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Agent skill

Build Backlinks

by onvoyage-ai in onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills

Finds free backlink and brand mention opportunities across Hacker News, Quora, GitHub, directories, and niche communities.

MITAuto-check passedMarketing & SEO

Install Build Backlinks

skills CLI
$ npx skills add onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills --skill build-backlinks -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills build-backlinks --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/build-backlinks .claude/skills/build-backlinks && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
build-backlinks
GitHub stars
1.3k
Token cost
~2.3k tokens
SKILL.md length
896 words
Files
2
Skills in repo
12
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Finds free backlink and brand mention opportunities across Hacker News, Quora, GitHub, directories, and niche communities.

  • Works in 5 steps: Gather Context → Channel Research → Score and Prioritize → …
  • Tasks that involve Link building
  • SKILL.md covers Why this matters for GEO, Inputs, Process and Output Format, plus 1 more section
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Build Backlinks is an agent skill from onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills. Finds free backlink and brand mention opportunities across Hacker News, Quora, GitHub, directories, and niche communities. Outputs a prioritized action plan with draft responses ready to post. Use after brand research and content creation to amplify reach and AI engine citations.

Its SKILL.md is about 2.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 1 other file (for example `README.md`).

It sits in Marketing & SEO, covering Link building, AI search optimization and Email writing. It works with GitHub. The repository describes itself as: Claude Code skill for improving website AEO (AI Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) scores — 16 foundational checks, 6 intelligence dimensions…. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Link building
  • Tasks that involve AI search optimization
  • Tasks that involve Email writing

Example prompts

  • “Use the build-backlinks skill to find free backlink and brand mention opportunities across Hacker News, Quora, GitHub, directories, and niche…”
  • “/build-backlinks”

Workflow steps

5 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Gather Context
  2. Channel Research
  3. Score and Prioritize
  4. Draft Actionable Responses
  5. Build the Action Plan

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 3777930. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are markdown).

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Build Backlinks loads about 2.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 74 tokens; SKILL.md has 896 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~74
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.3k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills at commit 3777930, republished under its MIT licence (© onvoyage-ai). 896 words, ~2,322 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/build-backlinks/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
build-backlinks
description
Finds free backlink and brand mention opportunities across Hacker News, Quora, GitHub, directories, and niche communities. Outputs a prioritized action plan with draft responses ready to post. Use after brand research and content creation to amplify reach and AI engine citations.

You are a brand presence strategist who finds free, high-impact opportunities to get a brand mentioned and linked across the web. Your goal is to produce a ready-to-execute action plan — not theory, not a strategy deck. Every item in your output should be something the user can do today.

Why this matters for GEO

AI engines (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini) cite brands that appear across diverse, authoritative sources. A single mention on a high-traffic Reddit thread or Hacker News post can trigger AI citation. Unlike traditional SEO backlinking (mass email outreach, PBNs), GEO backlinks are about showing up where AI trains and retrieves from.

High-value sources for AI citation:

  • Hacker News (heavily indexed by AI engines)
  • Quora (frequently cited in AI answers)
  • Wikipedia (highest authority, strictest rules)
  • GitHub (discussions, awesome-lists, READMEs)
  • Stack Overflow / Stack Exchange (technical authority)
  • Industry-specific forums and communities
  • Free directories (G2, Capterra, Product Hunt, niche directories)
  • Dev.to, Medium, Hashnode (syndication platforms)

Inputs

  • brand_dna.md (required) — from the research-brand skill
  • content_architecture.md or published content URLs (optional) — so you know what content exists to link to
  • geo_prompt_targets.md (optional) — so you know which AI prompts to target

If the user hasn't run research-brand yet, ask them to run /research-brand first.

Process

Phase 1: Gather Context

Read the available input files to understand:

  • What the brand does (product, category, differentiators)
  • Who the competitors are
  • What content already exists
  • What GEO prompts are being targeted
  • Brand voice and tone

Ask the user:

  1. Which channels are you already active on? (so we skip those)
  2. Any channels you want to avoid?
  3. What's your time budget? (e.g., 30 min/week, 2 hours/week)
Phase 2: Channel Research

For each relevant channel, search for existing conversations about the brand's category. Use web search with these patterns:

Hacker News:

  • site:news.ycombinator.com "[category]" OR "[competitor]"
  • site:news.ycombinator.com "Show HN" [category]
  • site:news.ycombinator.com "Ask HN" [related problem]

Quora:

  • site:quora.com "best [product type]"
  • site:quora.com "[competitor]" OR "[category]"
  • site:quora.com "how to [problem brand solves]"

GitHub:

  • site:github.com "awesome-[category]"
  • site:github.com "[category]" list OR resource OR tools

Directories:

  • Search for "[category]" directory OR "submit" OR "add your"
  • Search for "[competitor]" site:g2.com OR site:capterra.com OR site:producthunt.com

Industry forums / communities:

  • "[category]" forum OR community OR slack OR discord
  • "[competitor]" forum OR community

Wikipedia:

  • site:wikipedia.org "[category]" OR "[broader industry term]"
  • Check if competitors have Wikipedia pages or are mentioned in category articles

For each channel, collect:

  • Specific URLs of relevant threads/pages
  • How recently they were active
  • Whether competitors are mentioned
  • Whether the brand is already mentioned
  • Estimated audience/visibility (upvotes, views, followers)
Phase 3: Score and Prioritize

Score each opportunity on three factors:

FactorWeightDescription
GEO Impact40%How likely AI engines are to cite this source (HN, Wikipedia, Quora = high)
Effort30%How much time/skill it takes (directory submission = low, Wikipedia = high)
Relevance30%How closely the thread/page matches the brand's category and target prompts

Assign each opportunity a priority:

  • Quick Win — high impact, low effort (do this week)
  • High Value — high impact, medium effort (do this month)
  • Long Play — high impact, high effort (plan for later)
  • Skip — low impact or too much effort
Show full SKILL.md (391 more words)Show less
Phase 4: Draft Actionable Responses

For each Quick Win and High Value opportunity, draft a ready-to-post response or submission.

Rules for drafting responses:

  1. Be genuinely helpful first. The response must add value even without the brand mention. Answer the question, share an insight, provide data.
  2. Mention the brand naturally. Don't lead with it. Weave it in as one option among several, or as supporting evidence.
  3. Match the channel's tone. HN values technical depth and dislikes marketing speak. Quora expects structured, detailed answers. Adjust accordingly.
  4. Disclose affiliation when appropriate. On HN, transparency about being affiliated with the brand builds trust. Include a note like "Full disclosure: I work with [brand]" where the community expects it.
  5. Never be spammy. If you can't draft a response that's genuinely helpful, mark the opportunity as "Skip — no natural fit" rather than forcing it.
  6. Link to specific content. Don't link to the homepage. Link to the specific article, guide, or resource that answers the thread's question.

For directory/listing submissions:

  • Draft the listing copy (title, description, category, tags)
  • Note the submission URL and any requirements

For Hacker News "Show HN" posts:

  • Draft the post title and description
  • Identify the best piece of content or tool to share
  • Note the best time to post (weekday mornings US time)

For GitHub awesome-lists:

  • Draft the PR description and one-line entry
  • Link to the specific list's contribution guidelines
Phase 5: Build the Action Plan

Compile everything into a structured backlink_plan.md file organized by time horizon.

Output Format

Save to workspace/<customer-name>/backlink_plan.md:

markdown
# Backlink & Brand Presence Plan — [Brand Name]

**Generated:** [date]
**Based on:** brand_dna.md, [other inputs used]
**Time budget:** [user's stated budget]

---

## Summary

- **Total opportunities found:** [number]
- **Quick Wins (this week):** [number]
- **High Value (this month):** [number]
- **Long Play (later):** [number]
- **Skipped:** [number]

## Target GEO Prompts

List the AI prompts this plan aims to influence (from geo_prompt_targets.md or inferred):

1. [prompt]
2. [prompt]
3. ...

---

## Quick Wins (This Week)

### 1. [Channel] — [Thread/Page Title]

**URL:** [direct link]
**Why:** [one line — why this matters for GEO]
**Effort:** ~[X] minutes
**Action:** [Post reply / Submit listing / Add to list]

**Draft:**

> [Ready-to-post text. For Reddit/HN/Quora, this is the full comment.
> For directories, this is the listing copy.
> For awesome-lists, this is the PR body.]

**Link to include:** [specific content URL from the brand's site]

---

### 2. [Channel] — [Thread/Page Title]

...

---

## High Value (This Month)

### 1. [Channel] — [Description]

**URL:** [link]
**Why:** [one line]
**Effort:** ~[X] minutes/hours
**Action:** [what to do]

**Draft:**

> [Full draft text]

---

## Long Play (Plan for Later)

### 1. [Channel] — [Description]

**URL:** [link]
**Why:** [one line]
**Effort:** [estimate]
**What's needed:** [e.g., "Need to publish original research first", "Need Wikipedia notability"]

---

## Skipped Opportunities

| Channel | URL | Reason Skipped |
|---------|-----|---------------|
| [channel] | [url] | [reason] |

---

## Recurring Actions

Things to do on a regular cadence:

| Cadence | Action | Channel | Notes |
|---------|--------|---------|-------|
| Weekly | Check HN for new "Ask HN" / "Show HN" about [category] | Hacker News | Search: [keywords] |
| Weekly | Check Quora for new questions about [category] | Quora | Set up Quora topic alerts |
| Monthly | Search for new [category] directory listings | Directories | Query: "[category] directory submit" |
| Monthly | Check if new awesome-lists have been created | GitHub | Query: "awesome-[category]" |

---

## Tracking

After executing actions, come back and update:

| # | Channel | Action Taken | Date | Result | Link Gained? |
|---|---------|-------------|------|--------|-------------|
| 1 | | | | | |
| 2 | | | | | |

Rules

  1. Every opportunity must have a real, clickable URL. No generic advice like "post on Reddit." Find the actual thread.
  2. Every draft must be genuinely helpful. If you can't write something useful, skip the opportunity.
  3. Never fabricate engagement numbers. If you can't determine a thread's visibility, say "visibility unknown."
  4. Prioritize GEO impact. A single HN or Quora mention in a high-traffic thread beats 10 low-authority directory listings.
  5. Respect each platform's rules. Note any community guidelines that affect how the brand should participate (e.g., HN guidelines against overt self-promotion).
  6. Be honest about limitations. If a channel requires an established account or reputation (like Wikipedia editing), flag that clearly.
  7. Focus on the user's time budget. If they said 30 min/week, the Quick Wins section should fit in 30 minutes. Don't overwhelm.

© onvoyage-ai, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 1 other file in build-backlinks of onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills.

  • SKILL.md
  • README.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 3777930

Compare with similar skills

Build Backlinks next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Build Backlinks compared with similar skills
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SEO DataforseoAgriciDaniel/codex-seo7992 repos~4.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Beyondseobeyondtahir/beyondseo161—~4.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Directory Submissionscoreyhaines31/marketingskills54k2 repos~6.7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
DataForSEO Live SEO DataAgriciDaniel/claude-seo19k—~4.4kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Works with

Categories

Questions about Build Backlinks

What does Build Backlinks do?

Finds free backlink and brand mention opportunities across Hacker News, Quora, GitHub, directories, and niche communities. Build Backlinks is an agent skill from onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills. Finds free backlink and brand mention opportunities across Hacker News, Quora, GitHub, directories, and niche communities.

When should I use Build Backlinks?

Build Backlinks fits situations like: tasks that involve Link building; tasks that involve AI search optimization; tasks that involve Email writing.

How do I install Build Backlinks in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills --skill build-backlinks -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (build-backlinks in onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills) into .claude/skills/build-backlinks in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Build Backlinks in Codex?

Run `npx skills add onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills --skill build-backlinks -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (build-backlinks in onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills) into .agents/skills/build-backlinks in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Build Backlinks in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills --skill build-backlinks -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/build-backlinks, .gemini/skills/build-backlinks, .github/skills/build-backlinks and .opencode/skills/build-backlinks in your project.

What does Build Backlinks need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Build Backlinks is instructions for the agent only.

Does Build Backlinks access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Build Backlinks safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Build Backlinks use?

Build Backlinks is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Build Backlinks use?

About 2.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 9.3k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Build Backlinks?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Build Backlinks: Parasite SEO (kostja94/marketing-skills, 1k stars), SEO Dataforseo (AgriciDaniel/codex-seo, 799 stars), Beyondseo (beyondtahir/beyondseo, 161 stars) and Directory Submissions (coreyhaines31/marketingskills, 54k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Build Backlinks?

onvoyage-ai (a GitHub organization) maintains it in onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills, which has 1,320 GitHub stars. The repository holds 12 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on June 7, 2026.

Source: onvoyage-ai/gtm-engineer-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.