Hook Trial: 7 Claude jurors put your reel's opening line on trial (free Claude Code skill)

It's a free skill for Claude Code, and you don't need to write any code to use it. You copy a folder, prepare one input and type one line.

Who's on the panel

1. The Prosecutor: finds the exact word where viewers leave
2. The Defence Attorney: names the part of the hook any rewrite must keep
3. The Doomscroller: a juror with a moving thumb, one second of attention, often sound off
4. The Skeptic: smells clickbait and checks the video can pay the hook off
5. The Newcomer: new to the topic and must understand every word on one listen
6. The Rival Creator: has seen every hook in your niche and spots templates
7. The Retention Analyst: predicts the drop-off second by second

Each one votes, scores the hook out of 10, and gives one reason and one fix. They don't see each other's answers: in Claude Code each one runs as its own Claude, with its own fresh context, all 7 at the same time.

What you get

A report short enough to fit in one screenshot:

• the verdict and the vote count
• a hold score out of 10
• the charge that stuck (the exact word or moment where viewers leave) and the part worth keeping
• 3 rewritten hooks, each 15 words or fewer, with the jurors each one wins over
• on-screen text for the first frame

The last line of the report says how the panel actually ran, so you always know whether you got 7 separate Claudes or one Claude doing 7 passes.

Before you start

• Claude Code. It works in the Claude desktop app (the Code tab) or in a terminal.
• A paid Claude plan or API credit. Claude Code needs a Claude Pro ($20 a month) or Max plan, or pay-as-you-go credit from the Claude Console. Each run starts 7 reviewers, so it uses more of your plan's usage than a single chat message.
• The skill folder. Download it free below. The skill file costs nothing; running it is what needs Claude Code.
• About 10 minutes for the first run, then a minute or two per run after that.

Step 1: Put the folder in place

Unzip the download. Copy the whole hook-trial folder (not just the files inside it) into your Claude skills folder:

• Mac: ~/.claude/skills/ (in Finder press Cmd+Shift+G and paste ~/.claude/skills)
• Windows: C:\Users\YOUR-NAME\.claude\skills\ (paste %USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills into the File Explorer address bar)

If the skills folder doesn't exist yet, create it.

Step 2: Get your hook ready

Copy the opening line of your video. Add one line on what the video shows: it lets the court check that the hook is a promise the video keeps. A text file or a screenshot of the first frame works too.

Step 3: Run it

Open Claude Code and start a new session so it picks up the new skill. Then type /hook-trial, then your hook in quotes and a short note on the video, then press Enter. For example:

/hook-trial "I tried 5 AI note takers so you don't have to." Video: side-by-side test, one wins on price

It takes a minute or two. If Claude asks for permission to read your files or to start the court members, say yes.

What it can't do

• It can't see your analytics. It judges the words and what you tell it about the video.
• It won't invent results for your rewrites. If a stronger hook needs a number you didn't give, it leaves a [placeholder].
• It's a panel's opinion before you post, not a prediction of views. Your real numbers after posting still decide.

Using the Claude.ai chat app instead

You can upload the skill as a zip in the Claude.ai app (Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills). Chat can't start subagents, so there one Claude plays all 7 court members one after another. It still works, and the report's last line says so.