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>

SKILL.md

@@ -198,22 +198,36 @@ CITATION RULE: Cite sources sparingly to prove research is real.
 - Do NOT include engagement metrics in citations (likes, upvotes) - save those for stats box
 - Do NOT chain multiple citations: "per @x, @y, @z" is too much. Pick the strongest one.
 
-**BAD:** "His album is set for March 20 (per @cocoabutterbf; Rolling Stone; HotNewHipHop; Complex)."
+CITATION PRIORITY (most to least preferred):
-**GOOD:** "His album BULLY is set for March 20 via Gamma, per Rolling Stone."
+1. @handles from X — "per @handle" (these prove the tool's unique value)
+2. r/subreddits from Reddit — "per r/subreddit"
+3. Web sources — ONLY when Reddit/X don't cover that specific fact
+
+The tool's value is surfacing what PEOPLE are saying, not what journalists wrote.
+When both a web article and an X post cover the same fact, cite the X post.
+
+**BAD:** "His album is set for March 20 (per Rolling Stone; Billboard; Complex)."
+**GOOD:** "His album BULLY drops March 20 — fans on X are split on the tracklist, per @honest30bgfan_"
+**GOOD:** "Ye's apology got massive traction on r/hiphopheads"
+**OK** (web, only when Reddit/X don't have it): "The Hellwatt Festival runs July 4-18 at RCF Arena, per Billboard"
+
+**Lead with people, not publications.** Start each topic with what Reddit/X
+users are saying/feeling, then add web context only if needed. The user came
+here for the conversation, not the press release.
 
 ```
 What I learned:
 
-**{Topic 1}** — [1-2 sentences about this storyline, per source]
+**{Topic 1}** — [1-2 sentences about what people are saying, per @handle or r/sub]
 
-**{Topic 2}** — [1-2 sentences, per source]
+**{Topic 2}** — [1-2 sentences, per @handle or r/sub]
 
-**{Topic 3}** — [1-2 sentences, per source]
+**{Topic 3}** — [1-2 sentences, per @handle or r/sub]
 
 KEY PATTERNS from the research:
 1. [Pattern] — per @handle
 2. [Pattern] — per r/sub
-3. [Pattern] — per source
+3. [Pattern] — per @handle
 ```
 
 **THEN - Stats (right before invitation):**
@@ -230,7 +244,7 @@ KEY PATTERNS from the research:
 ✅ All agents reported back!
 ├─ 🟠 Reddit: {N} threads │ {N} upvotes │ {N} comments
 ├─ 🔵 X: {N} posts │ {N} likes │ {N} reposts (via Bird/xAI)
-├─ 🌐 Web: {N} pages │ {domain1}, {domain2}, {domain3}
+├─ 🌐 Web: {N} pages (supplementary)
 └─ 🗣️ Top voices: @{handle1} ({N} likes), @{handle2} │ r/{sub1}, r/{sub2}
 ---
 ```

docs/plans/2026-02-07-fix-citation-source-priority-plan.md

@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+---
+title: "fix: Citation source priority — elevate Reddit/X, tone down web credit"
+type: fix
+date: 2026-02-07
+---
+
+# fix: Citation source priority — elevate Reddit/X, tone down web credit
+
+## Problem
+
+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."
+
+**Root causes in SKILL.md:**
+
+1. The GOOD citation example is `"per Rolling Stone"` — a web source! This models the wrong behavior.
+2. No explicit "prefer @handles and r/subreddits" citation priority rule
+3. The stats box shows `🌐 Web: 30+ pages` which visually dominates
+4. The "What I learned" section has no instruction to lead with Reddit/X voices
+
+## Proposed Solution — 4 SKILL.md changes
+
+### Change 1: Add explicit citation priority rule
+
+In the CITATION RULE section (~line 195), add a priority order:
+
+```
+CITATION PRIORITY (most to least preferred):
+1. @handles from X — "per @handle" (these prove the tool's unique value)
+2. r/subreddits from Reddit — "per r/subreddit"
+3. Web sources — ONLY when Reddit/X don't cover that specific fact
+
+The tool's value is surfacing what PEOPLE are saying, not what journalists wrote.
+When both a web article and an X post cover the same fact, cite the X post.
+```
+
+### Change 2: Fix the GOOD/BAD citation examples
+
+Current GOOD example teaches web citation:
+```
+GOOD: "His album BULLY is set for March 20 via Gamma, per Rolling Stone."
+```
+
+Replace with Reddit/X-first examples:
+```
+BAD: "His album is set for March 20 (per Rolling Stone; Billboard; Complex)."
+GOOD: "His album BULLY drops March 20 — fans on X are split on the tracklist, per @honest30bgfan_"
+GOOD: "Ye's apology got massive traction on r/hiphopheads with 2K+ upvotes"
+OK (web only when needed): "The Hellwatt Festival runs July 4-18 at RCF Arena, per Billboard"
+```
+
+### Change 3: Reframe stats box — downplay web prominence
+
+Current template gives web equal billing:
+```
+├─ 🌐 Web: {N} pages │ {domain1}, {domain2}, {domain3}
+```
+
+Change to something that positions web as supplementary:
+```
+├─ 🌐 Web: {N} pages (supplementary)
+```
+
+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.
+
+### Change 4: Add "lead with voices" instruction in synthesis
+
+In the "What I learned" template section, add:
+
+```
+**Lead with people, not publications.** Start each topic with what Reddit/X
+users are saying/feeling, then add web context if needed. The user came here
+for the conversation, not the press release.
+```
+
+## Files to Change
+
+- `SKILL.md` — 4 edits (citation priority, examples, stats template, synthesis instruction)
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+
+- [x] Citation examples model @handle and r/subreddit format, not web domains
+- [x] Explicit priority rule: X > Reddit > Web for citations
+- [x] Stats box positions web as "supplementary"
+- [x] Synthesis instructions say to lead with people/voices
+- [x] No changes to the Python script or actual research quality
+- [x] Synced to `~/.claude/skills/last30days/SKILL.md`
+
+## What This Does NOT Change
+
+- The actual research still runs Reddit + X + WebSearch in parallel
+- WebSearch results still inform the synthesis (they're great for facts)
+- The quality of the output stays the same — this is purely about attribution framing
+- The Judge Agent still weights Reddit/X higher internally
+
+## Why This Works
+
+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."