storyboard-grid-writer

Storyboard Grid Writer

Use When

• A controller needs a storyboard grid, beat panel plan, contact sheet, or panel prompt pack.
• Hook logic must become visible frame-by-frame action before image or video generation.
• The output should hand off to image-batch-runner or video-batch-runner.

Do Not Use When

• The final generation request is already approved. Use the runner.
• Reference meaning is unresolved. Use reference-decode.
• The user wants plain prose, a script only, or execution submission.

Core Rule

Common prompt should be short. Storyboard panels should be detailed.

The grid must carry the narrative load. Do not hide scene logic inside vague style words.

Required Inputs

• segmentType
• viewerQuestion
• openingMechanism
• creativeFormat
• targetFrameAspectRatio
• mustCopyVisualGrammar or required scene anchors
• forbiddenDrift
• productRevealTiming
• text/UI policy

If no reference exists, mark the output as no-reference and state the inferred scene anchors before writing panels.

Grid Spec

Default to 6 panels for short hooks and up to 9 panels for longer proof or motion continuity.

Keep these ratios separate:

• boardLayoutRatio: the contact-sheet or storyboard-board canvas
• targetFrameAspectRatio: the per-panel creative output ratio, such as 9:16 or 3:4

The board layout must not silently change the generated asset ratio.

Writing Method

1. Lock viewer question and stop-scroll job for panel 1.
2. Write structural grammar before style: camera start, closest subject, early object visibility, and native-feeling behavior.
3. Keep common prompt to reference policy, canvas rules, realism, no-text/UI, and safety boundaries.
4. Write each panel as visible events: camera position, subject placement, action, environment anchors, and one candid realism flaw when useful.
5. State product reveal timing and forbidden drift.

Output Shape

Return:

• gridSpec
• commonPrompt
• variantTitle
• hookEssence
• viewerQuestion
• panelSequence
• productRevealTiming
• forbiddenDrift
• handoffSkill

Preflight Checkpoint

Before the final prompt, print:

Variant title:
Viewer question:
Panel 1 job:
Panel 2-3 support:
Panel 4-6 progression:
Product reveal timing:
Main drift risks:

Stop Conditions

• Stop when required user intent, source evidence, or owned input artifacts are missing and guessing would change the result.
• Do not create execution JSON or submit renders.
• Do not let a runner infer storyboard logic from generic prompt adjectives.
• If an owned CLI or script command still fails after any bounded recovery allowed by the executing PostPlus skill, report the exact error and stop. Do not bypass the failure with metadata-only answers, readiness probing, local payload rewrites, alternate execution paths, or unpublished tools.

Handoff

• Image panels -> image-batch-runner.
• Video generation -> video-batch-runner.
• Reference uncertainty -> reference-decode.

Public Command Boundary

• Choose the smallest matching command or workflow from the user input and run it directly.
• If an owned CLI or script command still fails after any bounded recovery allowed by the executing PostPlus skill, report the exact error and stop. Do not bypass the failure with metadata-only answers, readiness probing, local payload rewrites, alternate execution paths, or unpublished tools.
• This public skill is instruction-driven. Produce the storyboard artifact directly from the available evidence.
• Do not use unpublished execution paths or local tools.
• If the CLI returns a quote-confirmation challenge, run postplus quote confirm --json --challenge-file <challenge.json> and retry with the returned token.