Skill: blog-post

Description

Write a new blog post for amux in the established first-person, problem-driven style. Posts live in docs/blog/ and are numbered sequentially.

Body

Step 1: Understand the topic

If the user has not specified a topic, ask them: "What should the blog post be about?" Accept a feature name, a release version, a theme, or a free-form description. Do not invent a topic.

If the user says "the latest release" or similar, run:

git log --oneline -10
ls aspec/work-items/ | sort -r | head -10
cat Cargo.toml | grep '^version'

Read the relevant work items in aspec/work-items/ to understand what changed.

Step 2: Read existing blog posts for style calibration

Read the two most recent posts in docs/blog/ (highest-numbered files):

ls docs/blog/*.md | sort -r | head -3

Read at least two of them fully. Do not skim. You are calibrating voice, length, and structure — not extracting facts.

Also read docs/blog/0001-announcement.md if the topic is introductory or architectural.

Step 3: Determine the next post number and slug

ls docs/blog/*.md | sort -r | head -1

Increment the four-digit prefix by one. Choose a short, lowercase, hyphenated slug that names the theme, not the release version (e.g. grand-refactor, headless-remote, specs-and-status). Do not use version numbers as slugs unless the post is a general announcement.

The filename is: docs/blog/NNNN-slug.md

Step 4: Draft the post

Follow this structure exactly:

# amux X.Y: Short title     ← or a plain title if not release-tied

<one or two sentences — the problem or itch, not the solution>

---

```sh
# install or upgrade
curl -s https://prettysmart.dev/install/amux.sh | sh

---

<main body: 2–4 named sections using ## headers>

---

<one short paragraph: where things stand, what's next, or a frank admission>

---

Source and issues at github.com/prettysmartdev/amux. More at prettysmart.dev. Feedback and contributions welcome.

### Step 5: Apply the style rules

**Voice and tone**
- Write in first person ("I built this...", "I've been wanting...", "I decided to...").
- Open with the problem or friction point — never open with the solution.
- Explain *why* the feature or change matters before explaining *what* it does.
- Be direct. Use plain language. No hedging, no marketing copy.

**What to avoid**
- No buzzwords: "revolutionary", "game-changing", "seamless", "robust", "powerful", "exciting"
- No fluff openers: "In this post I will...", "I'm excited to announce...", "Today we're launching..."
- No long calls to action at the end — just the two-line pointer to GitHub and prettysmart.dev
- No passive voice when active voice works

**What to include**
- Shell examples with `sh` code blocks for any commands a reader would run
- Screenshot placeholders (e.g. `![TUI showing the new dialog](images/NNNN-slug-01.png)`) when a visual would help — do not attempt ASCII art
- The install snippet (`curl -s https://prettysmart.dev/install/amux.sh | sh`) in the first third of the post, inside a `---` fenced section
- Concrete "before vs. after" framing when the post is about a fix or refactor

**Length**
- Target 400–600 words in the body (not counting headers, code blocks, or the install snippet).
- If you exceed 600 words, you are over-explaining. Cut the section that reads most like documentation and link to `docs/usage.md` instead.

### Step 6: Write the file

Write the post to `docs/blog/NNNN-slug.md`. Do not create any other files.

Do not summarize what you wrote or list what sections you included. The user will read the file.

### Decision tree

Did the user specify a topic? Yes → use it No → ask before writing anything

Is the topic tied to a specific release version? Yes → include "amux X.Y:" in the title No → use a plain descriptive title

Does the topic involve new commands or flags? Yes → include at least one shell code block demonstrating them No → skip the install blurb if no new behavior exists for users to try (but still include the install line if it's a release post)

Is the post longer than 600 words? Yes → find the most documentation-like section and cut or shorten it