Name: blog-agent
Rating: 76
Author: riverxdata

What I do

I help you create, manage, and optimize blog posts for the RiverXData documentation site. I can:

•Create new blog posts with proper frontmatter and structure
•Generate blog posts organized by date (YYYY-MM format)
•Ensure consistent formatting and styling across posts
•Add tags, authors, and metadata
•Include cover images following the project conventions
•Validate blog post structure and formatting
•Update and edit existing blog posts

When to use me

Use this skill when you need to:

•Create a new blog post about bioinformatics, data infrastructure, HPC, cloud, pipelines, or related topics
•Organize blog content by date and topic
•Maintain consistency across all blog posts
•Add metadata like tags, authors, and images
•Generate blog listings with proper structure
•Update existing posts while maintaining formatting standards

Blog Structure Overview

Directory Layout

code

blog/
├── 2026-01/
│   ├── 2026-01-08.md
│   ├── 2026-01-09.md
│   └── ...
├── 2026-02/
│   ├── 2026-02-01.md
│   ├── 2026-02-02.md
│   └── ...
└── imgs/
    ├── intro.png
    └── [other images]

Post Naming Convention

Blog posts follow the naming pattern: YYYY-MM-DD.md

Example: 2026-02-11.md for a post created on February 11, 2026.

Blog Post Frontmatter

Every blog post must start with YAML frontmatter:

yaml

---
slug: unique-post-slug-identifier
title: "Your Blog Post Title"
authors: [river]
tags: [tag1, tag2, tag3]
image: ./imgs/intro.png
---

Frontmatter fields:

•slug (required): Unique URL-safe identifier (lowercase, hyphens only)
•title (required): Full post title (use quotes if it contains colons or special chars)
•authors (required): Author names as array (currently using [river])
•tags (required): Array of relevant tags (e.g., [nextflow, bash, migration, testing])
•image (required): Path to cover image (typically ./imgs/intro.png)

Existing Tags in the Project

Common tags used across posts:

•Infrastructure: hpc, cloud, docker, nextflow, snakemake
•Languages: bash, python, r, groovy
•Bioinformatics: bioinformatics, genomics, variant-calling, sequence-analysis
•Topics: migration, testing, reproducibility, validation, machine-learning, classification
•Technologies: nf-test, git, ci-cd, containers, enterprise

Required Structure in Blog Posts

1. Opening Section (Engaging Introduction)

Start with a hook that explains the problem and the solution:

markdown

Your opening paragraph that explains why this matters.

<!-- truncate -->

This section contains the teaser that appears before the "read more" link.

Important: Include  to define where the blog preview ends.

2. Main Sections

•Use clear, descriptive headings (H2: ##, H3: ###)
•Break content into logical sections
•Include code examples with proper syntax highlighting
•Add tables, diagrams, or lists for complex information

3. Code Blocks

Use language-specific syntax highlighting:

python

# Python example
def example():
    return "hello"

bash

#!/bin/bash
# Bash example
echo "hello"

groovy

// Groovy example (for Nextflow)
process EXAMPLE {
    script:
    """
    echo 'hello'
    """
}

4. Images

Place images in the blog/imgs/ directory and reference them:

markdown

![Alt text for accessibility](./imgs/your-image.png)

Step-by-Step: Creating a New Blog Post

Step 1: Choose Date and Create File

•Use today's date in format YYYY-MM-DD.md
•Place in appropriate month folder: blog/YYYY-MM/YYYY-MM-DD.md
•Create the folder if it doesn't exist

Step 2: Write Frontmatter

yaml

---
slug: your-unique-slug
title: "Your Post Title Here"
authors: [river]
tags: [tag1, tag2, tag3]
image: ./imgs/intro.png
---

Step 3: Write Introduction

markdown

Start with an engaging paragraph explaining the problem or topic.

<!-- truncate -->

Add more introduction or context here.

Step 4: Add Main Content

•Use clear section headings
•Include code examples
•Add relevant references
•Keep paragraphs focused

Step 5: Add Summary or Conclusion

End with key takeaways or next steps.

Code Example Formats

Python

python

import numpy as np

# Initialize data
data = np.array([1, 2, 3])
print(data)

Bash

bash

#!/bin/bash
set -euo pipefail

# Process data
echo "Processing..."

Nextflow

groovy

process MY_PROCESS {
    input:
    val(data)
    
    output:
    path("result.txt")
    
    script:
    """
    echo "${data}" > result.txt
    """
}

R

# R example
data <- c(1, 2, 3)
mean(data)

YAML/Configuration

yaml

# Configuration example
config:
  setting1: value1
  setting2: value2

SQL

sql

SELECT * FROM table WHERE condition = true;

Markdown Tips for Posts

Tables

markdown

| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Data 1   | Data 2   | Data 3   |
| Data 4   | Data 5   | Data 6   |

Emphasis

markdown

**bold text** for important terms
*italic text* for emphasis
`code snippets` for inline code

Lists

markdown

- Item 1
- Item 2
  - Nested item
  - Another nested item
- Item 3

1. First step
2. Second step
3. Third step

Blockquotes

markdown

> This is important information
> that stands out from the main text

Links

markdown

[Link text](https://example.com)
[Internal link](/docs/path)

Project-Specific Guidelines

Topics to Cover

The RiverXData blog focuses on:

•Bioinformatics data infrastructure
•Nextflow workflow management
•Cloud and HPC solutions
•Data pipeline migration and validation
•Machine learning in bioinformatics
•Best practices for reproducibility

Audience

Posts should be accessible to:

•Bioinformaticians
•Data scientists
•System administrators
•Researchers looking to improve their pipelines

Writing Style

•Technical but accessible
•Use concrete examples
•Include code walkthroughs
•Explain the "why" not just the "how"
•Reference real-world use cases

Validation Checklist

Before finalizing a blog post, verify:

Examples from the Repository

Example 1: Technical Deep Dive

File: blog/2026-02/2026-02-01.md

•Topic: Pipeline migration from Bash to Nextflow
•Contains: Multiple code examples, validation frameworks, step-by-step guides
•Tags: [nextflow, bash, migration, testing, validation]

Example 2: Educational Series

File: blog/2026-02/2026-02-04.md

•Topic: Machine learning in bioinformatics
•Contains: Code walkthroughs, confusion matrices, evaluation metrics
•Tags: [machine-learning, bioinformatics, classification]

Both follow the same frontmatter structure and blog conventions used across the site.

Common Questions

Q: Can I use custom image paths? A: Yes, but place images in blog/imgs/ and reference relative to the post file.

Q: How many tags should I use? A: Typically 3-8 tags. Use existing tags when possible for consistency.

Q: Can I change the author? A: Yes, modify the authors array. Keep the format as a YAML list.

Q: What if I want to update a post? A: Edit the .md file directly. Keep the same filename (date) unless moving to a different date.

Q: Can I preview before publishing? A: Yes, run npm run build to generate the site locally, then npm run serve.

Quick Reference

markdown

---
slug: your-slug-here
title: "Your Title Here"
authors: [river]
tags: [tag1, tag2, tag3]
image: ./imgs/intro.png
---

Your opening hook explaining the problem.

<!-- truncate -->

## Introduction Section

More detailed introduction here.

## Main Section 1

Content with code examples.

## Main Section 2

More content...

## Summary

Key takeaways.

Need help? Ask me to:

•Create a new blog post
•Help with formatting or structure
•Add code examples
•Organize existing content
•Update post metadata