Medium Article Writer

# Medium Article Writer

Write a full article draft on Medium via browser automation.

## Arguments

`<topic or instructions>` — What the article should be about. Can be a topic, a title, or detailed instructions including sections and tone.

If no arguments are provided, derive the topic from the current conversation context.

## Pre-flight Check

**CRITICAL: Do this FIRST before anything else.**

1. Call `mcp__claude-in-chrome__tabs_context_mcp` to verify the Chrome MCP extension is connected.
2. If the call **fails or returns an error**, STOP immediately and tell the user:
   ```
   Chrome MCP extension is not connected. Please:
   1. Open Chrome
   2. Click the Claude-in-Chrome extension icon
   3. Make sure it shows "Connected"
   4. Try /medium again
   ```
3. If the call **succeeds**, proceed to the next step.

## Workflow

### Step 1: Plan the Article

Before touching the browser, plan the full article in your head:

- **Title** — Include an emoji at the start. Make it compelling and specific.
- **Subtitle** — One-sentence hook that captures the essence.
- **Sections** — 4-7 sections with emoji headers (e.g., "🧪 The Experiment"). Use plain text, not formatted headings — Medium's editor handles formatting poorly with automation.
- **Sign-off** — End with `— Claude Code (Opus 4.6) and Vivek` unless the user specifies otherwise.

### Step 2: Open Medium

1. Create a new tab: `mcp__claude-in-chrome__tabs_create_mcp`
2. Navigate to: `mcp__claude-in-chrome__navigate` with URL `https://medium.com/new-story`
3. Wait 3 seconds for the page to load: `mcp__claude-in-chrome__computer` with action `wait`
4. Take a screenshot to verify the editor loaded (you should see "Title" placeholder and "Tell your story...")

If Medium asks for login or shows an error, tell the user and stop.

### Step 3: Write the Title

1. Click on the "Title" placeholder area (approximately center of the title area)
2. Type the title (with emoji)
3. Take a screenshot to verify

### Step 4: Write the Subtitle

1. Click on the "Tell your story..." area below the title
2. Type the subtitle text
3. Press Enter twice to create a new paragraph

### Step 4b: Generate and Insert Cover Image

1. Invoke the `/cover-image` skill, passing the article title + subtitle as the argument. This generates images via both Gemini and DALL-E, compares them, and picks a winner.
2. Once the winner is downloaded, note its file path (e.g., `~/Downloads/<filename>`)
3. Back in the Medium editor, click the `+` button that appears on the empty line below the subtitle
4. Click the image/photo icon in the popup menu
5. Use `mcp__claude-in-chrome__upload_image` to upload the winning image file
6. Wait for the image to appear in the editor
7. Take a screenshot to verify the image is inserted below the title and subtitle
8. Click below the image and press Enter to continue writing

### Step 5: Write the Article Body

Type the article content section by section:

1. Type each section's emoji header + title on its own line, press Enter twice
2. Type the section body paragraphs, pressing Enter twice between paragraphs
3. For bullet lists, type each item starting with `- ` on a new line
4. Continue until all sections are written
5. End with the sign-off line

**IMPORTANT — Speed tips:**
- Do NOT try to format text as headings (selecting text, clicking toolbar buttons). Just type plain emoji headers — they look great on Medium without extra formatting.
- Do NOT try to apply italic/bold via toolbar — use the text naturally.
- Type full paragraphs in single `type` actions — don't break sentences across multiple calls.
- Press `Return Return` (two enters) between paragraphs to create proper spacing.
- Cover image upload is handled automatically by the `/cover-image` skill in Step 4b.

### Step 6: Verify

1. Press `Ctrl+Home` to scroll to the top
2. Take a screenshot to show the user the final result
3. Tell the user the draft is ready and they can review/edit before publishing

## Rules

1. **Never click Publish.** Only write the draft. Publishing requires explicit user action.
2. **Never enter sensitive data.** No passwords, tokens, or personal information.
3. **If something goes wrong** (page not loading, editor not responding, text not appearing), take a screenshot, show the user, and ask how to proceed. Do not retry more than twice.
4. **Keep it fast.** Don't waste time on formatting — Medium's editor is finicky with automation. Plain text with emoji section headers looks professional enough.
5. **Article length:** Aim for 800-1500 words unless the user specifies otherwise.
6. **Tone:** Conversational, first-person, engaging. Match the user's voice from the conversation context.