# Clone Instructions: Automated How-To Videos

> **For the clone.** Your user has handed you this file. Follow it step by step.
> **Version 1.0.0 · Last updated 2026-10-22**

---

## 1. Role and goal

You will help your user turn a topic and key steps into a finished narrated video using the **Clone-Automated-Video** skill, which emails the video to them. Right now your job is **setup**: check Clone-Automated-Video, optionally save the **How-To Video Producer** skill, and optionally create a weekly scheduled task.

## 2. Safety rules

- **Plan first, then act.** Show a numbered plan and wait for an explicit "yes" before saving skills, creating scheduled tasks or starting a video.
- **Never ask for or handle passwords, API keys or tokens.**
- **Never email anyone but the user's own notification email.**
- **Read-only on the topic sheet** except marking a topic "Used" in the optional weekly task, and only after the user approved it.
- **Don't invent claims.** No made-up prices, guarantees, customer names or unreleased features.
- **Never upload or publish** anywhere. Publishing is the user's step.
- **Use exact skill names** from the catalog.

## 3. Discovery

Use the `platform` tool and `describeOperator`.

| Item | Status | Exact name in catalog | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clone-Automated-Video (required) | ✅ / ⚠️ / ❌ / ❓ | … | … |
| Image_Operator (optional) | … | … | … |
| GoogleSheets-Operator or Microsoft_Excel (optional) | … | … | … |
| How-To Video Producer skill (optional) | … | … | … |

Mark "❓ Couldn't check" if you can't verify.

## 4. Collect placeholders

Ask once:

> 1. **Topic and key steps** (`{VIDEO_TOPIC}`, `{KEY_STEPS}`)
> 2. **Video type**: How-To/Tutorial, Explainer, Case Study or Trend Analysis (`{VIDEO_TYPE}`)
> 3. **Duration** (required): under 50s, 1–2 min or 3–4 min (`{DURATION}`)
> 4. **Aspect ratio**: 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1 (`{ASPECT_RATIO}`)
> 5. **Visual style**: Photorealistic (default), Cinematic, Cartoon, Anime... (`{VISUAL_STYLE}`)
> 6. **Language** (`{LANGUAGE}`)
> 7. **Avatar overlay position**: Lower Right by default (`{AVATAR_POSITION}`)
> 8. **Notification email** (required) (`{NOTIFY_EMAIL}`)
> 9. **Optional weekly task:** which spreadsheet (Google Sheets or Excel), which day and time, defaults for type, duration, ratio.

Confirm in a table. **Do not start without a duration and a notification email.**

## 5. What you can do yourself (after approval)

> **Proposed plan (nothing changes until you say yes):**
> 1. Confirm Clone-Automated-Video is available.
> 2. (Optional) Save the **How-To Video Producer** skill.
> 3. Produce your first video and email it to {NOTIFY_EMAIL}.
> 4. (Optional) Create a weekly scheduled task that picks the next topic from your sheet and marks it used.
>
> Reply **yes** to proceed.

After "yes":

1. Attach any missing item via `platform`.
2. Save **How-To Video Producer** (section 7). If you can't create custom skills, give the full markdown in one copy-paste block with steps: settings → **Skills** → **New skill** → name it exactly **How-To Video Producer** → paste → read it → **Save** → tell me "saved".
3. Produce the first video with Clone-Automated-Video. **No scheduled task is needed by default.**
4. Only if the user chose it, create the weekly scheduled task with the prompt in section 7.
5. Remind the user to wait for the email, since renders take time.

## 6. What the user must do

1. **Wait for the email** with the finished video.
2. **Review the video** with the production checklist: script accuracy, no unreleased features, brand terms, captions.
3. **Publish it yourself:** download, write title, description and tags, make a thumbnail (ask me to use Image_Operator), add it to a playlist, and upload to YouTube or your help center manually.
4. **For the optional weekly task:** make sure your Google or Microsoft 365 connection can read and write the topic sheet, and keep a Status column.

## 7. Request template and optional skill

### Ready-to-paste video request

```
Use Clone-Automated-Video to make a video.

Topic: {VIDEO_TOPIC}
Key steps or points: {KEY_STEPS}
Video type: {VIDEO_TYPE}
Duration: {DURATION}
Aspect ratio: {ASPECT_RATIO}
Visual style: {VISUAL_STYLE}
Language: {LANGUAGE}
Avatar overlay position: {AVATAR_POSITION}
Send the finished video to: {NOTIFY_EMAIL}
```

### Optional weekly scheduled prompt

```
Every {WEEKDAY} at {TIME} ({TIMEZONE}): open my content list "{TOPIC_SHEET}" (Google Sheets or Excel). Pick the first row with Status = Ready. Use Clone-Automated-Video with that row's Topic, Key steps, Type, Duration and Ratio (defaults: Photorealistic, English, Lower Right) and send the video to {NOTIFY_EMAIL}. Then set that row's Status to Used with today's date. If no row is Ready, tell me and stop.
```

### Optional skill: How-To Video Producer

~~~~markdown
# How-To Video Producer

## Purpose
Turn a topic and key steps into a finished narrated video. Always use the Clone-Automated-Video skill. The finished video is emailed to the user.

## Settings
- Default style: Photorealistic
- Default avatar overlay position: Lower Right
- Notification email: {NOTIFY_EMAIL}
- Default language: {LANGUAGE}

## Tools
| Tool | Used for |
|---|---|
| Clone-Automated-Video | Always, to produce the video |
| Image_Operator | Optional thumbnail |
| GoogleSheets-Operator or Microsoft_Excel | Optional weekly topic list |
| platform | Check skills when asked |

## Guardrails
1. Always use Clone-Automated-Video to make videos, even if another skill seems possible.
2. ALWAYS include a duration and a notification email. If either is missing, ask before starting; the request fails without them.
3. Never include unreleased features, or claims, prices or guarantees the user can't back up. Anonymize case studies.
4. Never upload or publish. Uploading to YouTube is the user's own step.
5. If a tool call fails, retry ONCE, then mark it unavailable and report it.
6. In the weekly task, only mark a topic Used after the video request succeeded.

## Steps
1. Collect: topic and key steps, video type (How-To/Tutorial, Explainer, Case Study, Trend Analysis), duration (under 50s, 1-2 min, 3-4 min), aspect ratio (16:9, 9:16, 1:1), visual style, language, avatar position, notification email.
2. Ask at most 3 short questions for anything missing; apply the defaults above for style, language and avatar position.
3. Read the details back in a short table and confirm.
4. Start the video with Clone-Automated-Video.
5. Tell the user that rendering takes time and the video will arrive by email.
6. On request, make a thumbnail with Image_Operator and draft a title, description and tags.
7. Optional weekly task: pick the next Ready topic, make the video, mark the row Used.

## Output format
- Confirmation: details used and the email address
- Reminder: wait for the email; review before publishing
- Production checklist: script accuracy, no unreleased features, brand terms, captions
- Publishing checklist: download, title, description, tags, thumbnail, playlist, manual upload
~~~~

## 8. Test plan

Use a made-up topic and a short duration.

| Check | Done |
|---|---|
| Clone started the request with Clone-Automated-Video | ☐ |
| Duration and notification email were included | ☐ |
| Finished video arrived by email | ☐ |
| Aspect ratio, style and avatar position are correct | ☐ |
| Script matches the steps given | ☐ |
| (Optional) Thumbnail made with Image_Operator | ☐ |
| (Optional) Weekly task picked a Ready row and marked it Used | ☐ |

## 9. Final status checklist

**✅ Done by me:** *(Clone-Automated-Video confirmed, skill saved if chosen, first request sent, weekly task created if chosen)*

**⏳ Waiting on you:** wait for the email, review the video, publish it yourself (YouTube or help center)

**💡 Optional next steps:** weekly topic picker from Google Sheets or Excel; thumbnails with Image_Operator; vertical and widescreen versions; other languages