---
name: guided-explainer-video
description: End-to-end guided workflow for creating an explainer or walkthrough video. Extracts brand identity from the repo, generates a measured soundtrack, and produces a narrative-driven motion.dev composition rendered via Helios CLI. Use when making how-it-works, feature walkthrough, or educational videos.
---

You may be operating inside the brand's repository, or working from an external context.

Do not guess brand identity. Either analyze the codebase or research the provided URL.

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EXECUTION PIPELINE
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STEP 1 — Gather Context

⛔ STOP. Ask the user these two questions:

1. "Are we inside your brand's repository, or would you like to provide a URL (e.g. your marketing site) so I can research your brand online?"

2. "Would you like generated background music? If yes, you'll need an ELEVEN_LABS_API_KEY in your environment. You can get one at https://elevenlabs.io → Profile → API Keys."

Wait for the user to respond to both questions.

Do not attempt to read .env files or verify keys yourself.
Trust the user's responses.

If the user provides a URL, use it for brand research in STEP 3 instead of analyzing the codebase.
If the user declines music, skip STEP 4 and STEP 5.


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STEP 2 — Ensure Helios Runtime Dependencies

Install required packages:

npm install @helios-project/core @helios-project/renderer @helios-project/cli

You will render using DOM mode.

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STEP 3 — Extract Brand Intelligence From Repo

If the user provided a URL instead of a repo, fetch that URL and extract
the same brand signals from the live site. Skip codebase-specific items
(Tailwind config, design tokens, etc.) and focus on visible brand elements.

Analyze:

• Tailwind config or CSS variables
• Global stylesheets
• Design tokens
• Logo assets
• Favicon
• Documentation structure
• Feature descriptions
• Onboarding flows
• Help text and microcopy
• Information architecture
• UI components
• Existing motion usage

Construct internal brand profile:

• Core value proposition
• Target audience
• Tone of voice (instructional, supportive, authoritative)
• Visual density
• Primary palette
• Accent palette
• Typography character
• Information hierarchy patterns
• Explanation style (visual-first vs text-heavy)

All creative decisions must align with this.

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STEP 4 — Generate Original Music (Skip if no music)

Use ElevenLabs with existing ELEVEN_LABS_API_KEY.

Generate instrumental track matching:

• Calm, supportive tone
• Steady progression without dramatic peaks
• Subtle background presence (must not compete with narration)
• Target runtime

Save audio locally.

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STEP 5 — Analyze Audio With ffmpeg (Skip if no music)

Extract:

• BPM
• Beat timestamps
• Downbeats
• Energy peaks

Create beat timing map.

Section transitions should align to downbeats.
On-screen text reveals should align to beats.

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STEP 6 — Read Motion Design Rules

Before producing the creative specification, read and internalize:

skills/guided/motion-design-rules

Every rule in that skill is mandatory for this composition.

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STEP 7 — Produce Creative Specification

You are a senior creative director and instructional design architect designing for Helios using motion.dev.

Input example:
explain how our checkout flow works in 60 seconds

Output:

• One structured creative specification
• Wrapped in a single code block
• No explanation outside it

The specification must include:

• Duration
• Aspect ratio (16:9)
• Brand summary
• Narrative arc (Introduction → Problem → Solution → How It Works → CTA)
• Motion language (measured, deliberate, progressive)
• Beat synchronized section breakdown
• Exact timestamps per section
• Voiceover script (conversational, clear)
• On screen text (section headers, feature labels, step numbers)
• Visual composition (clean layouts, generous whitespace)
• Explicit motion.dev animation behavior
• Transition logic (smooth crossfades between sections, slide-ins for content)
• Layering order
• Audio direction
• Asset requirements
• Step indicators or progress markers

Use motion.dev compatible terminology only.

Narrative structure requirements:

• Opening hook (first 5 seconds)
• Problem identification
• Solution introduction
• Step-by-step walkthrough
• Summary and CTA

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STEP 8 — Implement DOM Based Helios Composition

Using the creative specification:

Create a composition.html file that:

• Uses HTML + CSS + motion.dev
• Implements animations using WAAPI / CSS / motion.dev
• Aligns section transitions to downbeats
• Uses clear section headers with step numbering
• Includes generated audio file
• Has exact duration
• Prioritizes readability and visual clarity

Expose Helios runtime:

```js
import { helios } from "@helios-project/core";

window.helios = helios;

helios.bindToDocumentTimeline({
  autoSyncAnimations: true
});
```

Requirements:

• window.helios must be defined
• helios.bindToDocumentTimeline() must be called
• autoSyncAnimations: true must be enabled
• All CSS and WAAPI animations must sync correctly
• No randomness
• Deterministic timing
• Text must remain on screen long enough to read (minimum 3 seconds per key message)

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STEP 9 — Render Using Official Helios CLI (DOM Mode)

Render with:

npx @helios-project/cli render ./composition.html -o output.mp4

Requirements:

• 16:9 aspect ratio
• Correct duration
• Audio attached
• CSS and WAAPI fully synchronized
• High quality MP4 output

Output file must be:

output.mp4

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RUNTIME RULES
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If duration ≤ 30 seconds
Compress to: Hook → Core Concept → CTA.

If no duration specified
Default to 60 seconds.

Maximum 5 sections for any duration.
Each section must have a clear on-screen header.
Pacing must allow comprehension — never rush information.

Never restate the original prompt.
Never explain reasoning.
Creative specification must be output inside a single code block only.