Write Draft Substack Article (Substack Writer — long-form)

Converts an Idea Note with a substack-article entry in platform_schedule into a long-form Substack-Article-Note, written to Drafts/ using _Templates/Substack-Article-Note.md. Built fresh rather than copied from /write-draft — the format (title/subtitle/sections, no character ceiling, depth over hook-brevity) is genuinely different, not a parameterized variant.

Arguments

• idea-id (optional) — draft one specific idea. If omitted, draft every idea with a substack-article entry in platform_schedule that doesn't already have an article draft linked to it.

Process (per idea)

1. Load context

Read the Idea Note and every research note in its sources[]. Same verify-or-drop discipline as every other writer skill in this pipeline — nothing in the article that isn't grounded in the linked research's Summary/Key Findings. Since this format has room for real depth, it's worth re-reading the full research note body (Key Findings, not just the Summary) more thoroughly than a feed-post writer would need to.

2. Read the voice guide and playbook

Read Content-Learnings/voice-guide-substack.md in full, its Articles section specifically. Check Content-Learnings/playbook-substack.md's Articles tables for an evidenced rule (real published-article ids attached) on structure/length/topic performance — prefer it over the generic default.

3. Structure the article

• Title: specific and concrete, earns a click from someone who already knows the topic exists — not a generic "Understanding X" label.
• Subtitle: one sentence sharpening what the piece actually delivers.
• Body: real sections with headings — an opening that states the stake, a middle that develops the argument/mechanism/finding in genuine depth (this is where Substack earns its place over a feed post — use the room), and a closing with an actual point of view, not a summary.
• If the idea's angle includes a subjective take, frame it explicitly as one — same opinion/fact separation rule as every writer skill here.
• Mark spots for visuals inline as [IMAGE: <short label>] where a diagram or chart would genuinely help — this feeds /generate-visual-substack-article later, don't skip it just because visuals aren't generated yet. A header image is generated separately and automatically by that skill — never add a marker for it here.

4. Standing sign-off (every article, added 2026-09-14 per direct user feedback)

End every article with this fixed closing block, verbatim (a stable sign-off, not something to vary per piece — the actual point-of-view closing from step 3 comes right before this, as its own paragraph; this block is purely the reader-facing sign-off underneath it):

---

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5. SEO fields

Write seo_description (1-2 sentences, accurate to the actual content) and seo_tags (a handful of real topic tags) — per voice-guide-substack.md, these should reflect the piece, not be keyword-stuffed guesses.

6. Write the Substack-Article-Note

Copy _Templates/Substack-Article-Note.md into Drafts/ as YYYY-MM-DD--kebab-slug.md, using the idea's platform_schedule entry for substack-article. Fill in idea_id, platform: substack-article, category, title, subtitle, seo_description, seo_tags, sources (inherited), status: draft, history: [{action: created, date: today, note: ...}]. Leave viral_score at 0 and visual_ids empty.

7. Update the idea

Flip status: selected → drafted only if this was its last unclaimed platform, same rule as /write-draft-x.

Report back

Show the full article (title, subtitle, all sections), word count, SEO fields, and which research sources backed it. This is pre-approval content — not ready to publish.

Hard rules

• Never invent a fact, statistic, or quote not present in the linked research notes.
• Never draft an idea that doesn't have a substack-article entry in platform_schedule.
• Never pad a thin idea with filler sections to look substantial — if the research doesn't support real depth, say so in the report rather than writing around the gap.
• Never omit or reword the step 4 sign-off block — it's a stable, recognizable signature across every article, not per-piece content.
• Never mark anything approved, ready-to-publish, or published.