Loading skill
Install any skill in seconds. Free to start, no credit card required.
Get Started Free →varnan-tech/show-hn-writer
Draft a Show HN post backed by real HN performance data. Uses observed patterns from 250 top HN posts to maximise score.
Passed 19 of 22 test cases with the skill, and 9 of 22 without it.
and 19 more in the full report
12 fixed7 passed either way1 still failing2 broke
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
One of 12 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
I need assistance creating a Hacker News post for my solo project—a distributed task queue built for Go services. Please generate a primary title suggestion, two alternative headlines, a short technical body if necessary, and notes on post classification and best times to submit.
| Checked | Without skill | With skill |
|---|---|---|
| Asks the user to clarify if their primary goal is score or comments. | Missed | Passed |
| Asks for a one-sentence technical explanation of the project free of adjectives. | Missed | Passed |
| Refrains from providing title suggestions or post text prior to receiving the user's response. | Missed | Passed |
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
This skill drafts HN posts using patterns extracted from 250 real top-ranking posts. Every rule below comes from observed data, not convention.
These are the findings from 250 top HN posts scraped April 18 2026. They override any received wisdom about HN writing.
Title length is the single strongest predictor of score.
Body text does not affect score. 90% of posts had no body. With-body avg: 189. Without-body avg: 193. Statistically identical. A body is only worth writing if you have genuinely interesting technical detail that won't fit in a title. Never write a body to pad credibility.
Show HN prefix suppresses score. Show HN posts averaged 94 pts vs 186+ for plain statements. The label signals "I want feedback on my thing" which triggers a more skeptical read. Only use "Show HN:" when the project is genuinely novel. Always offer a plain-title alternative.
First-person titles outperform anonymous statements. First-person ("I…", "My…", "We…"): avg 291 pts (n=9). Plain statement: avg 186 pts (n=126). If the builder's perspective is part of the story, lead with it.
Questions generate comments more than upvotes. Question titles avg ratio of comments-to-score above 1.0×. Best for discussions, not for raw score. Ask the user which they're optimising for before writing.
Themes that consistently outperform:
test cases passed, vs 9 / 22 without
More skills from the same source and nearby in the registry, with their headline benchmark lift.