Sms
Stand up compliant DTC SMS with the right ESP, flow order, and economics instead of blasting email-style promos to your list.
Overview
sms is an agent skill most often used in Grow (also Validate, Launch) that designs compliant, ROI-ordered SMS programs for DTC brands with ESP choice, flow priority, and send-economics guardrails.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills --skill smsWhat is this skill?
- Phase 0 compliance gate: US footprint, A2P 10DLC readiness, and opt-in plan before vendor selection
- ESP fit for Shopify DTC (Klaviyo when email already lives there, Postscript for SMS-first depth)
- ROI-ranked flow playbook: abandoned cart first, then post-purchase/replenishment, welcome capture, 60–90 day win-back
- Explicit warnings against email-style frequency and relevance—includes per-send cost bands (~$0.0075–$0.04)
- Hooks into product-marketing.md for brand context and compliance.md for opt-in copy and quiet hours
- Phase 0 compliance readiness check before ESP and flow recommendations
- Four canonical flow types prioritized (abandoned cart, post-purchase/replenishment, welcome, win-back)
- Per-send cost band cited at roughly $0.0075–$0.04 in skill eval guidance
Adoption & trust: 8.8k installs on skills.sh; 32.4k GitHub stars.
What problem does it solve?
You have a large email list and revenue on Shopify but no SMS strategy, and you are unsure which tool, flows, and compliance steps to tackle first without burning budget or trust.
Who is it for?
Shopify DTC brands with existing email traction who want their first SMS flows and A2P 10DLC planning in one structured pass.
Skip if: Non-US-only brands with no consent model, B2B outbound SMS, or teams that already have audited flows and only need copy tweaks inside an ESP.
When should I use this skill?
You are launching or scaling SMS for a DTC brand and need compliance, ESP selection, and flow order—not one-off blast copy.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You leave with a compliance-checked stack recommendation, a ranked flow roadmap, and pointers to opt-in and quiet-hour language via compliance.md before any sends go live.
- Compliance/A2P readiness checklist outcome
- ESP recommendation with flow priority list
- References to compliance.md opt-in and quiet-hour requirements
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
SMS lifecycle flows (cart, welcome, win-back, replenishment) are the primary monetization lever after you have subscribers and a store. Lifecycle and retention messaging is where SMS ROI lives; compliance and per-send cost discipline belong in the same shelf as email/SMS orchestration.
Where it fits
Decide whether SMS unit economics fit your margin model before committing to Klaviyo SMS add-ons.
Plan launch-day capture and cart recovery texts without violating frequency or consent rules.
Rank replenishment and win-back sequences for a skincare brand with predictable repurchase cycles.
How it compares
Structured SMS lifecycle playbook with compliance gates—not a generic copy generator or an MCP integration.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is sms for?
Solo and indie operators running DTC ecommerce (often Shopify) who need SMS from zero with compliance, ESP fit, and flow prioritization spelled out.
When should I use sms?
Use it while scoping growth channels in Validate, before Launch promos, and in Grow when you are adding cart abandonment, replenishment, welcome, or win-back automations.
Is sms safe to install?
Review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page and inspect the skill package in your repo before letting an agent act on live subscriber data or ESP credentials.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Sms
{ "skill_name": "sms", "evals": [ { "id": 1, "prompt": "We're a Shopify DTC brand doing $5M/year in skincare. We have 80K email subscribers but no SMS program yet. Where do we start?", "expected_output": "Should check for product-marketing.md first. Should run Phase 0 compliance check: are they US-based, is A2P 10DLC registration started, is the opt-in mechanism planned. Should recommend Klaviyo SMS or Postscript given Shopify + DTC ecom (Klaviyo if already on Klaviyo email, Postscript for SMS-first depth). Should rank flows by ROI for skincare: (1) abandoned cart sequence first (highest-ROI flow), (2) post-purchase + replenishment (skincare has predictable cycles), (3) welcome opt-in flow with capture incentive, (4) win-back at 60-90 days. Should warn about treating SMS like email (frequency cap, relevance bar, real per-send cost ~$0.0075-$0.04). Should reference compliance.md for opt-in disclosure language and quiet hours.", "assertions": [ "Checks for product-marketing.md", "Runs compliance/A2P 10DLC readiness check", "Recommends Klaviyo SMS or Postscript with rationale", "Prioritizes abandoned cart as highest-ROI flow", "Mentions replenishment for skincare specifically", "Warns about treating SMS like email", "References compliance.md or opt-in disclosure requirements", "Mentions per-send cost economics" ], "files": [] }, { "id": 2, "prompt": "Write me an abandoned cart SMS sequence. We sell custom apparel, average order $80.", "expected_output": "Should output a 3-message sequence following references/sequence-templates.md pattern. Should specify timing: Send 1 at 30 min after abandon (no discount, gentle reminder), Send 2 at 4 hours (soft urgency, no discount), Send 3 at 24 hours (discount allowed). Should include actual SMS copy with character counts (target 160 GSM-7 for 1 segment). Each message must start with sender ID 'From [Brand]:', have a single CTA + short link, and the first message should include 'Reply STOP to opt out' compliance footer. Should warn against discount on first send (trains customers to abandon). Should mention exclusion rules: stop sequence on purchase, opt-out, or 48 hours elapsed. Should recommend UTM tagging for attribution and cross-reference analytics skill for measurement.", "assertions": [ "Outputs 3-message sequence with timing", "Send 1 at 30 min, Send 2 at 4 hours, Send 3 at 24 hours", "No discount on Send 1", "Each message has sender ID + single CTA + short link", "Character counts shown, target ~160 GSM-7", "Compliance footer on first send (STOP to opt out)", "Warns about discount on first send", "Mentions exclusion rules", "Mentions UTM tagging or attribution" ], "files": [] }, { "id": 3, "prompt": "Can I just send SMS without any opt-in if customers gave me their phone number at checkout?", "expected_output": "Should refuse and explain TCPA requires express written consent for marketing SMS. Should distinguish marketing SMS (requires express written consent) from transactional/account SMS (order updates, auth — implied consent during transaction OK if directly related). Should explain the express written consent requirements: clear disclosure adjacent to the phone field, frequency expectation, msg & data rates notice, STOP/HELP instructions, terms link, electronically captured with timestamp. Should mention penalty exposure: $500-$1,500 per message, class actions reach 7-8 figures. Should recommend implementing a compliant opt-in flow: checkbox + disclosure text, double opt-in optional but cleaner. Should reference compliance.md for the full disclosure template. Should warn that 'customers gave their number at checkout' is NOT sufficient for marketing SMS — it's only sufficient for the specific transaction's communications.", "as