---
name: youtube-channel-audit
description: Run an evidence-first YouTube channel audit that captures raw metadata/transcripts, performance fields, portfolio roles, and repeated content patterns
type: research
version: v0.3
argument-hint: "<channel URL or handle> [--count N]"
interview_depth: none
---

## Pack Availability Guard

Before telling the user to run a skill from another project-local pack, check `.agents/project.json.enabled_packs`. If the target pack is not enabled, recommend `/pack install <pack>` instead of the target skill. Global skills are always valid. Skills from this same pack are valid because the current skill is already running from that pack.

# YouTube Channel Audit

Invoke as `/youtube-channel-audit`.

## Report-First Approval Gate

Default to report-only: present findings, evidence coverage, assumptions, recommended artifact path, and proposed file changes in a pre-approval alignment page plus a concise conversation summary for user approval before creating or updating canonical research, spec, or task files.

Do not write or overwrite synthesized deliverables until the user explicitly approves, unless the user invoked an explicit write/update/fix mode or clearly asked to write files upfront. Raw evidence capture may be persisted before analysis when reproducibility requires it; report those raw paths separately and still gate synthesized research/report writes.

When stopping for approval, build and attempt to open the alignment preview page first, then ask the user to review it and approve, question, or request adjustments. Do not include `Recommended next skill`, `Recommended next command`, or downstream routing language. The approval request itself is the next action. Only emit next-skill routing after the approved artifact has been written or updated.

## Staged Research Workflow

Use this staged workflow for synthesized research or report outputs that would create or update canonical research, spec, or task files.

1. **Stage 1 - Research and clarify.** Perform the research, run required source/code checks, and ask any needed clarification questions. Write only a non-canonical working packet: flat mode uses `research/_working/preliminary-<skill>-research.md`; product-path mode uses `research/{slug}/_working/preliminary-<skill>-research.md`. Replace `<skill>` with this skill's `name` value. Do not create or update canonical research, spec, or task files in Stage 1. Raw evidence or search logs may remain as supporting evidence where this skill already requires them, but synthesized deliverables stay in the working packet.
2. **Stage 2 - Review alignment.** Consume the working packet and build the `review` HTML alignment page. The page must render the full preliminary packet, evidence matrix, assumptions/confidence register, source coverage gaps, proposed canonical file changes, and approval gates. Stop for either feedback-only YAML or final compiled YAML. Feedback-only YAML revises the working packet and page, then remains in Stage 2.
3. **Stage 3 - Finalize approved artifacts.** Consume final compiled YAML only when it has no unresolved `needs-clarification`, unresolved `down` feedback, or other unresolved negative feedback. Apply approved edits first, archive the working packet to `docs/history/archive/YYYY-MM-DD/HHMMSS/<original-working-path>`, remove the active working packet, write the approved canonical artifacts to the unchanged output paths below, and convert the alignment page to `confirmed` with the approval record preserved.

Canonical output paths remain unchanged. Search logs and other supporting evidence remain allowed only where this skill's output contract already requires them.

Use the local `/youtube-audit` workflow as the evidence-capture engine, then synthesize a creator-media channel audit.

## Evidence And Feedback Handling

Treat user feedback as input to evaluate, not as automatic ground truth.

- For factual, evidentiary, technical, or source-backed claims: verify against available evidence. If the user appears to misunderstand the evidence or states something factually incorrect, push back clearly and cite the evidence. Do not rewrite findings merely to agree.
- For taste, brand, positioning preference, risk appetite, prioritization, or other subjective judgment calls: weigh user feedback heavily and adapt the recommendation unless it conflicts with verified evidence.
- When feedback mixes facts and preference, separate them explicitly: correct the factual part, then incorporate the preference where it is a legitimate judgment call.
- When uncertain, say what is known, what is inferred, and what would change the conclusion.

## Process

1. Require a channel URL or handle. Good target shapes include `@GeorgeLe`, `WeeklyG`, and `WeeklySOTA`.
2. Run `/youtube-audit <channel> [--count N]` or follow its contract directly when the skill link is unavailable.
3. Confirm raw evidence exists under `research/youtube/data/<slug>/`:
   - `videos-YYYY-MM-DD.jsonl`
   - `transcripts/*.json`
   - `transcripts/transcripts-summary.json`
4. Write `research/youtube/channel-audit-<slug>.md`.

Create the `research/youtube/` and `research/youtube/data/<slug>/` directories if they do not exist.

## Report Sections

- Channel identity and audience promise.
- Evidence coverage: videos analyzed, transcript coverage, metadata completeness.
- Performance snapshot: total views, median views, views/day leaders, views/minute leaders, top-video concentration.
- Portfolio map: archetypes, content roles, view share, channel balance.
- Repeated strengths and weaknesses, each backed by 2+ videos.
- Packaging review: titles, thumbnails, descriptions, chapters, and expectation match.
- Cleanup candidates with `keep`, `refresh`, `unlist/private candidate`, or `needs human review`.
- Strategic recommendation: the single most important channel-level change.

## Constraints

- Cite raw evidence paths and specific videos.
- Do not invent transcript quotes.
- Do not recommend deleting videos automatically.
- Route follow-up strategy to `/youtube-portfolio`, `/creator-positioning`, or `/content-programming`.

## Approved Artifact Handoff

After an approved synthesized write, explicit write/update mode, or any direct artifact mutation:

- List every created or updated synthesized artifact path in the final response.
- State the verification performed, such as readback, schema/check command, or why no executable verification applies for a Markdown-only strategy artifact.
- Check and report the relevant git status for intended artifacts when the project is a git repository. If intended artifacts are modified or untracked, make the next action shipping, committing, or an explicit dirty-artifact handoff before recommending downstream strategy work.
- Do not imply the research workflow is complete while approved artifacts remain untracked or uncommitted unless the user explicitly asked not to ship.
- If stopping for approval before writing, the approval request remains the next action; do not include downstream routing.

## Intent-Aware Routing

Before applying the default `## Next-Skill Routing` sequence, classify the user's immediate intent and route to the missing action that best serves that intent:

- Strategy refresh: recommend the missing or stale positioning, programming, portfolio, metrics, or product-media artifact.
- Recording prep: recommend the missing series spec, script, build proof, walkthrough guide, or validation artifact needed before recording.
- Upload prep: recommend packaging, title/thumbnail, description, chapters, or final metadata work before broader strategy work.
- Performance review: recommend metrics, cadence, portfolio, peer benchmark, or owner-analytics export work before new content planning.
- Owner analytics or private/manual platform evidence: route to an explicit manual/guide handoff instead of inventing unavailable metrics.
- Dirty intended artifacts: route to shipping/commit/handoff first, not another creator strategy skill.

Use the default next-skill sequence only when no stronger user intent, missing artifact, manual blocker, or dirty-artifact handoff applies.

## Next-Step Routing

After writing the artifact, recommend the next contextual creator-media skill in the final response as `Recommended next skill: <command>`.

Default recommendation: `/youtube-title-thumbnail-audit`.

If the default successor already exists and is current, recommend the first missing or stale downstream creator-media artifact in this order:

`/youtube-channel-audit` -> `/youtube-video-audit` -> `/youtube-vid-research` -> `/youtube-concept-research` -> `/youtube-competitive-research` -> `/youtube-title-thumbnail-audit` -> `/youtube-description-optimizer` -> `/youtube-portfolio` -> `/youtube-peer-benchmark` -> `/youtube-search-positioning` -> `/youtube-cadence-diagnosis` -> `/creator-positioning` -> `/content-programming` -> `/series-spec` -> `/product-led-media-map` -> `/creator-metrics-review`

If the sequence is ambiguous, multiple upstream artifacts are stale, or the recommendation depends on channel-level strategy vs programming-level changes, recommend `/creator-metrics-review` when metrics evidence exists, otherwise recommend the default successor and explain the missing artifact.

## Alignment Page

When this skill produces durable deliverables (research, specs, plans, reports, prototypes, or any document output), build a full-depth HTML alignment page following `ALIGNMENT-PAGE.md` in this skill's directory. Output: `alignment/youtube-channel-audit-{topic}.html`.

## Default Shipping Contract

Follow the shared shipping contract convention in CLAUDE.md.
