchure video (youtube-database/2026-04_embouchure-truth_O4a-q93ENAg/) unless explicitly told otherwise.

Output format

Generate an HTML file with this design (full template lives in Precision-Brass/references/example-script-mouthpieces.html):

• Single column, max-width 760px
• Warm off-white bg #FAF7F2, near-black text #1A1A1A
• Inter sans-serif (22px body, 38px beat titles)
• Beat number in filled colored tile (64x64px, 14px radius)
• 🎥 emoji + colored ACTION pill for visual blocks
• 💬 emoji marker before script blocks
• Section labels (THE 99% LIE, etc.) in beat-color caps, no fills
• Script paragraphs flow with whitespace, no boxes
• CSS: break-inside: avoid on .script paragraphs to prevent mid-paragraph page breaks

Then convert to PDF via Chrome headless and save:

1. /Users/air/Desktop/Precision-Brass/scripts/YYYY-MM-DD_<slug>.{html,pdf} (CANONICAL ARCHIVE. both HTML and PDF.)
2. /Users/air/Desktop/Precision-Brass/output/YYYY-MM-DD_<slug>.{html,pdf} (working copy. both HTML and PDF.)
3. ~/Downloads/YYYY-MM-DD_<slug>.pdf (PDF ONLY. Never copy HTML to Downloads. See feedback_pdf_only_to_downloads.md.)

After saving, append a row to Precision-Brass/scripts/README.md index table with date / slug / topic / status.

What goes where

• Locked lines (italic, must be verbatim): cold open hook, apparatus reveal line, mistake callouts ("That's how you fall into the first/second/third mistake..."), funnel CTA close.
• Riff topics (regular weight, director's notes): trap explanations, mistake elaborations, test riffs. Harrison improvises off these.
• Visual specs: preserve EXACTLY as Timo writes them. If he says "Harrison sitting in front of all his mouthpieces", that detail is mandatory. Don't compress it.
• [HARRISON FILLS]: tag specific gear / tunes / student names that need Harrison's input. Do not invent.

Hard rules (do NOT break)

These come from the 2026-04-25 iteration. Each was flagged repeatedly:

1. NO paragraphs of explanation. Bullet director's notes only.
2. NO summarizing Timo's locked lines. Verbatim or nothing.
3. NO dropping visual specs. Preserve them exactly.
4. NO stacking mistakes/tests as separate beats. Always interleave inside the trap beat.
5. NO fabricated stats, social proof, or behavioral claims. Open knowledge gaps, do not invent answers.
6. NO meta-instructions inside the deliverable ("send to Timo", "Harrison fills" lists go in conversation, not on the page).
7. NO third-person clinical register. Always second-person, conversational.
8. NO over-fragmenting. Beats hold many sentences that flow together. Don't make every line its own shot.
9. NO regression. Once Timo corrects something, it stays corrected.
10. NO manhandling Harrison's improv. Locked lines for critical moments, riff topics for the rest.
11. NO mid-paragraph PDF breaks. CSS must protect script blocks.
12. NO design over readability. Script is the hero. No yellow speech bubbles, no italic body, no chat-bubble metaphor.
13. NO em dashes anywhere (project hook blocks them).
14. NO inventing named mistakes from thin air. Pull from corpus or extend a pattern Timo has accepted.

Workflow

Order is non-negotiable: chat draft FIRST, files SECOND, upload THIRD. Never render HTML or PDF before Timo has read and approved the draft as plain text in the chat.

1. Detect dashboard mode. If invoked with /pb-script-write i_YYYYMMDD_slug, this is a dashboard-driven run. Fetch the originating idea from Supabase first:

   source ~/.claude/secrets/precision-brass.env
   curl -s "${SUPABASE_URL}/rest/v1/ideas?id=eq.{idea_id}&select=*" \
     -H "apikey: ${SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY}" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer ${SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY}"
   

   Use the idea's title, pain_point, hook_angle, voc_quotes, source_tags as the conversion-trigger context. If status is not idea_approved, STOP and tell Timo (e.g. already scripted, or Harrison hasn't greenlit yet).

2. Confirm the picked idea title and conversion trigger (carry over from pb-script output OR from fetched idea).

3. READ all 4 reference files (preconditions above).

4. Outline the 7 beats. Name the 3 mistakes from the corpus or extend a Timo-approved pattern.

5. Draft each beat in Harrison's voice with the locked-lines / bullet-riff split.

6. MANDATORY CHAT DRAFT (no files yet). Show Timo the FULL draft in chat as plain markdown:

   • Title + layer + funnel destination
   • "How to use this doc" rules block (hook + funnel verbatim, everything else bullets, mistake callouts as locked one-liners)
   • Beat 1: full Locked Hook verbatim + visual action note + EXAMPLES (specific exercise, notes, tempo)
   • Beats 2-3: visual action notes + bullet riff topics + locked reveal line + EXAMPLES
   • Beats 4-6: per-mistake bullets (Trap topic bullets, locked Mistake callout, mistake riff bullets, Test action, EXAMPLES box for the viewer's test with specific notes/tempo/duration)
   • Beat 7 ("Your Journey: The N Steps"): numbered step ladder for the viewer
   • Beat 8: full Locked Funnel Close verbatim
   • Any [HARRISON FILLS] tags or knowledge gaps
   • Explicit prompt: "Read the draft above. Reply 'render' to generate HTML+PDF, or tell me which beat to revise."

   Do NOT touch the Write tool. Do NOT call Chrome. Do NOT touch the filesystem. Until Timo says render / ship / looks good / approve / something equivalent.

7. On Timo's render approval: generate the HTML using the proven aesthetic spec, then render PDF via Chrome headless, run visual QA on a PNG export of page 1, copy HTML+PDF to all 3 locations (scripts/, output/, ~/Downloads/), update scripts/README.md index.

8. Second checkpoint in chat (do NOT upload yet). Show Timo:

   • File paths + screenshot of page 1 (visual QA confirmation)
   • Explicit prompt: "Open the PDF at {path}. Reply 'go' to upload to Harrison's dashboard, or tell me what to fix."

9. Upload to Harrison's dashboard (only AFTER Timo's go). Build a script payload with the body filled in, POST to Supabase, then mark idea as scripted. See "Dashboard upload" below.

10. Report dashboard link to Timo + confirmation idea moved to scripted.

Why this order exists (two checkpoints, not one)

Before 2026-04-25 the skill auto-uploaded after writing. Trust damage. We added a chat checkpoint after rendering. That fixed dashboard surprises but kept the wasteful "draft a PDF, get yelled at, fix it, re-render, get yelled at again, re-render" loop. Timo flagged this on 2026-05-06: he wants the draft IN CHAT first, BEFORE any HTML or PDF is generated. Iteration on plain text is cheap. Iteration on rendered files is wasteful and slow. So the order is now: chat draft -> render approval -> render -> upload approval -> upload. Never compress the two checkpoints into one. Never render before the first approval.

Dashboard upload (step 9 detail)

Two uploads happen: (1) the PDF goes to Supabase Storage so Harrison can download it, (2) the rich HTML body + PDF URL go into the script row so the dashboard renders the script in-modal AND shows a Download PDF button.

9a. Upload the PDF to Supabase Storage

source ~/.claude/secrets/precision-brass.env
PDF_PATH="/Users/air/Desktop/Precision-Brass/scripts/{filename}.pdf"
PDF_REMOTE="{filename}.pdf"   # e.g. 2026-04-27_lip-bruise.pdf
curl -s -X POST "${SUPABASE_URL}/storage/v1/object/scripts/${PDF_REMOTE}" \
  -H "apikey: ${SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/pdf" \
  --data-binary @"${PDF_PATH}"
PDF_URL="${SUPABASE_URL}/storage/v1/object/public/scripts/${PDF_REMOTE}"

If the file already exists, use PUT instead of POST (or DELETE first). Verify the URL responds 200 before continuing.

9b. Build the script row payload

The body field is a JSON array with a single entry containing the FULL HTML DOCUMENT (head + style + body) AND the PDF URL. The dashboard renders this content inside an iframe via srcdoc, so the <style> block in the <head> is REQUIRED. If you upload only the body innerHTML (without the head/style), the iframe gets unstyled HTML and Harrison sees a wall of plain text instead of the colored layout.

This was a bug fix on 2026-05-06. Prior version of this skill said "extract body innerHTML." That was wrong. The dashboard at dashboard/scripts.html line 875 uses srcdoc="${full content}" and needs a complete HTML doc to apply styles.

"body": [{
  "type": "html_full",
  "content": "<the ENTIRE HTML file contents, including <!DOCTYPE>, <html>, <head><style>...</style></head>, and <body>...</body>>",
  "pdf_url": "https://YOUR-PROJECT.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/scripts/{filename}.pdf"
}]

To build the payload correctly:

python3 -c "
import json
with open('$HTML_PATH') as f:
    full_html = f.read()  # READ THE WHOLE FILE. Do NOT split on <body>.
payload = {
  'id': '$SCRIPT_ID',
  'idea_id': '$IDEA_ID',
  'title': '$TITLE',
  'delivered': '$TODAY',
  'length': '$LENGTH',
  'sections': 9,
  'pain_point': '$PAIN',
  'hook': '$HOOK',
  'status': 'pending',
  'body': [{'type': 'html_full', 'content': full_html, 'pdf_url': '$PDF_URL'}],
  'history': [{'type':'delivered','who':'Timo','text':'<b>Script written</b> from idea','time':'$NOW'}]
}
with open('/tmp/script_payload.json','w') as f:
    json.dump(payload, f)
"

Then POST to Supabase:

SCRIPT_ID="${idea_id/i_/s_}"
# Construct /tmp/script_payload.json with title, body[], status="pending", idea_id, etc.
# Then POST:
curl -s -X POST "${SUPABASE_URL}/rest/v1/scripts" \
  -H "apikey: ${SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Prefer: return=representation" \
  --data-binary @/tmp/script_payload.json
# Then PATCH the idea to scripted (removes from Timo's "Ideas Approved" column):
curl -s -X PATCH "${SUPABASE_URL}/rest/v1/ideas?id=eq.${idea_id}" \
  -H "apikey: ${SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"status\":\"scripted\"}"

Script row schema

Field	Source
id	s_YYYYMMDD_slug (replace i_ with s_)
idea_id	The originating idea_id
title	Idea title
delivered	Today's date (YYYY-MM-DD)
length	e.g. 8 min final. ~1,400 words
sections	Number of beats (typically 7)
pain_point	From idea
hook	The hook line from beat 1
status	pending
body	JSON array of {kicker, time, heading, copy, visual} per beat
history	[{type:"delivered", who:"Timo", text:"<b>Script written</b> from idea", time:"..."}]

Dashboard-mode failure modes (do not repeat)

• Body MUST contain real content. Never push an empty/stub body. Harrison opening an empty script kills trust. If you can't fill the 7 beats, do not push.
• Always do step 9b (mark idea scripted). Otherwise the idea stays in Timo's "Ideas Approved" and confuses the kanban.
• If the idea is not in idea_approved, STOP. Don't override Harrison's state.

Reference files (in this skill)

• references/example-mouthpieces-script.md. The proven structural template.
• references/script-writing-protocol.md. Full ruleset.

These mirror copies in Precision-Brass/references/ so the skill works even if the project files move.

What this skill is NOT

• Not Phase 1 (research / 5-idea menu). That's pb-script.
• Not a thumbnail / title generator (titles come WITH the structure).
• Not a teleprompter mode (the doc is for prep + filming, not live-rolling text).
• Not for short-form (long-form first per project CLAUDE.md).