auto-duan/hydra-skill

Hydra

Use when the task involves writing, fixing, or integrating Hydra visual patches.

Trigger

• Generate a visual patch ("make noise texture", "audio reactive", "kaleidoscope")
• Debug a Hydra failure (black screen, silent audio, source not loading)
• Embed Hydra in HTML / p5 / Three.js

Execution Model

source → transform(s) → .out()

Sources: osc() noise() shape() gradient() voronoi() solid() src(buffer) Color: hue() brightness() contrast() saturate() invert() luma() Geometry: rotate() scale() scroll() kaleid() pixelate() repeat() Blend: blend() add() diff() mult() layer() mask() Modulate: modulate() modulateRotate() modulateScale() modulateHue()

Intent → Pattern

User says	Use
noise / grain / texture	noise(10, 0.1).out()
audio / mic / reactive	audio-reactive-basic
camera / webcam	camera processing chain
mirror / kaleido / symmetric	osc().kaleid(4).out()
feedback / trail / tunnel	feedback-loop pattern
glitch / broken / pixel	osc().pixelate(20,20).diff(o0).out()
embed / html / website	see references/api-reference.md embedding section

Minimal Code Skeletons

// Pure visual
osc(30, 0.1, 0).out()

// Time-animated
osc(30, 0.1, 0).rotate(() => time * 0.2).out()

// Audio-driven
a.setBins(8)
osc(30, 0, () => a.fft[0] * 4).out()

// Webcam
s0.initCam()
src(s0).kaleid(4).out()

// Feedback loop
src(o0).scale(1.01).out(o0)
render()

// Multi-buffer mix
gradient().out(o0)
osc(20).out(o1)
src(o0).blend(o1).out(o2)
render()

Dynamic Parameters

Use arrow functions for anything referencing time, mouse, or a.fft:

// Wrong:  osc().rotate(time)
// Right:  osc().rotate(() => time * 0.2)
// Wrong:  osc(30, 0, a.fft[0] * 4)
// Right:  osc(30, 0, () => a.fft[0] * 4)

Self-Check (run before outputting code)

• At least one .out() or .out(oN) present
• Multiple output buffers → render() present
• a.fft used → a.setBins() called first
• s0-s3 used → matching init*() called first
• Dynamic values (time / mouse / fft) wrapped in arrow functions
• Code is minimal for the task — no extra transforms

Debugging

Symptom → first step:

• Black screen: check for missing .out() or uninitialized source
• Silent audio: call a.setBins(8) first, check browser permission
• Source not loading: verify init*() was called, check CORS
• Visual artifacts: reduce feedback strength or remove modulate
• Performance: shorten chain, lower res via setResolution()

Recovery baseline: osc(30, 0.1, 0).out() — if this fails, the environment is broken.

References

• references/api-reference.md — full API signatures by category
• references/patterns.md — reusable patterns + agent playbooks
• references/debugging.md — symptom routing and fix templates