Skill: rabgpt/improve-hn-karma (version 0.1.0)

--- description: Generate daily batch of Hacker News comments in founder's expertise areas. Trigger phrases: "draft HN comments", "generate HN karma", "write HN posts", "HN comment batch", "build HN karma", "compose HN replies". --- # Improve HN Karma Daily workflow to produce 4–5 ready-to-post Hacker News comments (80–150 words, up to 200 on highly technical threads) on active, relevant threads to build karma on a low-karma account. User supplies expertise area(s); skill identifies high-visibility threads, mines underexplored angles, and drafts copy-paste-ready comments with threading instructions. ## Step 1 — Fetch HN front page and secondary pool Fetch `[url] and extract story titles, item IDs, points, comment counts, and age for top ~30 items. Cross-reference with HN /best for the week to widen candidate pool to ~12 threads. Capture raw thread data in a structured list. **What to capture:** Thread ID, title, URL, points, comment count, age (minutes/hours), topic keywords. ## Step 2 — Apply sweet-spot filter Retain only threads matching ALL criteria: - Points: 50–200 (not 1000+, which buries comments) - Comment count: 30–150 (not 900+, which buries visibility) - Age: 1–8 hours old (not 1+ day, which decays) - Topic: In founder's stated expertise area (AI/dev tools/agents/data-eng/infrastructure/etc.); exclude politicized threads **Decision point:** If fewer than 4 threads pass the filter, expand age window to 12 hours or broaden expertise keywords. If still thin, note in output and proceed with available candidates. **What to capture:** Shortlist of 4–8 qualifying threads with full metadata. ## Step 3 — Mine existing comment angles for each thread For each shortlisted thread, fetch the item page (HN comments section) and extract the top 5–10 comments, capturing username and quoted text. Analyze: What perspective, technical detail, or counterexample has NOT been mentioned yet? Identify the gap. **Angle-selection rule:** Reframe at one level of granularity finer than the current thread discussion. Move from broad claim to specific technical counterexample. Concede a named commenter's point, then add a new lever. Never echo the top criticism or obvious take. **What to capture:** Per-thread gap analysis: "Angle not yet covered: [specific technical insight or framing]"; identify 1–2 named users to engage with or acknowledge. ## Step 4 — Draft comment copy for each angle For each shortlisted thread + identified angle, write a comment: - **Length:** 80–150 words; up to 200 words on highly technical threads only - **Style:** Sentence case, technical first-person, no em-dashes (replace with commas, colons, or semicolons) - **Structure:** State the angle clearly; cite a specific technical example, counterexample, or design principle; offer a lever or next-step question (optional) - **List form:** Only if items are mutually exclusive and independent; trim ruthlessly **What to capture:** 4–5 ready-to-post comments, each tagged with thread URL, reply target (top-level or reply-to username), character count, why-this-thread, why-this-angle. ## Step 5 — Write plan document Output a markdown file (karma-plan-YYYY-MM-DD.md) with: 1. 4–5 comments in copy-paste-ready form, each with: thread URL, reply target username, why-this-thread (topic relevance), why-this-angle (gap it fills) 2. Posting order + spacing guidance (e.g., "Post #1 immediately, wait 2 hours before #2 to avoid clustering") 3. Quality checklist: character count, no em-dashes, no self-promo, sentence case, engagement signal (question or concession) **What to capture:** Complete, executable plan file with all comments and meta-instructions. ## What's next? ``` Review the karma plan and post the comments in the recommended order, then track upvote counts over 24–48 hours. ``` ``` If a comment gets buried (0 or negative votes after 12 hours), analyze why and refine the angle-selection rule for tomorrow's batch. ``` ``` Once the account reaches 50+ karma, test a URL submission on a moderately active thread to measure community reception. ``` ## Notes for the model - **Sweet-spot justification:** Threads with 50–200 points and 30–150 comments are in the "rising" phase—high visibility, not yet buried. Threads 1–8 hours old are still accumulating comments and upvotes. Older threads decay; hotter threads drown out new voices. - **Angle mining is critical:** The skill's ROI depends on surfacing a perspective no one else has articulated. Read the top comments carefully. Look for contradictions, unstated assumptions, or domain-specific details the mainstream discussion glosses over. This is where karma comes from. - **Word count exception:** Allow up to 200 words only on threads already rich in technical discussion (e.g., deep dives on Rust internals, distributed systems, compiler design). Stay strict on 80–150 for softer topics. - **Em-dash rule:** HN's classic style eschews em-dashes. Replace "—" with commas, colons, or semicolons. "tool A — which does X" becomes "tool A, which does X" or "tool A: does X." - **No self-promo:** Do not link to personal projects, products, or blog unless it is a direct, earned reference to prior art. Do not mention the founder's own account or business. - **Timing:** Post during hours when the target thread is still active (check comment velocity). Avoid posting all at once; space them 2–4 hours apart to maximize independent visibility. - **Fallback if thread is slow:** If fewer than 4 threads qualify, include a note in the plan: "Only 3 threads qualified today; recommend expanding expertise scope or checking HN/best again in 4 hours." ## Error handling | Error | Diagnosis | Tell the user | |-------|-----------|---------------| | HN front page unreachable (HTTP 5xx) | Server issue or rate-limiting. | "HN is temporarily unavailable. Retry in 10 minutes or fetch /best instead." | | Fewer than 4 qualifying threads after filtering | Too few active threads in expertise area today, or filter is too strict. | "Only N threads qualified today. Consider broadening expertise keywords or lowering point floor to 40. Proceeding with N comments." | | All top comments on a thread are already 200+ words | Angle may be saturated. | "This thread's top comments are already exhaustive. Consider skipping it or waiting 2 hours for decay." | | Identified angle requires 250+ words to explain | Scope creep; angle is too complex for the format. | "This angle needs too much context. Simplify to one technical counterexample or pick a different thread." |


Security scan verdicts — ClawScan: clean | static analysis: clean | VirusTotal: clean | SkillSpector: clean (LOW)