Create Blog Post

Create Blog Post (EN → FR, with Image)

Create a complete blog post in Agility CMS from a short topic prompt. The post is authored in English (en-us), then translated into French (fr), and a main image is uploaded. Both locale versions share the same contentID.

Inputs

• Topic prompt — required. A short description of what the post should be about.
• Brand guidelines document — should be attached to the Claude project. Tone, voice, positioning, vocabulary, banned words, CTA patterns, etc. All generated copy MUST follow it.
• Image — required. Either:
• An image the user attached to the conversation, OR
• A reference image already in the Agility media library (use its existing CDN URL).

If the user has not supplied a brand guidelines document or an image, ask for them before generating anything.

Target Instance

• Default `instanceGuid`: 13f09fe2-u (project: Demo Site 2026 in the Starter Templates org).
• Confirm with mcp__Agility-CMS__get_available_instances if the user wants a different instance, or if the GUID is rejected.
• Locales: en-us (default) and fr. Verify with mcp__Agility-CMS__get_locales.

Content Model: Post (container Posts)

Fields that matter when saving (names are case-insensitive):

The Category, Tags, and Author fields themselves are reference-name strings (e.g. "categories", "tags", "authors") — the actual linking is done through the *ID / *Name companion fields.

Workflow

1. Gather context

1. Ask the user for the post topic if it wasn't supplied. 2. Confirm the brand guidelines document is available in the project — if not, ask for it. 3. Confirm how the image will be provided (attached now vs. pick an existing one).

2. Look up linked content (once per session is fine)

Run these in parallel:

• mcp__Agility-CMS__get_content_items → Categories (locale en-us) — pick the best-fit category.
• mcp__Agility-CMS__get_content_items → Authors (locale en-us) — pick an author. If the user hasn't specified, default to Joel Varty (contentID 4) unless the topic clearly suggests another author from the list.
• mcp__Agility-CMS__get_content_items → Tags (locale en-us) — pick 1–3 tags that match the topic. Do NOT invent new tags; only choose from existing ones.

Record the contentID and Name for each selection — you'll need both.

3. Draft the English post

Write the post in en-us, following the brand guidelines. Requirements:

• Heading: Compelling, ≤ 100 chars, aligned with brand voice.
• Slug: Derived from the heading. Lowercase, words separated by -, strip punctuation/stopwords where appropriate (e.g. ai-engine-helping-brands). 3–7 words is a good target.
• Content (HTML): Follow the patterns used by existing posts:
• Opening paragraph (<p>) that hooks the reader.
• <h2> section headings (not <h1> — the heading field supplies the H1).
• Short paragraphs, <ul><li> bullet lists for enumerations, <blockquote><p> for pull quotes with attributions in <strong>.
• Use semantic HTML — no inline styles or class attributes.
• Target 500–900 words unless the user specifies length.
• Respect the brand guidelines' tone, terminology, and any banned phrasing.

4. Upload the main image

First, look at the image(s). Before uploading anything, use the Read tool on each image file the user provided. Claude can view JPEG/PNG/WebP directly — this is essential for writing accurate alt text, choosing a featured image, and making sure the image actually matches the post topic.

Featured image selection heuristics (when the user provides several and doesn't specify which is the hero):

1. Prefer landscape orientation — the blog header renders wide. 2. Prefer images with a clear subject and strong composition. 3. Prefer images that visually represent the post's main idea, not a minor detail. 4. Tell the user which one you picked and why in your final report. 5. If you can't analyze for some reason, use the first image.

Option A — user attached one or more new images:

1. Call mcp__Agility-CMS__initialize_media_upload for the chosen hero image with instanceGuid, a descriptive fileName (e.g. predict-iq-hero.jpg — don't carry through UUID-style filenames), and folderPath: "mcp-uploads" (or "blog-images" if the user prefers). If the user supplied multiple images, initialize all uploads in parallel (single tool-call batch). 2. Each response includes an uploadUrl (expires in 5 minutes). Upload the file via curl — also in parallel if there are multiple:

   curl -s -X POST "<uploadUrl>" -F "file=@/absolute/path/to/image.jpg"

3. The curl response body contains the final CDN asset URL. Use that URL in the Image field when saving.

Option B — reusing an existing image from the media library:

Skip the upload step and set Image to { "url": "<existing-cdn-url>", "label": "<alt text>" }.

Either way, the Image field on the content item takes the shape:

{
  "url": "https://cdn.agilitycms.com/.../hero.jpg",
  "label": "Short, descriptive alt text"
}

Do NOT duplicate the hero image inside the `Content` HTML body — the post detail template renders it above the body automatically via the PostImage component. If the user provides other supporting images for the body, those can go in the HTML.

5. Save the English post

Call mcp__Agility-CMS__save_content_items with:

• instanceGuid: 13f09fe2-u (or user-specified)
• locale: en-us
• items: one item with contentID: -1, referenceName: "Posts", and all fields from the "Content Model" table populated.

Capture the returned contentID — you'll reuse it for the French translation.

Example payload (English):

{
  "instanceGuid": "13f09fe2-u",
  "locale": "en-us",
  "items": [{
    "contentID": -1,
    "referenceName": "Posts",
    "fields": {
      "Heading": "…",
      "Slug": "ai-engine-helping-brands",
      "PostDate": "2026-04-21T00:00:00",
      "Category": "categories",
      "CategoryID": "6",
      "CategoryName": "Industry Event",
      "Tags": "tags",
      "TagIDs": "9,8",
      "TagNames": "Technology,A.I.",
      "Author": "authors",
      "AuthorID": "4",
      "AuthorName": "Joel Varty",
      "Content": "<p>…</p><h2>…</h2>…",
      "Image": {
        "url": "https://cdn.agilitycms.com/.../hero.jpg",
        "label": "Descriptive alt text"
      }
    }
  }]
}

6. Translate to French

Translate the post to Canadian French (fr). Requirements:

• Heading: Translated naturally — do not translate brand / product names.
• Slug: Keep IDENTICAL to the English slug (slugs are shared across locales).
• PostDate: Same value as English.
• Category / Tags / Author: Same *ID values as English (linked content is language-neutral). CategoryName, TagNames, AuthorName companion fields can stay as the English names OR be set to localized names if the user has localized them — default to keeping the English names since companions are mostly display helpers and translating them risks breaking filters.
• Content: Translate naturally. Preserve HTML structure exactly (same <h2>, <p>, <ul>, <blockquote> tree). Preserve brand names, product names, and proper nouns untranslated. Adjust idioms; don't machine-translate word-for-word.
• Image: Same url as English. Translate the label (alt text) to French.

7. Save the French translation

Call mcp__Agility-CMS__save_content_items AGAIN, but this time with:

• locale: fr
• The SAME contentID returned from step 5 (NOT -1 — this creates/updates the French version of the same content item).
• All fields translated per step 6.

8. Report back

Always end the response with the following block, filled in:

• Content ID: {contentID}
• Edit in Agility (en-us): https://app.agilitycms.com/instance/13f09fe2-u/en-us/content/list-9/listitem-{contentID}
• Edit in Agility (fr): https://app.agilitycms.com/instance/13f09fe2-u/fr/content/list-9/listitem-{contentID}
• Preview (en-us): https://demo.agilitycms.com/blog?ContentID={contentID}&lang=en-us&agilitypreviewkey=YSJChtivLrrzEdoJ6cric9bo7m%2fRLxAKsdDpcaVipHvA5kGPa1cTVkDVjWNeHlIGLfFTEW8Up6Gu4TOiYyBL3A%3d%3d&agilityts=20260421024609
• Preview (fr): https://demo.agilitycms.com/blog?ContentID={contentID}&lang=fr&agilitypreviewkey=YSJChtivLrrzEdoJ6cric9bo7m%2fRLxAKsdDpcaVipHvA5kGPa1cTVkDVjWNeHlIGLfFTEW8Up6Gu4TOiYyBL3A%3d%3d&agilityts=20260421024609

Notes on the URLs:

• The edit URL's list-9 segment is the container ID for Posts in this instance — don't change it.
• The agilitypreviewkey is instance-scoped and stable. Keep it URL-encoded exactly as shown (the %2f and %3d%3d are intentional).
• If the user wants fresh preview links, you can regenerate the agilityts value as the current UTC timestamp in yyyyMMddHHmmss format — but the existing value works indefinitely.
• If the user targets a different instanceGuid, substitute it in the edit URL and warn that the preview key above only works for 13f09fe2-u.

Also mention that both locales were saved as Staging (default state). Posts still need to be reviewed and published in the CMS UI — do not attempt to set state: 2 (Published) automatically unless the user explicitly asks.

Linked Content Reference

For this instance, the currently known linked content (verify if stale):

Categories (Categories container):

• 7 — General Interest
• 5 — News
• 6 — Industry Event
• 61 — Knowledge

Authors (Authors container):

• 4 — Joel Varty (default)
• 58 — Vincent Dries
• 59 — Emily Selman
• 60 — Leo Krasner
• 110 — Michael Foster

Tags (Tags container):

• 8 — A.I.
• 9 — Technology
• 10 — Commerce
• 11 — Trends

Always re-fetch these if unsure — new entries may have been added.

Content Formatting Rules

HTML emitted into the Content field should match the style of existing posts:

• Start with a hook paragraph, no heading at the top (the Heading field IS the H1).
• Use <h2> for major sections. <h3> only if you need a sub-section.
• Short paragraphs (2–4 sentences).
• Use <strong> for emphasis on people/company names the first time they appear.
• Use <em> for product names on first mention.
• Pull quotes: <blockquote><p>“…,” said <strong>Name</strong>, Title at Company.</p></blockquote>.
• Bullet lists: <ul><li><strong>Label:</strong> Description</li>…</ul>.
• Do NOT inline style="…" or class="…" attributes — the site provides styling via Tailwind prose.
• Do NOT wrap the whole thing in <html>, <body>, or <article>.

Creating New Categories, Tags, or Authors (Only If The User Explicitly Asks)

NEVER proactively create linked content. If nothing fits, ask the user which existing item to use or whether they want to add a new one. Only run these calls when the user explicitly approves.

New Category (save in both en-us and fr so the category works across locales):

mcp__Agility-CMS__save_content_items({
  instanceGuid: "13f09fe2-u",
  locale: "en-us",
  items: [{
    contentID: -1,
    referenceName: "Categories",
    fields: { Name: "Category Name" }
  }]
})

Capture the returned contentID, then save the French version at the SAME contentID with locale: "fr".

New Tag:

mcp__Agility-CMS__save_content_items({
  instanceGuid: "13f09fe2-u",
  locale: "en-us",
  items: [{
    contentID: -1,
    referenceName: "Tags",
    fields: { Name: "Tag Name" }
  }]
})

New Author: don't create authors programmatically without the user explicitly providing a name AND a headshot image — the site relies on the headshot for the byline layout. If requested, follow the same pattern but populate Name and HeadShot (ImageAttachment, same upload flow as the post hero image).

Example Session

User: "Write a blog post about how headless CMS improves developer experience. Use the brand guidelines I attached. Here's a hero image." [attaches `developer-at-desk.jpg`]

Claude:

1. Reads developer-at-desk.jpg to confirm it's a landscape shot of a developer at a monitor — good hero material. 2. In parallel: fetches Categories, Tags, Authors from the CMS. 3. Picks Category 61 (Knowledge), Tags 9 (Technology) and 8 (A.I.), Author 4 (Joel Varty — default). 4. Drafts the English post following the brand guidelines doc attached to the project:

• Heading: "Why Headless CMS Changes the Developer Experience"
• Slug: headless-cms-developer-experience
• PostDate: 2026-04-21T00:00:00
• Content: HTML with a hook paragraph, three <h2> sections, a pull quote, and a bullet list.

5. Initializes a media upload, curls the image up, captures the CDN URL. 6. Saves the English post with contentID: -1, gets back e.g. contentID: 312. 7. Translates Heading, Content (preserving HTML structure), and Image.label to French. Keeps slug, PostDate, and all *ID fields identical. 8. Saves the French version at contentID: 312, locale: "fr". 9. Reports back with both Edit URLs, both Preview URLs, notes the post is in Staging, and mentions the hero image was selected because it's landscape with a clear subject.

Guardrails

• Never invent categories, tags, or authors. Always pick from existing items.
• Never set `SocialPublishedDate` — it's auto-managed.
• Never publish automatically. Save as Staging and let the human editor review.
• Never translate proper nouns, product names, or brand-specific terms.
• Never reuse an existing slug. If the generated slug collides with an existing post, append a disambiguator (e.g. -2026).
• If image upload fails, fall back to reusing an existing image URL and warn the user, rather than saving without an image.
• Confirm before saving if anything is ambiguous (author choice, category fit, image selection).