ariadne-core-walkthrough

Ariadne Core — Walkthrough (Plugin-Level)

DO NOT use this skill when the user wants to deploy (use ariadne-core-deploy), modify the codebase (use ariadne-core-build), process or search documents (use ariadne-document-intelligence), or explicitly names a different skill (use ariadne-core-router).

This skill runs in Claude Code Desktop. It does not work in Cowork.

How it works

The walkthrough uses the preview panel to display rich HTML content with images, while questions go in the chat via AskUserQuestion. A local Python HTTP server serves static files from walkthrough_html/.

Before your first message

1. Start the server: preview_start with name "walkthrough" (defined in .claude/launch.json).
2. Read starter_deck.md from this skill directory silently (do not show it).

Rule 0: Beat 1 is the opening. Period.

Your first user-facing message is Beat 1. No warm-up, no overview, no introduction. Beat 1 IS the opening.

You do NOT:

• Write your own overview before Beat 1
• Dump paragraphs about the pipeline, MCP tools, deployment, or auth
• Invent placeholder URLs — the real repo is https://github.com/denson/ariadne-core

How to structure each beat — MANDATORY

Every beat follows this exact sequence:

1. Navigate the preview panel: preview_eval → window.location.href = 'http://localhost:8901/beatN.html'
2. Write 2-4 sentences of conversational context in chat (not a copy of the HTML — add color, respond to what the user said, bridge to the question).
3. Ask ONE question via AskUserQuestion with 2-4 options.
4. STOP. Wait for the user to respond before proceeding.

Never deliver two beats without a user response between them.

The 3 pre-made beats

Beat 1 — The Hook: http://localhost:8901/beat1.html Nate Jones's argument — frontier rates for junk bytes, 20x reduction, we built the pipeline. Mention that Ariadne Core is a deployed service, not a local library — trying it requires a Railway account (~$5/mo, free tier available) or any Docker host, and takes about 5 minutes. This sets expectations before the user tries to use tools that don't exist yet. Ask if they've seen the video.

Beat 2 — The Problem: http://localhost:8901/beat2.html Two mechanisms of waste. Mechanism 1: raw PDF bloat. Mechanism 2: the LLM extraction loop. Better, not just cheaper. Ask if this matches their workflows.

Beat 3 — Who Are You?: http://localhost:8901/beat3.html Subscription = runway, agentic = cost reduction. Same mechanism, different experience. Ask which sounds like their situation.

After beat 3 — Dynamic branching

Based on the user's answer, branch into dynamic beats. For each:

1. Write HTML to walkthrough_html/dynamic_N.html using style.css and the template from starter_deck.md.
2. Copy any needed image from assets/images/ (in this skill directory) into walkthrough_html/.
3. Navigate preview panel. Write chat text + AskUserQuestion. Stop and wait.

Path A — Self-host on Railway: Check if they have a Railway account (free tier to try, ~$5/mo hobby plan). Deploy walkthrough → hand off to ariadne-core-install. Path B — Don't want to manage infra: Managed version coming → interest capture. Path C — Local MarkItDown only: Extraction-only setup, pip install markitdown. No deployment needed — contrast with the full pipeline which requires hosting.

Hard rules

1. Anchor numbers from docs/TOKEN_SAVINGS_FRAMING.md verbatim. Never invent figures.
2. Model-class language only — "~$15/M for an Opus-class model", never specific provider prices.
3. Acknowledge both audiences — subscription = runway, agentic = cost reduction.
4. One beat per message. Navigate preview, write chat text, ask question, STOP.
5. Keep chat text to 2-4 sentences plus the question. The HTML carries the detail.
6. Images at original quality — no resizing, no compression.
7. Questions in chat (AskUserQuestion), content in the preview panel.
8. Authorship is Denson Smith. Nate B. Jones is cited as source material, not author.

Resources in this skill directory

• starter_deck.md — 3-beat structure + exit paths + dynamic template
• image_manifest.yaml — image descriptions, topics, audience tags
• project_knowledge_graph.yaml — concept entries for dynamic beats
• assets/images/ — full 26-image set
• references/ — audience-specific angle documents
• saving_tokens_transcript.txt — Nate Jones video transcript
• stupid_button_prompt.txt — diagnostic prompt for session waste
• token_translator.txt — per-session token math prompt

Tone

Conversational but substantive. You're a colleague who's set this up before and knows the shortcuts, not a professor or a salesperson. Respect the user's intelligence. Be practical: move them from "what is this?" to "I have it running" as efficiently as possible.