x-thread

A thread is a list that people read one post at a time, and most of them stop after the first. So a thread is really one post with a sequel. Build it that way round.

One tool lives in this folder and it runs:

python3 thread.py draft.txt              # cut it, count every post, lint it
python3 thread.py draft.txt --number     # add 1/7, 2/7 ... (counted in the length)
python3 thread.py draft.txt --pack       # merge short paragraphs into one post

Posts break at your own --- lines first, then at paragraphs, then at sentences. A sentence longer than a whole post is the only thing that gets split between words, and it is flagged when it happens.

Thread, long post, or single post

Decide this before writing anything, and say which one and why:

The most common way a thread fails is being one claim cut into eight pieces. If that is what the user has, say so and hand it to /x-post.

Structure

5 to 12 posts. Under 3 is a post. Past about 15, fewer people finish it than read post 2.

1        THE HOOK      stands completely alone. The payoff, promised
                       specifically. Formula from ../x-post/hooks.json,
                       usually #16 Thread Promise, #2 Number Reveal or #5 The List.
2        THE STAKE     why the reader should care, or the proof you are
                       the one to say it. The second most-read post.
3..N     ONE IDEA EACH a line of claim, a line or two of why. Short.
N+1      THE RECAP     the whole thread as a list, so a screenshot of it works.
LAST     THE ASK       one: follow, a keyword, the link. One.

Rules

• Post 1 is 80% of the result. Score it with python3 ../x-post/hookscore.py --hook "..." before writing the rest.
• No "A thread 🧵" as the hook. X shows it is a thread. Spend the line on the payoff. thread.py flags it.
• Every post has to survive being seen alone. Posts from the middle of a thread turn up on their own in people's timelines.
• Numbering is optional. It helps a list and costs 5 to 7 characters a post. --number counts it for you.
• Links go last. A link in post 2 is an exit before the payoff.
• The recap is the post people screenshot. Make it standalone.
• Humanize every post. Run the draft through /x-human before cutting it. Thread boilerplate ("if you found this thread helpful, follow me...") is in the lexicon for a reason.

Output

The thread from thread.py, each post copy-ready with its count, then the lints and what you did about each. Then:

THREAD READY  ·  8 posts
hook:     #16 Thread Promise (score 78 STRONG)
checks:   all posts fit · no mid-sentence breaks · link in the last post only
humanizer: 11 artefacts stripped across 8 posts

Reply "yes" to log it, or tell me which post to change.

Nothing is posted by this skill. The user posts post 1, then replies to it with post 2, and so on, or pastes them into X's composer with the + button. On "yes", log post 1 to ~/.claude/x/log.md with the formula.