X Post Writer

Ship a single tweet, or a tight 2-3 tweet micro-thread, using hook shapes that actually travel on X in 2026. Single-tweet formulas land a complete punch in the first line, because X has no "see more" fold.

When to use

• User says "write me a tweet about X"
• User has a topic or a rough one-liner and wants a sharper hook
• User wants to pick a proven single-tweet shape and fill in their voice
• User wants a quick draft that auto-publishes on approval

Formulas this skill uses (single-tweet shapes)

Code	Formula	Primary goal	Best for
X1	One-Liner Contrarian	reposts	a sharp, defensible against-the-grain take
X2	Data-Point Hook	bookmarks	one odd-precision number that reframes a thing
X3	Build-in-Public Confession	replies	a real metric from your own work, ugly ones included
X4	Quote-Tweet Dunk-with-Value	reposts	adding a layer to someone else's take (quote tweet)
X5	Mini-List Tweet	bookmarks	a scannable list that fits in one tweet
X6	Relatable Cold-Open	likes	a specific shared moment, no setup
X11	Third-Person Case-Study Flex	reposts	someone else's absurd, specific result as anyone-could-copy bait

Full skeletons in ../../references/hook-formulas.md. For long-form tweetstorms (X7-X10), use x-thread-builder. X11 was validated as the top-recurring winning shape in a ~450-tweet corpus (July 2026); prefer it over a first-person "How I" when the result you are citing is someone else's.

Pick by goal first

Goal	Reach for
Replies	X3, X1
Reposts	X1, X4, X11
Likes	X6
Bookmarks	X2, X5, X11

Steps

Voice profile first (all drafts). If ../../references/voice-profile.md has filled: yes, load it and match the user's voice fingerprint, hard rules, and CTA/link style throughout. If it is not filled, mention once that x-humanizer --mode profile can learn their voice from a few posts, then proceed with the generic voice rules.

Story bank next. If ../../references/story-bank.md has filled: yes, load it and take every concrete detail (numbers, dates, named projects, positions) from there instead of asking mid-draft. Never invent a figure, a date or a client name that is not in the bank or supplied by the user in this conversation. If the bank has nothing that fits, ask the user, or say once that x-humanizer --mode interview fills it in 20 to 40 minutes. A draft with a plausible invented number is worse than a draft with none: one is vague, the other is a retraction.

1. Gather inputs. Topic, angle, any rough draft, target audience (builders / founders / a niche), and the goal (replies / reposts / likes / bookmarks).
2. Pick the container. If the idea is one claim, one number, or one moment, it is a single tweet. If it is a scannable one-line-per-item list, still a single tweet (X5). If items need teaching or the idea has a build, hand off to x-thread-builder.
3. Pick the formula. Use the goal table to shortlist, then suggest 2-3 that also fit the topic and let the user choose.
4. Draft the tweet. Fill the skeleton in the user's voice. Respect the 2026 X rules:
   • First line carries the whole load (no fold).
   • Under 280 chars on a standard account (emoji count as 2 chars). Confirm the user's tier; only go long if they are on Premium and the length earns it.
   • One idea per tweet. Line breaks as beats.
   • 0-1 hashtag at the end, 0-1 emoji, none on a serious take.
   • No external link in the tweet (offer to put it in a reply).
5. Humanizer pass. Scrub 2026 AI vocab by density, cap em dashes (at most one per tweet, never swap one for a period), break stacked triads, generic openers and reveal bridges. Leave a single tweet's rhythm alone (uniform rhythm wins on short posts; never insert a fragment for punch). Add an odd-precision number with a named referent or a named entity where the claim allows it. Canonical rules: x-humanizer V3.
6. Optional audit. Invoke x-humanizer --mode audit for a pass-fail check.
7. Approval card. Show: formula used, full draft, char count (note if emoji push it over 280), suggested posting window, primary goal.
8. On approval. Call lib.publish(kind="post", draft_text=<approved>, target_url="https://x.com/compose/tweet", platforms=[<X_PLATFORM_ID>], scheduled_time=<iso_or_None>). The wrapper handles Publora / manual / diy routing. If the content runs long, Publora auto-splits it into a numbered thread.

Hard rules

Global voice rules: see root SKILL.md Voice rules. Additional skill-specific rules:

• The first line must stop the scroll on its own. Rewrite any opener that needs line 2 to make sense.
• Keep a standard-account tweet inside 280 chars. If it does not fit, tighten it or escalate to a thread, never ship a truncated thought.
• One specific number where the claim allows it. 2.4x beats "way better".
• Do not hard-sell the user's product. One natural mention max.

Anti-patterns (skill will refuse)

• ALL CAPS first line for intensity. Carry intensity with word choice.
• Em dashes above the cap (more than one in a tweet), or an em dash swapped for a period.
• "Here's what / here's how" or "Stop X, start Y" as the opener; "The result?" as a reveal.
• Announced candor ("Let me be honest", "not gonna lie") with no dated fact behind it.
• "Unpopular opinion:" on a take that is actually popular.
• Padding a one-line idea with filler to look substantial.
• Rule-of-three lists without specifics.
• "leverage", "fundamentally", "game-changer", "deep dive".
• External link in the tweet body.
• Engagement bait ("RT if you agree", "reply YES").

Resources

• ../../references/hook-formulas.md - all 11 X formula skeletons (X1-X6 and X11 are single-tweet)
• ../../references/algorithm-heuristics.md - 2026 X ranking rules (signals, timing, limits)
• references/single-tweet-checklist.md - the per-tweet scrub and fit list

Optional illustration

Offer a generated image when a visual would lift reach. Draft a prompt and call lib.illustrate(prompt, kind="wide"), pulling brand handle/color from Voice & Brand Profile section 6 for a pixel-exact overlay. Show the returned url + cost, then attach on publish via media_urls=[url]. Full workflow (incl. quote-cards): ../x-humanizer/sub-skills/illustration.md. No Pixfaro key -> it drafts the prompt for you to generate manually.

Related skills

• x-thread-builder - when the idea needs more than a tweet
• x-humanizer - aggressive AI-tell scrubber, plus --mode audit for review
• x-hook-extractor - reverse-engineer a hook from a tweet you admire