Malik-rgb43/editing-workflow

multi-video-variants

Turns ONE approved master into N outputs without losing control of which file came from which source state. It owns the variant matrix, the master freeze, the re-layout copies, the shared mix, the naming, the one-render-at-a-time queue, the agent supervision rules and the manifest gate. It does not design the master (the type skill does) and does not replace per-file QA (render-qa-deliver).

Rules that outrank the rest of this file

1. Master first, then frozen. Derivatives are made only from a master that passed its own full QA and is recorded with manifest_check.py freeze. A fix needed later is made in the MASTER, logged with change, carried to every copy in the same round, and every derivative is re-rendered and re-recorded. Fixing only a copy is forbidden.
2. Re-layout, never crop. Each aspect is a copy of the master source (hf_9x16/, hf_1x1/ ...) with its own canvas, safe zones, type scale, caption rail, camera keys and face centring. An FFmpeg crop or scale of a rendered master is not a variant.
3. One mix. Re-layouts and hook variants use the same cues.js and the same assets/mix.wav bytes and are muxed from that one file; audio is not rebuilt per variant. A variant that really needs its own mix (no-music, own voice-over, re-cut length) declares it in the manifest with a reason.
4. One heavy job at a time on the whole machine (render, check, matte, ASR, Blender) under render_lock. Parallel work is limited to non-heavy tasks (layout, spec, QA reading). At most 4 agents in parallel, each with at most 2 sub-agents.
5. "Ready" is computed, not asserted. The word is allowed only when manifest_check.py check exits 0. A timeout, empty folder, missing hash, qa: not_run or missing evidence is blocked / INSUFFICIENT_EVIDENCE, never pass.
6. No paid action without paid-generation-gate; never message another Claude session; user and project restrictions override this procedure. Safe zones, -14 LUFS and canvases are house preset v1 (decision default Q5), not platform law.

Inputs -> outputs

In: approved master (hf/, PROMPT.md, DESIGN.md, cues.js, assets/mix.wav) and the variant matrix from intake. Out: final/<name>_<platform>_<hook>_<aspect>.mp4 x N, final/manifest.json (finals + manifest only), per-file QA reports under _work/qa/<aspect>/<round>/, _work/agents/<agent>.progress.md, _work/STATE.md (queue). Naming: <name>_<platform>_<hook>_<aspect>.mp4, <name> a lowercase ASCII slug (underscores allowed), <platform> = meta|tiktok|yt|ig|linkedin|x|all, <hook> = master | hookA | hookA-nomusic | hookA-nocaps, <aspect> = 9x16|4x5|1x1|16x9. Also accepted: the short per-ratio form <name>_<aspect>.mp4 (platform all, hook master, as in the delivery playbook). A name the user asked for in the ledger overrides the convention and is recorded with its ledger id (record --name-ledger-id).

Procedure

#	Stage	Do	Artifact
0	Matrix at intake	one ledger row per file: aspect, platform, route (organic / ad / spark), hook, version (full, no-music, no-captions, length), master aspect. Late "maybe" ratios: write layout notes now so a late request is one agent, not a rebuild (references/variant-matrix-and-layout.md)	matrix in PROMPT.md <inputs>; matrix list in the manifest
1	Master gate	master approved, render-qa-deliver all-frame QA passed, manifest_check.py freeze <project> --hf hf --matrix ...	frozen src_hash + mix_sha256
2	Re-layout copies	one agent per aspect on a COPY; same cues and mix; fill the layout table (what changed per element, references/variant-matrix-and-layout.md); preflight 0 errors; snapshot overlay at hook, offer, end card (--describe false, at most 5 timestamps per call)	hf_<aspect>/, _work/qa/<aspect>/layout.md
3	Hook / version variants	hook = sub-composition bound to variables in the aspect's copy, one row per variant; test ONE variation first (batch variables are untested in a project); mux the shared mix; no-music / no-captions = declared mix or layer variants	rows.json, variant files
4	Queue	write the render order in _work/STATE.md (master, then each aspect, then variants); manifest_check.py stamp BEFORE each render; renders through hf_deliver / render_lock run one at a time; a render owner never starts a second heavy job	lock log, stamps
5	Record	after each render: record (hashes, applied master fixes, mix variant, QA state, loudness measured on the FINAL file)	manifest.json
6	Per-output QA	frame_qa, caption_qa --band <top>:1450 (9:16), motion_qa if layout changed motion, face_center audit for speaker footage, qa delivery; visual review axes 1 (composition/crop) and 4 (readability) only; axes 2-3 inherited unless motion changed	reports + evidence paths
7	Ready gate	manifest_check.py check <project> --json exits 0; show the user the file list with source hash, QA state, LUFS/TP; list gaps honestly	READY report
8	Learn	timing ledger lines per file, lessons for the Inbox	_work/timing_ledger.jsonl

Gates

States are pass | fail | blocked | n/a with a reason. A timeout, empty sample or missing input is blocked, never pass. A successful tool call is execution evidence; a viewed render is appearance evidence.

Gate	Predicate	Evidence	If false	Owner	Recheck when
G1 matrix	every output has a ledger row (aspect, platform, route, hook, version) before any build	matrix in PROMPT.md and manifest	ask the missing axis now; do not build first	this skill + video-intake	any new ratio/variant request
G2 master frozen	master passed full QA; freeze recorded; no derivative started earlier	manifest master.src_hash, frozen_utc older than every stamp	stop derivatives; freeze	this skill	any master source change
G3 re-layout	each derivative has its own root canvas, per-element layout row, safe zones of its aspect; no cropped master render	layout.md rows + overlay snapshots + preflight 0 E	re-lay out the failing element; do not scale the whole frame	the aspect's agent	master layout change, new copy
G4 shared assets	cues.* and assets/mix.wav identical to the master in every re-layout/hook copy; hook variants mux, not re-mix	manifest_check.py check: no M035/M041	copy the master cues/mix back; re-render	this skill	master cue or mix change
G5 per-output QA	each file qa: pass with an evidence file and LUFS -14 +/- 0.5, TP <= -1 on the final file (house gate)	qa_evidence path, lufs, tp numbers in the manifest	fix and re-render ONLY that file	render-qa-deliver	any re-render
G6 heavy-job discipline	exactly one heavy job at a time; <= 4 agents, each <= 2 sub-agents, each with file list, output file, deadline, progress file	render_lock log; _work/agents/*.progress.md mtimes	queue, stop the extra job (own process tree only)	this skill	each agent launch
G7 manifest ready	stale / orphan / missing / changed-after-render all absent	manifest_check.py check exit 0	list the failing files to the user; re-render the stale ones	manifest_check.py	before saying "ready", after any change

Numbers (house preset v1, dated 2026-10-02, details in references/house-presets.md)

• Canvases: 9:16 1080x1920, 4:5 1080x1350, 1:1 1080x1080, 16:9 1920x1080; H.264 SDR yuv420p, AAC 48 kHz, 30 fps default.
• Safe zones, key text/CTA/logo/price: 9:16 top 300 / bottom 672 (y <= 1248) / left 140 / right 192, caption rail bottom <= y 1450; 16:9 x <= 1824, top 54, bottom 162; 4:5 and 1:1 54 px each side. Unverified on devices: run the overlay exercise.
• Loudness: -14 LUFS integrated +/- 0.5, true peak <= -1 dBTP, measured on the final file; mix intermediate TP <= -1.5.
• Supervision: heartbeat check about every 15 min; silent or past its deadline for 20 min = check, replace or stop; status line to the user about every 10 min of silence; render timeout 3 x the measured ETA. (src: distilled 02 workflow §13.6, 2026-10-01)

Decision rules

If	Then
a master fix is needed after derivatives exist	fix the MASTER, change, carry the patch to every copy, re-render and re-record all of them
a copy needs different timing or cues	that is a master change; or a new edit (recut) with its own ledger lines, never a silent fork
a hook needs a different spoken line	declare own-vo with a reason; every other variant stays on the shared mix
a ratio is requested late	write the layout table, spawn ONE agent on a copy of the frozen master; do not touch the master
two renders are requested at once	queue them; the lock decides; write the order in STATE.md
an agent is silent past its deadline	check its progress file, then replace or stop it (own process tree only), then render_lock status
the finals folder holds an old render	move it to _work/delivered/v<N>/; "ready" is blocked until the folder matches the manifest
the user names the files	their name wins; record it with --name-ledger-id and keep platform/hook/aspect fields explicit

Blocked states (report them, do not work around them)

manifest_check.py BLOCKED or INSUFFICIENT_EVIDENCE; a derivative with a stale from_master or a missing master fix; a changed-after-render source; shared cues or mix drift; qa not pass; a promised variant missing; an unplanned file present. Say which file, which code, and the fix.

Pitfalls that each cost real time

Late 16:9 request at delivery (a full re-layout, dropped); a master fix of 3.7 s not carried to the 1:1; an old render left beside the new ones and nobody flagged it; a derivative agent that found a master bug and fixed only its copy; three agents rendering at once (a parallel Blender job doubled a render, 11.5 to 21.5 min, owner's laptop); naming collisions between Meta and TikTok cuts; one hook variant silently carrying a different mix. A viewed contact sheet of each aspect is still needed: hashes cannot see a caption on a face.

References (load when)

• references/variant-matrix-and-layout.md - writing the matrix, re-laying out an aspect, hook/no-music/no-captions/length variants.
• references/manifest-schema.md - recording files, reading manifest_check.py findings, the stale-derivative lifecycle.
• references/parallel-and-agents.md - launching agents, queue, lock, heartbeats, stopping, token budget.
• references/house-presets.md - before quoting any canvas, safe-zone, loudness or platform number (dated module).
• agent-content/references/platform-specs.md (canonical platform facts, owned elsewhere) and agent-content/playbooks/wf-08-deliver.md (delivery playbook: naming, manifest rules) - export presets and the playbook; if a number differs, the canonical file wins and references/house-presets.md is updated.
• Other skills: render-qa-deliver (per-file QA), hebrew-captions-asr (caption rail), edit-ad-promo (hook ranking), revision-round (notes across aspects), paid-generation-gate.
• Scripts: scripts/manifest_check.py (--self-check 29 cases, exit 0 READY / 1 BLOCKED / 2 INSUFFICIENT_EVIDENCE) and scripts/test_manifest_check.py (unittest).