---
name: generate-expert-persona
description: Researches domain experts and generates standardized persona files for use with /persona
argument-hint: Domain description or specific expert name (e.g., "consultative B2B sales" or "Neil Rackham")
disable-model-invocation: true
allowed-tools: Glob, Read, Write, WebSearch, WebFetch
---

# Generate Expert Persona

Research domain experts and generate standardized persona files for use with `/persona`.

## Input

`$ARGUMENTS` — either a **domain description** (triggers Phase 1 research) or a **specific expert name** (skips to Phase 2 generation).

Determine which phase to start with:
- If the argument names a specific person (e.g., "Neil Rackham", "Simon Sinek"), go directly to **Phase 2**
- If the argument describes a domain or discipline (e.g., "consultative B2B sales", "behavioral economics"), start with **Phase 1**

---

## Phase 1: Research (domain description input)

1. **Web search** for top 3 experts in the described domain, focusing on:
   - Published books/frameworks that LLMs are likely trained on
   - Distinctive methodology or contrarian positions
   - Active influence in the field (recent publications, conferences, media)

2. **Rank candidates** by estimated LLM corpus fitness:
   - **Large**: Multiple bestselling books, widely cited frameworks, extensive Wikipedia presence, frequent conference keynotes, large body of written/transcribed work
   - **Medium**: Published author with moderate citations, known within industry, some mainstream visibility
   - **Small**: Niche expert, limited published material in English, specialized audience

3. **Present candidates** to user:

```
# Expert Candidates: [domain]

1. [Name] — [specialization summary]
   Key works: [2-3 titles]
   Corpus fitness: Large/Medium/Small
   Why: [1 sentence on what makes them distinctive]

2. [Name] — ...
3. [Name] — ...
```

4. **Save research** to `.claude/personas/research/{domain-slug}-expert-research.md` with the full findings

5. **User selects** a candidate — proceed to Phase 2 with that expert name

---

## Phase 2: Generate (specific expert name input)

1. **Web search** for the expert's:
   - Core methodology and frameworks
   - Distinctive positions or contrarian views
   - Key published works (books, papers, talks)
   - Teaching or consulting approach
   - Social handles (Twitter/X, LinkedIn, YouTube)

2. **Compose persona file** with standardized format:

```yaml
---
expert: [Full Name]
handle: [primary-social-handle]
domain: [top-level domain, lowercase]
specialization: [What makes this expert distinct]
key-works:
  - "[Title 1 (Year)]"
  - "[Title 2 (Year)]"
  - "[Title 3]"
corpus-fitness: Large/Medium/Small
---

Act like the opinionated persona of [Full Name]: [methodology description, ~100 words, imperative voice, single paragraph, references specific frameworks and distinctive positions, describes expected output qualities].
```

3. **File naming**: `.claude/personas/{domain}-{specialization-slug}-{lastname}.md`
   - All lowercase, kebab-case
   - Example: `sales-spin-selling-rackham.md`

4. **Save** the file and read it back to verify:
   - All required frontmatter fields present
   - Body is a single paragraph starting with "Act like"
   - File name follows convention

5. **Confirm** to user:

```
Persona created: [expert] — [specialization]
File: [path]
Use `/persona` to activate.
```

---

## Standardized Format Reference

**Required frontmatter fields:**
| Field | Purpose |
|-------|---------|
| `expert` | Full name (anchors LLM retrieval) |
| `domain` | Top-level grouping for `/persona` filtering |
| `specialization` | What makes this expert distinct |
| `key-works` | 2-5 published works/frameworks the LLM can anchor on |
| `corpus-fitness` | `Large` / `Medium` / `Small` |

**Optional:** `handle` (primary social/public handle)

**Body rules:**
- Single paragraph, imperative voice ("Act like...")
- Names the expert explicitly
- References their specific methodology
- Describes expected output quality
- ~100 words max
- No bullet points, no citations (those go in `research/`)

---

## Related Skills

- `/research-topic` — for general topic or market research without persona creation
- `/generate-expert-agent` — for building a full agent definition with evidence-backed frameworks from a persona