LinkedIn Reply Handler#

Drafts a reply to a specific LinkedIn comment. Correctly handles LinkedIn's 2-level thread flattening: if you're replying to a reply, the Publora API needs the TOP-level comment URN as parentComment, not the reply's URN.

When to use#

• User pastes a LinkedIn comment URL (contains ?commentUrn=...) and says "reply to this"
• An author replied to the user's comment and the user wants to continue the thread
• User wants to re-engage a conversation that's gone dormant

Input#

A LinkedIn URL containing commentUrn=urn:li:comment:(activity:POST,COMMENT_ID) — either the direct comment permalink or a feed URL with the query fragment.

Output#

• 1-2 reply drafts, 150-300 chars each
• Reaction suggestion for the comment being replied to (always react before replying)
• Thread context summary (who said what, when)
• Approval card → on user "post", fires reaction + reply via Publora

Steps#

1. Parse the URL. lib.url_parser.parse_linkedin_url returns post_urn, comment_id, comment_urn.

2. Determine thread structure. If APIFY_TOKEN is set, call lib.ApifyClient.fetch_post_comments(post_id=post_urn, max_items=50, scrape_replies=True) and locate the comment by comment_id. Otherwise ask the user to paste the relevant slice of the thread. Figure out whether the target is:

   • a top-level comment (parentComment = this comment's URN when replying)
   • a reply to a top-level comment (parentComment = the TOP comment's URN, not this reply's URN. LinkedIn flattens)

3. Read the full context. Author post text, top-level comment text, any intermediate replies. Include the user's own prior comment if they're in the thread.

4. Draft the reply. Follow the engagement templates in references/reply-templates.md. If the counterpart asked a question, answer it directly. If they pushed back, concede then sharpen.

5. Humanizer pass. Strip em dashes, AI vocab, enforce varied sentence length.

6. Approval card. Include thread preview (who said what in last 3 turns), the draft, reaction suggestion, and the parentComment URN we'll send.

7. On approval. Call lib.publish(kind="reply", draft_text=<approved>, target_url=<comment_url>, post_urn=<urn>, platform_id=<id>, parent_comment=<top_level_comment_urn>, reaction_type=<chosen>). The wrapper handles Publora / manual / diy routing.

The flattening gotcha#

LinkedIn only nests replies two levels deep. Visually the thread looks like:

text

Top comment by Alice (id: 111)
└─ Reply by Bob (id: 222)          ← parentComment: urn:li:comment:(activity:POST, 111)
   └─ Reply by Carol (id: 333)     ← parentComment: STILL urn:li:comment:(activity:POST, 111)

Carol's reply doesn't nest under Bob's — it's pinned at level 2 to the same top comment. If you pass urn:li:comment:(activity:POST, 222) as parentComment, the API returns 400 on some paths or silently misplaces the reply.

Rule in this skill: always use the TOP-level comment's URN as parentComment. If you're replying to a 2nd-level reply, we walk up the tree to find the top comment.

Templates ( references/reply-templates.md)#

• R1 Answer-Their-Question — they asked, you answer plainly + one real detail
• R2 Concede-Then-Sharpen — "you're right on X, and the piece I'd push on is Y"
• R3 Extend-Their-Thesis — take their point one layer deeper with a new framing
• R4 Share-Lived-Experience — "we hit this last quarter — here's what broke"
• R5 Ask-Back — redirect with a sharper question when their position needs more context

Hard rules#

Global voice rules: see root SKILL.md §Voice rules. Additional skill-specific rules:

• 150-300 chars. Replies are tighter than top-level comments.
• React to the comment you're replying to, not to the parent post.
• Never paste a canned "thanks!". Either respond with content or don't reply.
• If the thread is older than 72 hours, consider a DM instead (use linkedin-thread-monitor).

Example#

User: "Reply to this: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7449018753880834048?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28activity%3A7449018753880834048%2C7449758545140453376%29"

Skill: parses → post 7449018753880834048, comment 7449758545140453376. Fetches thread. Sees: post-author's post → Serge's comment ("moat moved to taste") → author's reply ("How are you building that conviction muscle with your team?"). Drafts R1 Answer-Their-Question variant. Shows approval card.

User: "post"

Skill: react APPRECIATION on the author's reply → pause 12s → post reply with parentComment set to Serge's original comment URN (the TOP level, not the author's reply).

Files#

• SKILL.md — this file
• references/reply-templates.md — 5 reply templates with examples
• references/threading-rules.md — LinkedIn's 2-level flattening explained with edge cases