ad-hoc-post - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: ad-hoc-post description: "Post ad-hoc content to Jonathan's Instagram + TikTok via the publisher service. Use when Jonathan sends photos/video and asks to post." version: 2.0.0 metadata: hermes: tags: [social-media, instagram, tiktok, publisher, ad-hoc, hank]

Ad-hoc social media posting

When Jonathan DMs you 1-N photos (or a single video) and any message that reads like "post this", "put this on socials", "share this", or similar, the flow is:

Read the image/video. You have vision. Actually look at it before drafting.
Draft 3 caption variations in Hank's voice, each with a different angle (per your existing "Output 3 distinct variations" rule). Show them to Jonathan in chat. Each variation should be one approved-to-ship caption, not a sketch.
Wait for Jonathan to pick one (or iterate). His pick IS the approval.
Once he picks, call publisher_quick_post_file with auto_publish=true (or publisher_quick_post if you have URLs not local paths — see "The tool" section). The publisher uploads media to Dropbox, writes caption.md, and ships immediately to IG + TikTok. No second approval DM.
Confirm in chat with the post_id and zernio_post_id from the tool response. Reply concisely; the post is already live.

The tool (pick one based on media source)

For Telegram-attached photos/videos — default for this flow: Hermes caches each attachment at /opt/data/cache/images/img_<hash>.<ext>. Pass those paths directly to publisher_quick_post_file:

publisher_quick_post_file(
  angle="<short-slug>",                          # required
  media_file_paths=["/opt/data/cache/images/img_xyz.jpg", ...],  # 1-10 local paths
  caption="<the variation Jonathan picked>",     # required
  title="<optional short headline>",             # TikTok carousels only
  hashtags=["tag1", "tag2", ...],                # NO leading #
  auto_publish=True,                             # always true for this flow
)

For media that's already at a public HTTPS URL (Dropbox temp link, a URL Jonathan pasted): use publisher_quick_post with media_urls=[...] instead. Same shape otherwise.

Both return { post_id, dropbox_root_path, uploaded_paths, publish_outcome: { kind, zernio_post_id } }. If publish_outcome.kind == "ok", it shipped. Other kinds (zernio_failed, media_resolution_failed, etc.) mean publish failed — surface that to Jonathan.

Finding the cached file paths

Hermes's Telegram adapter writes incoming photo/video attachments to /opt/data/cache/images/img_<hash>.<ext>. When Jonathan DMs you a photo, the file appears there immediately. Use the terminal tool to find the most recent ones:

ls -tr /opt/data/cache/images/ | tail -N

(where N = number of attachments he just sent). Pass full paths (prepend /opt/data/cache/images/) to publisher_quick_post_file. You don't need file_id, Telegram's getFile API, or a public URL — the multipart upload handles everything.

Variation guidance

Three captions, three angles. Pick from these (use the best 3 for the image):

Confidence / brand strength — direct, identity-led. Best for IG feed.
Operator to operator — relatable, explains the why. Best for longer captions.
TikTok native — lowercase, faster pacing, more punctuation. Best for short-form.
Number-first — lead with a stat from your verified-stats list. Best when the image illustrates a data point.
Storm / season tied — anchor to a real trades scenario from AGENTS.md. Best for trades posts.

Pick the 3 that fit the image best. Label each with its angle so Jonathan can compare. Add the CTA from your rotation. Add hashtags (["plumber", "hvactech", "servicetitan", "meethank"] style — no leading #).

If the image is a carousel candidate (multiple slides), generate a title field too — short, with a · separator, e.g. "Plumber · Sewer Backup Triage". TikTok shows it above the photos.

Format your 3 drafts like this

**Reading the image:** [1 sentence on what you saw]

**Variation 1 — Confidence:**
[caption]
Hashtags: [list, no #]

**Variation 2 — Operator to operator:**
[caption]
Hashtags: [list, no #]

**Variation 3 — TikTok native:**
[caption]
Hashtags: [list, no #]

Which one? Or iterate?

When Jonathan picks (or says "go with 2" / "tweak variation 1 to ..."), call the tool. No extra "are you sure?" — the pick is the approval.

Things NOT to do

❌ Don't save drafts to Airtable. The publisher DB is the system of record for posts. Airtable stays for retrospective logging only.
❌ Don't ask "which platforms?" Default to IG + TikTok. YouTube isn't connected.
❌ Don't add a second approval step after Jonathan picks. His pick IS the approval. Call the tool with auto_publish=true.
❌ Don't drop the 3-variation pattern. It's how Jonathan reviews. Don't pre-decide for him.
❌ Don't use hyphens or em-dashes in captions. Hard rule from AGENTS.md.

Edge cases

Mixed media (photos + video together): publisher rejects. Tell Jonathan it has to be all-one-type. Offer to split into two separate posts.
One video file: content_type=video server-side. Title field has no effect. Generate 1 caption per variation as normal.
Carousel with 2+ photos: order matters — pass media_urls in the order they should appear. Title shows on TikTok only.
Rate-limit 429s from publisher: if publish_outcome.kind == "media_resolution_failed" with a 429 error, wait 60s and retry the SAME tool call once. If still failing, tell Jonathan to retry in 5-10 min (Dropbox is throttling him from a recent bulk upload).
publish_outcome.kind != "ok"`: publishing failed after upload. The post row exists. Tell Jonathan what failed and offer to retry. Don't claim it shipped.

Defaults for Hank's voice

Per SOUL.md and AGENTS.md:

Direct, operator-to-operator. No hyphens or em-dashes (use periods, commas, or · for separators).
Short, punchy sentences. Active voice. Lead with a number, a verb, or a scene.
No SaaS buzzwords. No 🚀💡. No "let me know in the comments".
Real trade scenarios over abstract claims. Specific dollar figures, unit ages, truck counts.
CTA at the end (rotate: "Talk to Hank live" / "Start Your Free Trial" / "Try the Live Demo" / "Book my call with Hank" / "Ready to stop missing jobs?").
Map each variation to one of the 5 pillars (ANSWER / BOOK / QUALIFY / FOLLOW UP / MONITOR) if it fits naturally.