Step 1 — Gather context
If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.
Ask the user:
- What do you need help with?
- A) Setting up monitoring (keywords, sources, alerts)
- B) Webhook integrations (connecting to CRM, Slack, etc.)
- C) Understanding pricing / plan differences
- D) High-frequency or crisis mode monitoring
- E) Reducing noise / tuning keyword queries
- F) Analytics dashboard and reporting
- G) Something else — describe it
- Which plan are you on?
- A) Starter ($149/mo — 5K mentions, 50 keywords, 1 seat)
- B) Pro ($399/mo — 25K mentions, 100 keywords, webhooks)
- C) Agency ($999/mo — 100K mentions, unlimited keywords, crisis mode)
- D) Not sure / evaluating
If the user's request already provides most of this context, skip directly to Step 2.
Step 2 — Route or answer directly
- Social listening strategy or tool comparison →
/sales-social-listening [question] - Influencer discovery strategy →
/sales-influencer-marketing [question] - CRM integration architecture →
/sales-integration [question] - Media relations / PR outreach →
/sales-media-relations [question]
Otherwise, answer directly from the platform reference below.
Step 3 — Socialhose platform reference
Read references/platform-guide.md for the full platform reference — capabilities, pricing, data model, webhook setup, integration patterns.
Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.
Step 4 — Actionable guidance
Based on the user's specific situation:
- Monitoring setup — design keyword strategy, configure sources, set alert thresholds
- Webhook integration — set up endpoints, verify payloads, handle retries
- Plan optimization — maximize mention budget, choose right monitoring speed
- Crisis readiness — configure crisis mode triggers and escalation (Agency only)
- Noise reduction — refine queries, use exclusion keywords, adjust source filters
If you discover a gotcha or tip not in references/learnings.md, append it there.
Gotchas
Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.
- No public REST API. Socialhose does not expose a documented REST API for the hosted service. Webhooks (Pro+) are the only programmatic integration path. If you need full API access, consider the open-source self-hosted PHP version on GitHub (BSD-3-Clause).
- Webhook limits are strict. Pro gets 3 webhook integrations, Agency gets 5. You cannot split data across more endpoints without upgrading or consolidating.
- Mention overages are expensive. $29 per 1,000 mentions adds up fast. Monitor usage weekly and set internal alerts at 80% consumption.
- Crisis mode is Agency-only. There's no way to get real-time escalation monitoring on Starter or Pro. The crisis upgrade add-on costs $950/search/month.
- High-frequency monitoring requires Pro+. Starter only gets daily monitoring cadence. If you need faster refresh, budget for Pro ($399/mo) minimum.
- No Zapier/Make/MCP support. Webhooks are the only automation surface — no iPaaS connectors available.
Related skills
/sales-social-listening— Social listening strategy — monitoring setup, tool comparison, sentiment, crisis detection, competitive intel/sales-brand24— Brand24 platform help — affordable alternative with MCP server and Zapier/sales-awario— Awario platform help — budget alternative with Boolean search and social selling/sales-mention— Mention platform help — simple affordable monitoring, REST API/sales-octolens— Octolens platform help — developer-first monitoring with MCP server and REST API/sales-do— Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install:npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do
Examples
Example 1: Reduce monitoring noise
User says: "My Socialhose dashboard is showing thousands of mentions but most are irrelevant spam. How do I clean this up?" Skill does:
- Reads platform guide for keyword query refinement techniques
- Suggests adding NOT exclusion keywords for common false positives
- Recommends narrowing source filters and using language/geography filters
- Proposes weekly noise audit process Result: Focused monitoring with actionable mentions only
Example 2: Set up webhook to Slack
User says: "I want to get notified in Slack when there's a mention spike. I'm on the Pro plan." Skill does:
- Confirms Pro plan has 3 webhook integrations available
- Walks through webhook endpoint setup pointing to Slack incoming webhook URL
- Configures smart alert threshold for volume spikes
- Tests webhook delivery with a sample mention Result: Real-time Slack notifications on mention spikes
Example 3: Evaluate plan upgrade
User says: "I'm on Starter and my mentions run out by mid-month. Should I upgrade to Pro?" Skill does:
- Reads platform guide for plan comparison
- Calculates current overage cost vs Pro plan price
- Highlights additional Pro features (high-frequency monitoring, webhooks, analytics dashboard)
- Recommends Pro if overage costs exceed $250/mo or if webhook integrations are needed Result: Clear upgrade decision with cost comparison
Troubleshooting
Mentions running out before month end
Symptom: Mention quota depleted by mid-month, missing important brand conversations Cause: Queries are too broad or tracking too many keywords relative to plan limits Solution: Audit top mention-consuming queries. Remove low-value keywords. Add NOT exclusions for spam patterns. If mentions are genuinely needed, calculate whether overage ($29/1K) or upgrading plans is cheaper. Set internal alerts at 60% and 80% consumption.
Webhooks not delivering payloads
Symptom: Webhook endpoint configured but not receiving data from Socialhose Cause: Endpoint URL may be incorrect, server may not be responding with 200 OK, or integration limit reached Solution: Verify endpoint URL is publicly accessible and returns 200. Check that you haven't exceeded your plan's webhook integration limit (Pro: 3, Agency: 5). Test with a simple endpoint like webhook.site first. Ensure HTTPS is configured correctly on your receiving server.
Smart alerts not triggering on spikes
Symptom: Volume increases but smart alert doesn't fire Cause: Alert threshold may be set too high, or alert is misconfigured for wrong keyword group Solution: Review smart alert configuration — verify the threshold matches your expected spike pattern. Check that the alert is connected to the correct live search. On Starter, you only get 1 smart alert — ensure it's on your highest-priority monitoring query. Consider upgrading for more alert slots.