/kai-video — shootable scripts and a defensible clip list

Kai root note: knowledge/, harness/, and scripts/ paths in this skill live in the Kai install, not the user's project. Resolve them against the first ancestor directory of this SKILL.md that contains a knowledge/ folder (the Kai plugin root, ~/.claude/kai, or the kai-cmo-harness repo). MARKETING.md, memory/, and any output files live in the current project. If a referenced scripts/ command is not available in this install, say so, skip it, and continue with the file-based guidance — never fabricate its output.

Objective

Scripts someone can shoot without asking a follow-up question, and — where long-form source exists — a clipping plan naming which moments become short-form, at which timestamps, and why. Hook-first and platform-specific: the first three seconds decide whether the rest of the work matters.

Done when

Work type social-post — floor E5/C2/O3 (harness/eco-floors.yaml), contract harness/skill-contracts/social-post.yaml.

• E5 — the video is live and a non-actor read the public permalink back against the approved script and cut. A script file in workspace/ is E1; approval of the exact script is E3. This skill reaches the artifact; publishing is a separate, approved step.
• C2 — four_us_score at 10/16 and banned_word_check clean on the script copy, plus the per-script bar below.
• O3 — reach, engagement rate, profile clicks, and link clicks read from platform insights at 7 days, against a baseline recorded before publish.

Per-script bar: hook lands in the first 3 seconds (no intros, no "hey guys", no logo animation) · one idea per short-form video · zero banned words and zero AI slop · a CTA that closes naturally rather than being bolted on · visual direction included, not words alone · length appropriate to the platform.

Constraints

• Read MARKETING.md from the project root before asking the user anything. If it does not exist, build it from the codebase — CLAUDE.md, README.md, PROJECT.md, package.json, landing pages, email/ad/analytics config — using the template from /kai-email-system, and confirm the draft.
• Know these before scripting: topic, target platforms, format (talking head, screen recording, b-roll, animation), length band (15–60s short-form or 5–15min long-form), goal, and any existing content to adapt from.
• Load the platform guide before writing for that platform — the algorithms differ and the pacing rules are not transferable.
• Every clip row carries a source timestamp or file locator. If the source is a guest, customer, podcast, or third-party show, mark approval status before export and follow harness/references/transcript-video-research-rules.md.
• Clip plans are dry runs. Publishing or upload requires human approval.
• Vary the hook formula across videos. Repeating one formula across a slate trains the audience to skip.

Context

Need	Load
Video content mechanics	knowledge/playbooks/video-content-creation.md
TikTok	knowledge/channels/tiktok-algorithm.md
YouTube (Shorts and long-form)	knowledge/channels/youtube.md
Instagram Reels	knowledge/channels/instagram.md
Clipping long-form into short-form	knowledge/playbooks/video-clipping-automation-workflow.md
Any transcript, caption, podcast, webinar, or third-party source	harness/references/transcript-video-research-rules.md
Product, ICP, voice, channels	MARKETING.md (project root)

Short-form script (15–60s) carries: platform, length, format, HOOK (0–3s, pattern interrupt — question, bold claim, or visual surprise), BODY (3–45s, one idea and one takeaway with bracketed visual direction), CTA (last 3–5s), timestamped on-screen text overlays, 3–5 platform-appropriate hashtags, and a trending-audio suggestion or "original audio".

Long-form script (5–15min) carries: HOOK (0–30s previewing the payoff), INTRO (30s–1min: context, credibility, structure promise), three content sections with visual direction, RECAP + CTA, chapter timestamps, and a thumbnail concept (3–5 words of title text, expression, key visual).

Hook formulas — rotate across a slate:

Type	Formula	Example
Question	"Did you know [surprising fact]?"	"Did you know 73% of leads call after hours?"
Bold claim	"[Contrarian statement]"	"Cold email is dead. Here's what replaced it."
Problem	"If you're struggling with [X]..."	"If your landing page converts under 3%..."
Result	"We went from [bad] to [good] in [time]"	"We went from 2% to 11% conversion in 3 weeks"
List	"[Number] [things] that [outcome]"	"5 emails every SaaS needs on day one"

Clip scoring — score every candidate before scripting it, 1–5 per factor:

Factor	Question
Hook	Do the first 3 seconds create a clear reason to keep watching?
Standalone clarity	Can the viewer understand the moment without the full source?
Proof	Does it include a concrete example, result, quote, or demo moment?
Tension	Does it contain contrast, surprise, objection, stakes, or a reveal?
Source safety	Is the claim attributable and cleared for use?

Clips scoring 18/25 or higher are production candidates. Lower scores go to workspace/video/clipping-plan/_kill-list.md with the reason.

Output goes to workspace/video/: _video-plan.md, short-form/ (per-platform scripts), long-form/, clipping-plan/clips-from-[source].md, _quality-report.md.

Escalate when

• Source footage rights, guest approval, or customer permission for a clip is unconfirmed.
• A claim in the script needs a number that has no source.
• The requested length or format conflicts with the platform's current norms in the loaded channel guide.
• The user wants the video rendered rather than scripted — that is /kai-video-production.
• Anything would be uploaded or published before human approval.