Thread Carousel

Tool Stack: Follow ~/.claude/skills/_shared/tool-stack.md for ALL tool choices. Quality Gates: Follow ~/.claude/skills/_shared/quality-gates.md for ALL quality checks.

Thread Carousel Generator

Generate Twitter/X thread-style Instagram carousels from a topic, thread text, or screenshots.

How It Works

1. You provide a topic, paste a thread, share screenshots, or link to a reel/video
2. Claude verifies the actual source content (screenshot, transcript, NOT just captions)
3. Claude researches the topic and writes a thread (hook → body → CTA)
4. Claude finds images via search, screenshots, or AI generation
5. Claude builds a config.json with all slide data
6. The Python renderer generates 1080x1350 PNG slides

Quick Start

/thread-carousel [topic or thread text]

Profile Config (in CLAUDE.md or provided inline)

Thread Carousel Profile:
- Display Name: Luis Carrillo
- Handle: @itsluisc
- Verified: true
- Headshot: ~/.claude/skills/thread-carousel/assets/headshot.png

Thread Structure

Every thread follows this format:

Slide Combination Logic

Image Priority (in order)

1. User-provided images — always use these first
2. Tavily/web search — find relevant images online
3. Live screenshots — Python script to screenshot a website
4. AI-generated — use Gemini/Nano Banana for illustrations

Rendering

/opt/homebrew/bin/python3.13 ~/.claude/skills/thread-carousel/scripts/render_carousel.py config.json

Themes

Step-by-Step Workflow

1. Create workspace

mkdir -p ~/Desktop/workspace/carousels/$(date +%Y-%m-%d)/{slug}/references

2. Research topic (if needed)

Use Tavily or web search to gather facts, stats, and talking points.

3. Write the thread

• Hook: Pattern interrupt, bold claim, or surprising stat
• Body: 4-6 tweets with insights, each ~100-250 characters
• CTA: Clear ask (follow, save, share, link)

4. Find images

For the hook slide (REQUIRED) and 2-3 body slides:

• Search web for relevant screenshots/graphics
• Download to references/ folder
• Use descriptive filenames

5. Build config.json

Apply the slide combination logic. Write the full config.

6. Render

/opt/homebrew/bin/python3.13 ~/.claude/skills/thread-carousel/scripts/render_carousel.py ~/Desktop/workspace/carousels/$(date +%Y-%m-%d)/{slug}/config.json

7. Review and iterate

Open the slides. If changes needed:

• Swap images: update config.json image paths, re-render
• Edit text: update config.json tweet text, re-render
• Add images: download new ones to references/, update config, re-render

Dependencies

Pillow >= 12.0
pilmoji >= 2.0

Fonts: SF Pro Display Bold + Regular (~/Library/Fonts/SFPRODISPLAYBOLD.OTF)

Assets

Trust Enforcement (Inherited — Global Law, Mar 16, 2026)

Enforcement: trust-guardian.js hook + quality-gates.md Trust Gate. Full: ~/.claude/skills/trust/SKILL.md

Gate Protocol

• Pre-flight: Verify content brief or topic is defined. Check target platform and format requirements. Load relevant clone/brand voice if client-specific.
• Mid-flight: Every piece must have a clear hook, one core message, and a call to action. Check against viral reference patterns.
• Post-flight: Run CUB test (Clear, Believable, Works). Verify output matches requested format. Check for brand voice consistency.

Sources

• Source: Claude Code skills system — original skill creation.

AI AGENT READINESS UPGRADE (10/10)

Gate 7: Triggers (Clear & Complete)

Slash Commands:

• /thread-carousel
• /carousel
• /tc

Keyword Triggers (any of these = activate this skill):

• "make a carousel"
• "create a carousel"
• "thread carousel"
• "twitter thread carousel"
• "instagram carousel"
• "turn this into slides"
• "make slides from"
• "carousel from this reel"
• "carousel from this thread"
• "render carousel"

Context Triggers (activate automatically):

• User pastes a numbered list of tweets/posts → detect thread format → activate
• User shares IG reel URL + says "carousel" or "slides" → activate
• User shares YouTube URL + says "carousel" or "slides" → activate

Full Specification

Complete details, decision trees, protocols, and implementation specs: references/full-details.md

Change Log

• [2026-03-09]: Context Diet — split 590 lines into routing card (185 lines) + references/full-details.md (433 lines). Zero content deleted. By skill-diet.py.
• [2026-03-02]: AI Agent Readiness upgrade — scored 3/10, upgraded to 10/10. Added: decision trees for source routing/image priority/render failures/profile config, typed I/O schema, 8 boolean success criteria, agent-executable steps table, self-contained context/dependency checks, 12-row error handling table, full trigger list (slash + keyword + context), handoff labels (AUTONOMOUS/INFORM/APPROVAL-REQUIRED) for all 10 steps, exact tool call syntax for all tools, 10-step blocking execution order. By Agent Luis.
• [2026-03-02]: War Room Tier 2 — content quality upgrade (gate→content).
• [2026-03-02]: War Room Tier 1 audit — skill structure verified and standardized.