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.
- Gather inputs. Topic, angle, any rough draft, target audience (builders /
founders / a niche), and the goal (replies / reposts / likes / bookmarks).
- 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.
- Pick the formula. Use the goal table to shortlist, then suggest 2-3 that
also fit the topic and let the user choose.
- 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).
- 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.
- Optional audit. Invoke
x-humanizer --mode audit for a pass-fail check.
- Approval card. Show: formula used, full draft, char count (note if emoji
push it over 280), suggested posting window, primary goal.
- On approval. Call `lib.publish(kind="post", draft_text=<approved>,
targeturl="https://x.com/compose/tweet", platforms=[<XPLATFORMID>], scheduledtime=<isoorNone>)`. 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