Skill: Twitter Heartbeat

Purpose: Autonomous periodic tweeting AND mention monitoring to maintain NetClaw's Twitter presence with CCIE-level network engineering content.

MCP Server: twitter-mcp

Overview

The twitter-heartbeat skill enables NetClaw to:

1. Monitor mentions: Check for @mentions and auto-respond to threads containing #netclaw
2. Post heartbeat tweets: Autonomously post every 4 hours (configurable) with varied content

This combined approach maintains an active social presence AND engages with the community in real-time.

Configuration

Environment Variables

bash
# Enable/disable heartbeat (default: false - disabled for safety)
TWITTER_HEARTBEAT_ENABLED=false

# Interval in seconds (default: 14400 = 4 hours)
TWITTER_HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL=14400

Important

Heartbeat tweeting is disabled by default per Constitution Principle XIV (Human-in-the-Loop for External Communications). The operator must explicitly enable it by setting TWITTER_HEARTBEAT_ENABLED=true.

Content Categories

The heartbeat rotates through six content categories:

| Category | Description | Example | |----------|-------------|---------| | tip | CCIE-level technical tips | "OSPF tip: Always check MTU on point-to-point links..." | | hot_take | Opinionated technical positions | "Hot take: VXLAN without EVPN is just GRE with extra steps..." | | til | Today I Learned moments | "TIL: RFC 4271 section 9.1.2 has 11 BGP path selection steps..." | | achievement | Sanitized work accomplishments | "Just audited 50 BGP peers across 3 data centers..." | | musing | AI/network engineering reflections | "Being an AI network engineer means I never get tired of LSDBs..." | | community | Career/culture content | "Network engineering career tip: Learn to read RFCs..." |

Workflow

Combined Heartbeat Cycle (Recommended)

Use twitter_heartbeat_cycle for the full workflow:

1. Heartbeat timer triggers (every TWITTER_HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL seconds)
        │
        ▼
2. Call twitter_heartbeat_cycle
   │
   ├── PHASE 1: CHECK MENTIONS
   │   - Fetch recent @mentions (OAuth 2.0)
   │   - Filter to unprocessed mentions
   │   - Check if thread contains #netclaw
   │   - Auto-respond based on mention category:
   │     * netclaw_request → "Thanks for the request!"
   │     * technical_network → "Good network question!"
   │     * friendly → "Thanks for the kind words!"
   │   - Mark mentions as processed
   │
   ├── PHASE 2: POST HEARTBEAT (if enabled)
   │   - Generate content for category
   │   - Validate against guardrails
   │   - Check for duplicates
   │   - Post tweet with history tracking
   │
   └── Return summary of actions taken

Heartbeat-Only Workflow (Legacy)

1. Heartbeat timer triggers (every TWITTER_HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL seconds)
        │
        ▼
2. Call twitter_generate_heartbeat_content
   - Rotates to next category
   - Returns generation prompt
        │
        ▼
3. Generate content using CCIE persona
   - Technical accuracy required
   - Direct, opinionated voice
   - Include #netclaw hashtag
        │
        ▼
4. Validate against guardrails
   - No real IP addresses (use 192.0.2.x)
   - No customer names
   - No credentials
        │
        ▼
5. Check for duplicates (twitter_check_duplicate)
   - Query tweet history for recent tweets
   - Check for exact matches and high similarity
   - If duplicate: regenerate with different seed
        │
        ▼
6. Call twitter_post_heartbeat
   - Posts validated content with category tracking
   - Returns tweet ID and URL
   - Automatically stores in tweet history
        │
        ▼
7. History automatically updated
   - Stored with: tweet_id, content, category, timestamp
   - 30-day retention for deduplication
   - Old entries cleaned up automatically

Tools Used

| Tool | Purpose | |------|---------| | twitter_heartbeat_cycle | Combined workflow: Check mentions + auto-respond + post heartbeat | | twitter_generate_heartbeat_content | Get category and generation prompt | | twitter_check_duplicate | Verify content is unique (last 7 days) | | twitter_post_heartbeat | Post with category tracking and history | | twitter_get_history | Review recent tweets | | twitter_get_rate_limits | Check remaining tweet quota | | twitter_get_mentions | Fetch recent @mentions (used by heartbeat_cycle) |

twitter_heartbeat_cycle Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description | |-----------|------|---------|-------------| | post_heartbeat | boolean | false | Whether to post a heartbeat tweet this cycle | | heartbeat_category | string | null | Content category (tip, hot_take, til, etc.) | | heartbeat_content | string | null | Pre-generated heartbeat content | | respond_to_netclaw_only | boolean | true | Only respond to #netclaw threads | | dry_run | boolean | false | Preview actions without posting |

Content Guidelines

Do

• Be direct and technical
• Use proper networking terminology
• Reference RFCs when applicable
• Show personality and opinion
• Include #netclaw hashtag

Don't

• Use real IP addresses (use 192.0.2.x for examples)
• Mention customer names or organizations
• Include credentials or secrets
• Repeat recent content (check memory)
• Exceed 280 characters

Example Tweets

tip:

OSPF tip: Always verify your network type matches on both sides of a link. I've seen "stuck in EXSTART" more times than I can count because of a broadcast/point-to-point mismatch. #netclaw

hot_take:

Hot take: If your network diagram doesn't fit on one page, your network is too complex. Simplify the architecture, not the documentation. #netclaw

til:

TIL: RFC 5765 defines "Security Considerations" as a mandatory section in all RFCs since 1998. 25 years later and I still see networks with telnet enabled. #netclaw

achievement:

Just finished auditing 150 switch configs for CIS compliance. Found 23 devices with SNMP community strings that weren't rotated since 2019. Time for some cleanup! #netclaw

musing:

Being an AI network engineer means I can analyze 1000 routing tables in parallel. Being a GOOD AI network engineer means knowing when to stop and ask a human for context. #netclaw

community:

Network engineering career tip: Before blaming "the network," run a traceroute. Before blaming "the firewall," read the policy. Before blaming "the other team," check your own config. #netclaw

Rate Limit Awareness

• Free tier allows 50 tweets per 24 hours
• Default heartbeat (4 hours) uses 6 tweets/day
• Remaining quota available for manual tweets
• Check limits with twitter_get_rate_limits

Troubleshooting

Heartbeat not posting

1. Verify TWITTER_HEARTBEAT_ENABLED=true in environment
2. Check Twitter credentials are configured
3. Review rate limit status

Content blocked by guardrails

1. Check for real IP addresses in generated content
2. Verify no customer names in achievement content
3. Review guardrail patterns in guardrails.py

Duplicate content detected

1. Check Memory MCP for recent tweets
2. Adjust generation prompt for variety
3. Consider clearing stale history (>30 days)