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name: docs-launch-kit description: > Versioned launch kit from the repo's real features: Show HN, Product Hunt, Reddit/X/LinkedIn posts, release notes, a calendar with UTM links. Use when "launch post", "Show HN", "Product Hunt listing", "announce this release", or "launch copy". license: MIT

docs-launch-kit — Launch copy that survives the comments

Degree of freedom: MIXED. Angle and voice [HIGH freedom]; facts from the repo, per-channel format rules, and the no-solicitation ban [LOW freedom — run exactly].

Apply-now. Produces docs/launch/<version>.md (or the path the repo already uses) with one angle, per-channel copy, UTM links, and a calendar. A launch is a cadence — every meaningful release gets a kit — so the file is versioned, not overwritten.

This skill vs neighbors

Skill	Owns
docs-launch-kit (this)	Announcement copy per channel + calendar + UTMs
enhance-readme	README hero, screenshots, badges
docs-writer	Reference docs, changelog entries, long-form articles
plan-antislop	Voice audit when the copy reads generated
enhance-web-seo	Titles/meta for the pages the posts link to
plan-gtm	Which channels and which ICP — this skill writes for that decision
deploy-npm / workflow-ship-and-observe	The release itself

Do not fire for "write the changelog" alone → docs-writer.

How to reason

1. Angle — one problem the ICP recognizes, stated before the product name
2. Evidence — every claim maps to a file, a changelog line, or a number that can be checked
3. Format — each channel gets its native shape; nothing is cross-posted verbatim
4. Calendar — sequence and timing; who answers comments and for how long
5. Measure — UTM per channel; success is signups and activation, not points

Worked example

Angle: "Coding agents call it done when it compiles" — not "145 skills". Evidence: complete-everything state file + completion-judge agent exist in skills/; 3.6k npm downloads from npm view; no star count claimed. Format: Show HN title states the mechanism; first comment explains why it was built and what it does not do. PH tagline ≤60 chars, three gallery shots from docs/screenshots/. Reddit r/cursor post leads with the failure story. Calendar: HN Tuesday 13:00 UTC; PH the following week; Reddit on release day; reply window 2 h for HN, all day for PH. Measure: ?utm_source=hn&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=v1.35; report signups per channel after 7 days.

Self-critique before reporting

• Angle first — every post opens with the problem, not the product or a count
• Checked facts — each number and feature in the copy was verified this session
• Native format — HN copy has no marketing adjectives; PH copy fits its fields; Reddit follows the subreddit rules quoted in the file
• No solicitation — no "upvote us" links, vote rings, or DMs asking for votes
• Disclosure — the maker is identified as the maker on every channel
• Right owner — README visuals → enhance-readme; changelog → docs-writer

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Procedure

1. Gather facts [LOW freedom — run exactly]

Read CHANGELOG.md (or the release diff), README hero, package.json version, screenshots directory, and any live numbers (npm view, store listing, analytics). Build a claims table: Claim | Source | Verified. Copy may use only verified rows.

2. Pick the angle [HIGH freedom]

One sentence the ICP would say about their own problem. Test: does it still work with the product name removed? Lead with what changed for the reader, never with counts, "excited to announce", or the tech stack.

3. Write per channel [LOW freedom — formats; HIGH freedom — words]

Channel	Shape	Rules that matter
Show HN	Show HN: <what it does, plainly> + first comment: why built, how it works, trade-offs, what it does not do, one ask	Official rules: a runnable thing, no signup wall or waitlist, human-written (AI-written posts are removed), never solicit votes; sober tone, no adjectives; answer every comment for 2 h; only ~11% of Show HN posts clear 10 points — the thread is the asset even when the front page misses
Product Hunt	tagline ≤60 chars; description; 3–5 gallery images or a 30-s demo; maker first comment; hunter or self-hunt	Featured rate ~10%; 1–2% visit→signup for B2B; credibility and feedback, not acquisition; launch after real users exist; relaunch per major version
Reddit	subreddit-specific post: story → what it does → link in comments if rules require	Quote the subreddit rules in the kit; value-first; one subreddit per day
X / Bluesky / LinkedIn	hook line → 15-s demo or screenshot → link; LinkedIn in first person, longer	External links are throttled on X — the demo clip travels, the link rides in a reply; one thread, not five; reply to every quote
dev.to / Hashnode / blog	problem → approach → code → what you would change → link	Canonical URL to your domain; this is the SEO asset; one honest piece beats a batch of generated ones (Google scaled-content policy)
Release notes as announcement	Changelog section rewritten for users: what you can do now	Ships with the tag; link from every other post
Newsletter / Discord	short, personal, one link	Existing users first — they retell it

4. Calendar [HIGH freedom]

Sequence: existing users → Show HN (Tue–Thu, 12–17 UTC) → community posts → Product Hunt a week later when social proof exists → article the following week. Name who watches comments and for how long. Put the next release's kit date at the bottom.

5. Links and measurement [LOW freedom — run exactly]

?utm_source=<channel>&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=<version> on every link; one row per channel in the kit's Results table: visits, signups, activated, notes — filled after 7 days. Channel numbers to judge against (Show HN front page 5–30k visits / 50–400 signups; Product Hunt 1–2% B2B signup) live in plan-gtm/references/benchmarks-2026.md.

6. Output

# Launch kit — <product> <version> — <date>
## Angle
## Claims table
## Show HN
## Product Hunt
## Reddit — r/<name> (rules: …)
## X / Bluesky / LinkedIn
## Article outline
## Release notes (user-facing)
## Calendar
## Results (fill after 7 days)

Guardrails

• No vote solicitation. No upvote asks, rings, or DMs — HN and PH both penalize it.
• No fabricated proof. Testimonials, numbers, and logos come from the claims table.
• Disclose. The maker posts as the maker.
• No cross-post spam. One native post per channel; respect each community's rules.
• Voice check. If a paragraph could be any product's launch, or reads as mannered prose (throat-clearing opener, stacked hedges, "excited to announce", triplets for rhythm), rewrite or send to plan-antislop.

Chains with

• plan-gtm → channel plan and ICP this kit writes for.
• enhance-readme → README hero and screenshots the posts link to.
• enhance-web-seo → the article and landing page it links.
• iterate-post-launch → reads the Results table one week later.