Kai gate

Kai root note: knowledge/, harness/, and scripts/ paths in this skill live in the Kai install, not the user's project. Resolve them against the first ancestor directory of this SKILL.md that contains a knowledge/ folder (the Kai plugin root, ~/.claude/kai, or the kai-cmo-harness repo). MARKETING.md, memory/, and any output files live in the current project. If a referenced scripts/ command is not available in this install, say so, skip it, and continue with the file-based guidance — never fabricate its output.

Run the Kai CMO Harness quality gate pipeline on a piece of content.

Gate Pipeline

Run all three checks in order:

1. Four U's Score

Score each dimension 1-4:

U	Question	Score
Unique	Can only WE write this? Original data, perspective, or experience?	1-4
Useful	Can the reader take action immediately?	1-4
Ultra-specific	Numbers, named tools, concrete examples?	1-4
Urgent	Is there a reason to engage today?	1-4

Thresholds: 12/16 for blog/SEO/articles. 10/16 for email/ads.

2. Banned Word Check

Instant reject (Tier 1): leverage, utilize, synergy, innovative, deep dive, circle back, touch base, moving forward, at the end of the day

AI slop (also reject): "In conclusion", "It's important to note", "In today's rapidly evolving", "This comprehensive guide", "Without further ado", "It's worth noting that"

Flag exact locations of violations.

3. Voice Pattern Check (programmatic — DO NOT skip)

Binary clichés ("X-not-Y" / "It's not X, it's Y" / "isn't X — it's Y") read as LinkedIn slop and slip past subjective scoring. Run these regexes against the file with the Grep tool. Any match = FAIL.

Pattern	Catches
, not [a-z]	"X, not Y"
— not [a-z]	"X — not Y"
\bisn'?t [a-z][^.\n]+ — it'?s\b	"isn't X — it's Y"
\baren'?t [a-z][^.\n]+ — they'?re\b	"aren't X — they're Y"
\bIt'?s (a|the|an) [^.\n]+, not (a|the|an)\b	"It's a/the X, not a/the Y"
\bThat'?s (a|the|an) [^.\n]+, not (a|the|an)\b	"That's a/the X, not a/the Y"
\bIf you [a-z][^,.]+, [a-z]	"If you X, Y" rhetorical
\bHere'?s the thing\b	LinkedIn slop
\bI'?ll be honest\b	LinkedIn slop
\bLet that sink in\b	LinkedIn slop
\bHot take\b	LinkedIn slop

Skip matches inside HTML comments (<!-- ... -->) and code fences (```) — those are scorecard / metadata blocks.

Replacements that work:

• Collapse to a single load-bearing claim.
• Use parallel-positive contrast where both halves are positive: "Description is passive. State is something the agent can act on."
• Use a metaphor: "expensive webhook" not symmetrical reversal.

Project hook integration: if the project has .claude/hooks/voice-gate.py, that hook fires PostToolUse on Edit/Write and catches these patterns at draft time. The gate step still runs the regexes — belt and suspenders.

4. SEO Lint (search content only)

Apply only if the content targets search engines. Check against Algorithmic Authorship rules:

• Conditions after main clause
• Instructions start with verbs
• Sentences under 20 words
• Bold the answer, not query terms
• No links in first sentence of paragraphs

For full rule set, read knowledge/frameworks/content-copywriting/algorithmic-authorship.md.

5. Optional Panel Scoring (advisory)

Use panel scoring only when the user asks for a second opinion or the artifact is high-stakes. It does not replace Kai gates and cannot override a hard fail from banned words, source gaps, policy risk, or missing approval.

Recommended panel roles:

• Audience reviewer: checks persona fit and plain-language clarity
• Channel reviewer: checks platform fit, format, and norms
• Proof reviewer: checks source locations, attribution, and unsupported claims
• Conversion reviewer: checks CTA clarity and objection handling

Output panel scores as advisory notes:

Reviewer	Score	Concern	Suggested fix
Audience	1-5	...	...

Governance rules:

• Label panel output as simulated review, never expert validation.
• Do not create fake credentials, endorsements, or named reviewers.
• Treat missing source locations as a gate issue, not a panel preference.
• Run panel scoring on drafts first; publishing still requires approval.

Output Format

## Quality Gate Results

**Four U's:** [X]/16 [PASS/FAIL]
- Unique: [X]/4 — [reason]
- Useful: [X]/4 — [reason]
- Ultra-specific: [X]/4 — [reason]
- Urgent: [X]/4 — [reason]

**Banned Words:** [PASS/FAIL]
- [list violations with line numbers, or "None found"]

**AI Slop:** [PASS/FAIL]
- [list violations with line numbers, or "None found"]

**Voice Patterns:** [PASS/FAIL]
- [list X-not-Y / LinkedIn-slop violations with line numbers, or "None found"]

**SEO Lint:** [PASS/FAIL/SKIPPED]
- [list violations, or "All rules pass"]

**Overall:** [PASS/FAIL]

If FAIL: list specific fixes needed. Offer to auto-fix and re-score.

Learning hook

Gate script runs log to data/learning/gate_runs.jsonl automatically. If the same diagnosis fails twice on one piece, append a lesson to memory/lessons.md before escalating (write trigger #3 in memory/MEMORY.md). Recurring failures across pieces get mined by /kai-retro and promoted into new gate checks with golden corpus cases.