Social Distribution Setup

Social Distribution Setup

Purpose

Help a project expose reliable content sources and connect them to a low-maintenance social distribution workflow. The preferred baseline is: website generates RSS, Make.com polls RSS on a conservative schedule, Router fans out to social modules, and Buffer handles X.

This skill does not directly authorize or post to third-party accounts unless the user explicitly asks and authorizes that side effect.

Default Architecture

Use this architecture unless the project clearly has different needs:

1. Website builds public/rss.xml from published content.
2. Optional publish-queue.json tracks intended channels and pending items.
3. Make.com uses RSS > Watch RSS feed items as the trigger.
4. Router sends each RSS bundle to enabled destinations:
   • Facebook Pages
   • LinkedIn Company Page
   • Buffer for X
   • Email, if needed
5. Make schedule is daily by default.

Recommended Make settings:

• Run scenario: At regular intervals
• Interval: Every 1 day or 1440 minutes
• RSS Maximum number of returned items: 10
• Avoid 15-minute polling on Make Free unless the user accepts the credit cost.

Workflow

1. Inspect the project source

Look for content sources and existing automation:

rg -n "rss|publish-queue|social|buffer|make|x" .
rg --files | rg "rss|publish-queue|content|news|docs"

If the project has an RSS feed, run:

node <skill>/scripts/inspect_rss.mjs public/rss.xml

For a deployed feed:

node <skill>/scripts/inspect_rss.mjs https://example.com/rss.xml

If the project has a publish queue, run:

node <skill>/scripts/inspect_publish_queue.mjs publish-queue.json

2. Verify RSS readiness

RSS items should have:

• Stable guid
• Absolute or resolvable link
• Valid pubDate
• Human-readable title
• Useful description

Read references/rss-requirements.md when RSS structure is missing, unstable, or generated from markdown/frontmatter.

3. Configure or audit Make.com

Use references/make-rss-buffer.md when creating or checking the scenario.

Minimum checks:

• Scenario is active, not paused.
• History shows scheduled runs after the last edit.
• RSS URL is the deployed URL, not localhost.
• RSS maximum returned items is higher than 1; use 10 for normal low-volume sites.
• Schedule is daily unless the user needs faster distribution.
• Buffer route is used for X if direct X modules are unreliable or unavailable.

4. Diagnose failures by evidence

Use references/troubleshooting.md when the user reports:

• New article did not post.
• Make has no recent runs.
• Make says limits were exceeded.
• Only one item was posted.
• X/Buffer did not post.
• The user asks whether missed items will be backfilled.

Do not guess. Check the RSS, Make history, module settings, and platform connection state when available.

5. Generate project notes

For a new project, generate a setup note:

node <skill>/scripts/generate_make_notes.mjs \
  --site https://example.com \
  --rss https://example.com/rss.xml \
  --platforms facebook,linkedin,x,email

Use assets/make-scenario-checklist.md and assets/social-post-template.md as reusable output templates.

Safety Rules

• Do not click Make Run once if it may publish content unless the user explicitly authorizes it.
• Do not store API keys, OAuth secrets, access tokens, or Buffer credentials in generated docs.
• Prefer daily polling on free Make plans to avoid credit exhaustion.
• If the user needs guaranteed backfill, propose a deliberate replay plan instead of assuming Make will post old items.
• For WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, or other high-friction platforms, state that first-party API authorization and content review constraints make them out of scope for the baseline workflow.

When to Recommend a Bigger System

Recommend moving beyond Make/Buffer only if the user needs:

• Per-platform publishing state and audit logs.
• Guaranteed retries and idempotency across platforms.
• Approval workflows.
• Multiple brands/projects with centralized governance.
• Direct API integrations instead of no-code connectors.

Otherwise, keep the Make/RSS/Buffer workflow.