Elevate Reddit/X citations over web sources in output
- Add citation priority rule: @handles > r/subreddits > web sources - Fix examples: "per @honest30bgfan_" instead of "per Rolling Stone" - Add "lead with people, not publications" instruction - Stats box: web now shows "(supplementary)" instead of domain list - No changes to actual research — same quality, better attribution framing Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Matt Van Horn
@@ -198,22 +198,36 @@ CITATION RULE: Cite sources sparingly to prove research is real.
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- Do NOT include engagement metrics in citations (likes, upvotes) - save those for stats box
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- Do NOT chain multiple citations: "per @x, @y, @z" is too much. Pick the strongest one.
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**BAD:** "His album is set for March 20 (per @cocoabutterbf; Rolling Stone; HotNewHipHop; Complex)."
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**GOOD:** "His album BULLY is set for March 20 via Gamma, per Rolling Stone."
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CITATION PRIORITY (most to least preferred):
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1. @handles from X — "per @handle" (these prove the tool's unique value)
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2. r/subreddits from Reddit — "per r/subreddit"
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3. Web sources — ONLY when Reddit/X don't cover that specific fact
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The tool's value is surfacing what PEOPLE are saying, not what journalists wrote.
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When both a web article and an X post cover the same fact, cite the X post.
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**BAD:** "His album is set for March 20 (per Rolling Stone; Billboard; Complex)."
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**GOOD:** "His album BULLY drops March 20 — fans on X are split on the tracklist, per @honest30bgfan_"
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**GOOD:** "Ye's apology got massive traction on r/hiphopheads"
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**OK** (web, only when Reddit/X don't have it): "The Hellwatt Festival runs July 4-18 at RCF Arena, per Billboard"
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**Lead with people, not publications.** Start each topic with what Reddit/X
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users are saying/feeling, then add web context only if needed. The user came
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here for the conversation, not the press release.
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```
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What I learned:
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**{Topic 1}** — [1-2 sentences about this storyline, per source]
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**{Topic 1}** — [1-2 sentences about what people are saying, per @handle or r/sub]
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**{Topic 2}** — [1-2 sentences, per source]
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**{Topic 2}** — [1-2 sentences, per @handle or r/sub]
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**{Topic 3}** — [1-2 sentences, per source]
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**{Topic 3}** — [1-2 sentences, per @handle or r/sub]
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KEY PATTERNS from the research:
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1. [Pattern] — per @handle
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2. [Pattern] — per r/sub
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3. [Pattern] — per source
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3. [Pattern] — per @handle
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```
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**THEN - Stats (right before invitation):**
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@@ -230,7 +244,7 @@ KEY PATTERNS from the research:
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✅ All agents reported back!
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├─ 🟠 Reddit: {N} threads │ {N} upvotes │ {N} comments
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├─ 🔵 X: {N} posts │ {N} likes │ {N} reposts (via Bird/xAI)
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├─ 🌐 Web: {N} pages │ {domain1}, {domain2}, {domain3}
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├─ 🌐 Web: {N} pages (supplementary)
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└─ 🗣️ Top voices: @{handle1} ({N} likes), @{handle2} │ r/{sub1}, r/{sub2}
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---
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```
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@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
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---
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title: "fix: Citation source priority — elevate Reddit/X, tone down web credit"
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type: fix
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date: 2026-02-07
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---
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# fix: Citation source priority — elevate Reddit/X, tone down web credit
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## Problem
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The tool's magic is Reddit + X research with real engagement data, but the output makes it look like a web search wrapper. In the Kanye West test, 5/5 inline citations credited web sources (Rolling Stone, Billboard, etc.) while X's 29 posts got one vague mention. Users see a wall of "per Rolling Stone" and think "I could have Googled this."
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**Root causes in SKILL.md:**
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1. The GOOD citation example is `"per Rolling Stone"` — a web source! This models the wrong behavior.
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2. No explicit "prefer @handles and r/subreddits" citation priority rule
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3. The stats box shows `🌐 Web: 30+ pages` which visually dominates
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4. The "What I learned" section has no instruction to lead with Reddit/X voices
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## Proposed Solution — 4 SKILL.md changes
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### Change 1: Add explicit citation priority rule
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In the CITATION RULE section (~line 195), add a priority order:
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```
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CITATION PRIORITY (most to least preferred):
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1. @handles from X — "per @handle" (these prove the tool's unique value)
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2. r/subreddits from Reddit — "per r/subreddit"
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3. Web sources — ONLY when Reddit/X don't cover that specific fact
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The tool's value is surfacing what PEOPLE are saying, not what journalists wrote.
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When both a web article and an X post cover the same fact, cite the X post.
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```
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### Change 2: Fix the GOOD/BAD citation examples
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Current GOOD example teaches web citation:
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```
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GOOD: "His album BULLY is set for March 20 via Gamma, per Rolling Stone."
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```
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Replace with Reddit/X-first examples:
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```
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BAD: "His album is set for March 20 (per Rolling Stone; Billboard; Complex)."
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GOOD: "His album BULLY drops March 20 — fans on X are split on the tracklist, per @honest30bgfan_"
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GOOD: "Ye's apology got massive traction on r/hiphopheads with 2K+ upvotes"
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OK (web only when needed): "The Hellwatt Festival runs July 4-18 at RCF Arena, per Billboard"
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```
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### Change 3: Reframe stats box — downplay web prominence
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Current template gives web equal billing:
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```
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├─ 🌐 Web: {N} pages │ {domain1}, {domain2}, {domain3}
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```
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Change to something that positions web as supplementary:
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```
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├─ 🌐 Web: {N} pages (supplementary)
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```
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Remove the domain list from the stats tree — it makes web look like the main source. The domains already got credit in any inline citations where they were used.
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### Change 4: Add "lead with voices" instruction in synthesis
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In the "What I learned" template section, add:
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```
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**Lead with people, not publications.** Start each topic with what Reddit/X
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users are saying/feeling, then add web context if needed. The user came here
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for the conversation, not the press release.
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```
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## Files to Change
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- `SKILL.md` — 4 edits (citation priority, examples, stats template, synthesis instruction)
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## Acceptance Criteria
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- [x] Citation examples model @handle and r/subreddit format, not web domains
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- [x] Explicit priority rule: X > Reddit > Web for citations
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- [x] Stats box positions web as "supplementary"
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- [x] Synthesis instructions say to lead with people/voices
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- [x] No changes to the Python script or actual research quality
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- [x] Synced to `~/.claude/skills/last30days/SKILL.md`
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## What This Does NOT Change
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- The actual research still runs Reddit + X + WebSearch in parallel
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- WebSearch results still inform the synthesis (they're great for facts)
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- The quality of the output stays the same — this is purely about attribution framing
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- The Judge Agent still weights Reddit/X higher internally
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## Why This Works
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It's a presentation fix, not a data fix. The research already prioritizes Reddit/X internally (Judge Agent rules). The problem is the citation instructions then undo that by modeling web citations. By flipping the citation examples and adding a priority rule, the agent will naturally attribute facts to @handles and r/subreddits first, making the output feel like "I talked to the internet for you" rather than "I Googled this for you."
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