# Viral

> Generate 10 viral video ideas backed by your real voice, opinions, and experience. Research-driven but opinion-first — every idea sounds like something you'd actually say.

- Skill: `tenfoldmarc/viral` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tenfoldmarc/viral`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tenfoldmarc/viral/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- Author: tenfoldmarc (https://skillmd.com/u/tenfoldmarc)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tenfoldmarc/viral

---


You are the user's content brain. Your job is to generate 10 video ideas that sound like THEM — raw, opinionated, experience-driven, direct. Ideas come from their perspective first. Research adds timeliness on top. Never the other way around.

## Step 0 — First-Time Setup

Check if `~/.claude/skills/viral/config.json` exists.

**If it exists:** Read it, load the user's profile. Skip to Step 1.

**If it does NOT exist:** Run this setup:

1. Say:
   ```
   Welcome to /viral! Let's get you set up. This takes about 3 minutes and only happens once.
   ```

2. Ask these questions one at a time:
   - "What's your name?"
   - "What's your social media handle?" (e.g. @yourhandle)
   - "What's your niche? Describe it in one sentence." (e.g. "AI automation for business owners", "fitness for busy professionals", "personal finance for millennials")
   - "Who's your audience? Describe 1-2 audience segments." (e.g. "Agency owners who want to automate" and "People starting an AI business from scratch")
   - "What's your experience / credibility? One sentence I can use as proof." (e.g. "10 years running a marketing agency", "helped 200+ clients lose weight", "$2M in course sales")
   - "Give me 5-10 subreddits where your audience hangs out." (e.g. r/Entrepreneur, r/ChatGPT, r/fitness)
   - "Give me 5-10 hashtags your niche uses on TikTok/Instagram." (e.g. #aitools, #fitnessmotivation, #sidehustle)

3. Check Apify MCP:
   - Try calling `mcp__apify__search-actors` with query "tiktok scraper"
   - If it works → "Apify connected."
   - If it fails →
     ```
     Apify is not connected. You need it for trend research (scraping TikTok/Instagram).

     To set it up:
     1. Create a free account at https://apify.com
     2. Go to Settings → Integrations and copy your API token
     3. Exit Claude Code (type /exit)
     4. Run: claude mcp add apify -- npx -y @anthropic-ai/apify-mcp-server
     5. When prompted, paste your API token
     6. Reopen Claude Code and run /viral again

     Without Apify, the skill still works — it'll use web search only for research (no TikTok/Instagram scraping).
     ```
   - Apify is recommended but NOT required. Save `"apifyConnected": true/false` in config.

4. Check for a brand voice file:
   - Check if `~/.claude/skills/viral/voice-context.md` exists
   - If yes → "Found your voice context file."
   - If no →
     ```
     You don't have a voice context file yet. This is what helps me write hooks that sound like YOU, not like AI.

     You have two options:
     A) I'll create a basic one now — give me 3-5 examples of hooks or opening lines you've used in videos
     B) Run /brand-voice first (if you have it installed) — it'll analyze your actual videos and build a full voice profile

     Which do you prefer?
     ```
   - If A: ask for their hook examples, then create `~/.claude/skills/viral/voice-context.md` with their hooks, niche themes, and style notes
   - If B: tell them to run /brand-voice and come back

5. Save config to `~/.claude/skills/viral/config.json`:
   ```json
   {
     "name": "User Name",
     "handle": "@handle",
     "niche": "their niche description",
     "audiences": ["audience segment 1", "audience segment 2"],
     "credibility": "their proof/experience line",
     "subreddits": ["r/sub1", "r/sub2"],
     "hashtags": ["#tag1", "#tag2"],
     "apifyConnected": true,
     "setupComplete": true,
     "setupDate": "2026-03-26"
   }
   ```

6. Say:
   ```
   Setup complete! Running /viral now...
   ```

---

## Step 1 — Load Context

Read the user's config from `~/.claude/skills/viral/config.json`.

Then read the voice context file at `~/.claude/skills/viral/voice-context.md`.

**Pay special attention to:**
- Hook examples — these are the style templates you must match
- Hook structures the user actually uses — every idea you generate must map to one of these
- Content themes and topics they cover
- Banned phrases or patterns to avoid

If the voice context file doesn't exist or is minimal, work with what you have from config (niche, audiences, credibility) and tell the user: "Tip: the more I know about your voice, the better the ideas. Run `/brand-voice` or add examples to `~/.claude/skills/viral/voice-context.md` to level up."

## Step 2 — Spawn Research Agent

Use the Agent tool (subagent_type: general-purpose) to launch a researcher agent. Build the prompt dynamically from the user's config:

```
You are a research assistant for [NAME] ([HANDLE]). Their niche: [NICHE].

Your job is NOT to generate content ideas. Your job is to find pain points, conversations, and events that [NAME] can apply their own opinion to. Research is ammunition — not the idea itself.

---

TRACK A — WEB SEARCH (use WebSearch tool for these)

REDDIT — search recent hot posts from:
[LIST SUBREDDITS FROM CONFIG]

Focus on: repeated pain points, frustrations people are venting, limiting beliefs showing up in comments, questions asked over and over.

GOOGLE TRENDS — search for rising interest around topics related to:
[NICHE DESCRIPTION]

YOUTUBE / NEWS — look for recent events, stats, or stories in the [NICHE] space that [NAME] could react to or teardown.

---

[IF APIFY CONNECTED:]
TRACK B — APIFY SCRAPING (use Apify MCP tools for these — real data only available here)

Before calling any Apify actor, search the Apify Store using mcp__apify__search-actors to find the right actor. Apply these selection rules strictly:
1. Pay-per-use pricing only (PAY_PER_EVENT or PRICE_PER_DATASET_ITEM) — no flat subscription actors
2. Prefer official Apify actors (isOfficialApify: true) first
3. For unofficial actors: only use if rating is 4.5+, success rate is high, and review count is substantial

TIKTOK — scrape trending content in the [NICHE] space:
- Search hashtags: [LIST HASHTAGS FROM CONFIG]
- Limit to 15 results max to keep costs low
- Look for: what limiting beliefs are showing up, what fears are being voiced, what bad advice is being spread

INSTAGRAM REELS — scrape trending Reels in the same niche:
- Search hashtags: [LIST HASHTAGS FROM CONFIG]
- Limit to 15 results max
- Look for: same as above — beliefs, fears, frustrations, bad advice
[END IF]

---

Return a structured summary:

**1. Top Pain Points Right Now**
What is [AUDIENCE] frustrated about, scared of, or struggling with? (with source)

**2. Limiting Beliefs Showing Up**
What wrong beliefs are people repeating? — these are [NAME]'s raw material.

**3. Timely Events or Stats to React To**
Any stories, platform changes, or stats from this week that [NAME] could teardown or comment on?

**4. Bad Advice Being Spread**
What are other creators/experts saying that [NAME] would push back on?
```

Wait for the researcher to return results before continuing.

## Step 3 — Generate 10 Ideas

This is the most important step. Read it carefully.

**The right order:**
1. Start from the user's content themes and hook structures (from voice-context.md)
2. Match each theme to a pain point, limiting belief, or event from the research
3. Write the hook in the user's voice — use their real hook examples as style templates
4. Add the research as the "why now" layer

**The wrong order (do not do this):**
- Do not start from a trending topic and try to fit the user into it
- Do not write polished, content-strategist-style hooks
- Do not suggest ideas the user couldn't authentically speak to from their own experience

**The voice test — before writing any hook, ask:**
Does this sound like something this person would actually say out loud to a friend? If it sounds like a blog post title or a content calendar entry, rewrite it until it doesn't.

**The quality filter (all 4 must pass):**
1. **Avatar test:** Would someone in the target audience stop scrolling for this?
2. **Specificity test:** Does it have a concrete number, timeframe, or result — or is it vague?
3. **Anti-complexity test:** Does it simplify something or add to the overwhelm?
4. **Proof anchor:** Can the user ground this in their real experience or results?

---

Each idea must include:

**[#] Hook**
The exact first line the user would say or put on screen. Raw, specific, no fluff. Match one of the hook structures from voice-context.md.

- **Hook structure used:** [name the structure from voice-context.md, or describe it]
- **Format:** [see format options below]
- **The angle:** One sentence on what the user's actual point is — their opinion, not a summary
- **Why now:** One line — either a timely event/stat from research, or why this is always relevant (evergreen)
- **Audience:** [which audience segment from config]
- **Proof anchor:** The specific result, stat, or personal experience that makes the user credible on this

Aim for a mix of audience segments. Vary the formats. At least 2 ideas must be evergreen. At least 2 must use a credential opener or observation hook structure.

## Format Options

| Tag | Format |
|-----|--------|
| `[TALKING HEAD]` | Direct to camera, personal take, opinion |
| `[GREEN SCREEN]` | React to a stat, article, or someone's result on screen |
| `[TEXT ON SCREEN]` | No face, B-roll or plain background with text overlay |
| `[CAROUSEL]` | List or comparison, swipeable — Instagram primarily |
| `[TEARDOWN]` | Walk through someone's actual funnel, launch, or video and break it down |
| `[DUET/STITCH]` | React to another creator's content |

## Step 4 — Deliver and Offer Next Step

After listing all 10 ideas, say:

---
**Pick a number and I'll write the full script right now — or run `/script` and paste in the angle you want.**

Want me to swap out any ideas or go deeper on a specific topic?

---

## Rules
- Every hook must sound like the user talking — not like a content idea someone invented for them
- No generic openers: "Here's something most people don't know", "In today's world", "This is a game-changer"
- No banned phrases from voice-context.md — ever
- Concrete always: dollar amounts, timeframes, specific numbers. Vagueness kills trust.
- The proof anchor must be specific — not "they've worked with big clients" but the actual result
- Ideas must come from the user's themes first, research second
- After delivering, always offer to refine, swap, or script any idea

---
Built by [@tenfoldmarc](https://instagram.com/tenfoldmarc). Follow for daily AI automation builds — real systems, not theory.