# Channel Configuration for Trending Topics Pipeline
# Pivoted to 7 itch-based channels (Feb 2026)
# Each channel is defined by the viewer itch it scratches, not topic area

channels:
  why_you_do_that:
    name: "Why You Do That"
    short_name: "Why You Do"
    description: "Self-recognition channel. The itch: being seen. Psychology, behavior patterns, habits, and quirks explained. The hook triggers self-recognition ('You do this, don't you?'). The payoff is understanding yourself better."
    itch: "self-recognition"
    format: "Name the behavior -> explain why you do it -> validate the viewer"
    color: "#9933CC"  # Purple
    enabled: true
    sources:
      reddit:
        # Primary (daily monitoring)
        - name: Showerthoughts
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 34000000
        - name: NoStupidQuestions
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 6900000
        - name: meirl
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 4500000
        - name: AmItheAsshole
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 15000000
        - name: ADHD
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 2300000
        - name: socialanxiety
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 500000
        # Secondary (weekly scans)
        - name: selfimprovement
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 2500000
        - name: unpopularopinion
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 5000000
        - name: OffMyChest
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 3000000
        - name: DoesAnybodyElse
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 500000
        - name: intrusivethoughts
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 150000
      rss: []
      youtube_categories: [27]  # Education
    competitive_gap: "No channel frames ALL content around 'you do this weird thing, here's why' with academic rigor"
    keywords:
      include:
        - "why do I"
        - "does anyone else"
        - "is it normal"
        - "I always"
        - "habit"
        - "can't stop"
        - "pattern"
        - "behavior"
        - "why we"
        - "relatable"
      exclude:
        - "medical advice"
        - "diagnosis"
        - "medication"
        - "therapy"
        - "treatment"
    curiosity_queries:
      - "Why do you check your phone within 10 seconds of waking up?"
      - "Why do you rehearse conversations that will never happen?"
      - "Why do you remember embarrassing moments from 10 years ago at 3am?"
    scoring_weights:
      demand_signal: 1.0
      content_gap: 1.1
      explainability: 1.0
      evergreen_potential: 1.2
      audience_breadth: 1.1
    hook_criteria: |
      WHAT MAKES A STRONG "WHY YOU DO THAT" HOOK:
      The viewer must see their own behavior named within 1.5 seconds. The behavior must be:
      - Genuinely universal (not "if you have anxiety" but "you rehearse phone calls before making them")
      - Something the viewer does but has never questioned ("You always pick the grocery line that ends up being slowest")
      - Framed as insight, not diagnosis ("You're not lazy, your brain is protecting you from..." NOT "Why your procrastination means you're broken")

      Strong: "You're Not a Night Owl. You're Afraid of Tomorrow." (immediate self-recognition + curiosity gap about what "afraid" means)
      Strong: "Why Leaving Cleanly Makes You the Villain" (names an experience millions have had but never understood)
      Weak: "The Psychology of Procrastination Explained" (lecture title, no self-recognition moment)
      Weak: "Why Men Are Bad at Processing Emotions" (gender accusation, not self-recognition)

  how_it_actually_works:
    name: "How It Actually Works"
    short_name: "How It Works"
    description: "Visual explainer channel. The itch: resolution of hidden complexity. People walk past things every day without understanding them. The hook makes the invisible visible. The payoff is the satisfying feeling of a mystery solved that you didn't know was a mystery."
    itch: "hidden_complexity_resolution"
    format: "Show the thing -> reveal what's hidden inside -> explain the mechanism"
    color: "#0066CC"  # Blue
    enabled: true
    sources:
      reddit:
        # Primary
        - name: explainlikeimfive
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 22000000
        - name: askscience
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 20700000
        - name: ThingsCutInHalf
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 600000
        - name: educationalgifs
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 2000000
        - name: mechanical_gifs
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 350000
        # Secondary
        - name: specializedtools
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 743000
        - name: coolguides
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 3500000
        - name: engineeringporn
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 500000
        - name: InfrastructurePorn
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 175000
        - name: askengineers
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 275000
        - name: HowItsMade
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 40000
      rss:
        - name: Quanta Magazine
          url: https://www.quantamagazine.org/feed/
        - name: Ars Technica
          url: https://feeds.arstechnica.com/arstechnica/features
      youtube_categories: [28]  # Science & Technology
    competitive_gap: "Software and digital systems explained with the same rigor as physical engineering"
    keywords:
      include:
        - "how does"
        - "actually work"
        - "inside"
        - "mechanism"
        - "cross section"
        - "cutaway"
        - "how it's made"
        - "the process"
      exclude:
        - "review"
        - "best to buy"
        - "unboxing"
    curiosity_queries:
      - "How does your phone know you're looking at it?"
      - "What's actually inside a golf ball?"
      - "How do they put the stripes in toothpaste?"
    scoring_weights:
      demand_signal: 1.0
      content_gap: 1.0
      explainability: 1.2
      evergreen_potential: 1.1
      audience_breadth: 1.0
    hook_criteria: |
      WHAT MAKES A STRONG "HOW IT ACTUALLY WORKS" HOOK:
      The viewer must encounter an everyday object or system and realize they have NO IDEA how it actually works. The object must be:
      - Something the viewer personally interacts with (locks, zippers, WiFi, traffic lights, anesthesia — not particle accelerators or satellites)
      - Visually revealable (cross-section, slow-motion, magnification, diagram)
      - More complex than the viewer assumed ("You think you know how a zipper works. You don't.")

      Strong: "What Actually Happens Inside a Lock When You Turn the Key" (universal object + visual reveal promise)
      Strong: "Why Airplane Windows Have That Tiny Hole at the Bottom" (you've seen it, you've wondered, you don't know)
      Weak: "How Nuclear Reactors Generate Electricity" (not an everyday object, requires science interest)
      Weak: "The Science Behind WiFi" (too broad, no specific "wait, what?" detail)

  sixty_second_rabbit_hole:
    name: "60-Second Rabbit Hole"
    short_name: "Rabbit Hole"
    description: "Novelty and social currency channel. The itch: learning something so surprising you'll repeat it at dinner. Each video takes one hyper-specific, obscure topic and makes it fascinating. No theme except every video teaches you something you'll share."
    itch: "social_currency_novelty"
    format: "Hit with the most unbelievable detail first -> prove it's real -> land the 'wait, really?' punchline"
    color: "#FF6600"  # Orange
    enabled: true
    sources:
      reddit:
        # Primary
        - name: todayilearned
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 33000000
        - name: NotTheOnion
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 23000000
        - name: damnthatsinteresting
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 19900000
        - name: interestingasfuck
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 12000000
        - name: MapPorn
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 1400000
        # Secondary
        - name: UnresolvedMysteries
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 4500000
        - name: ObscureMedia
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 200000
        - name: wikipedia
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 300000
        - name: DepthHub
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 250000
      rss: []
      youtube_categories: [27]  # Education
    competitive_gap: "Pure novelty channel with no topic constraints - every video is a different surprise"
    keywords:
      include:
        - "TIL"
        - "today I learned"
        - "most people don't know"
        - "obscure"
        - "strange"
        - "bizarre"
        - "unbelievable"
        - "random fact"
      exclude:
        - "breaking news"
        - "just happened"
    curiosity_queries:
      - "The town in Alaska where everyone lives in one building"
      - "The color that was too expensive for artists to use"
      - "The country that technically doesn't exist"
    scoring_weights:
      demand_signal: 1.0
      content_gap: 1.0
      explainability: 1.0
      evergreen_potential: 1.0
      audience_breadth: 1.2
    hook_criteria: |
      WHAT MAKES A STRONG "60-SECOND RABBIT HOLE" HOOK:
      Social currency test: Would someone text this to a friend unprompted? The fact must be:
      - So surprising it sounds fake ("There's a town in Alaska where everyone lives in one building")
      - Immediately shareable without needing context
      - Specific enough to be memorable (not "weird animal facts" but "octopuses have three hearts and blue blood")
      - Lead with the MOST unbelievable detail, prove it second

      Strong: "There's a Town Where It's Illegal to Die" (immediately shareable, sounds fake, is real)
      Strong: "The Color That Used to Cost More Than Gold" (specific, surprising, makes you want to know which color)
      Weak: "10 Weird Facts About Ancient Rome" (listicle format, no single hook)
      Weak: "Interesting Things About the Ocean" (too vague, no specific surprising claim)

  designed_to_trick_you:
    name: "Designed To Trick You"
    short_name: "Tricked You"
    description: "Righteous awareness channel. The itch: feeling armed against manipulation. How products, apps, menus, stores, and interfaces are deliberately designed to manipulate behavior. The hook triggers mild indignation. The payoff is seeing through the trick."
    itch: "righteous_awareness"
    format: "Show the trick -> reveal the design intent -> arm the viewer"
    color: "#CC3300"  # Red
    enabled: true
    sources:
      reddit:
        # Primary
        - name: assholedesign
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 2500000
        - name: darkpatterns
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 100000
        - name: mildlyinfuriating
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 10000000
        - name: shrinkflation
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 90000
        - name: NonFunctionSlackFill
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 49000
        - name: ExpectationVsReality
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 4300000
        # Secondary
        - name: HailCorporate
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 212000
        - name: Scams
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 1000000
        - name: Agenda_Design
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 30000
        - name: StallmanWasRight
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 125000
        - name: YouShouldKnow
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 5000000
        - name: ABoringDystopia
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 753000
        - name: anticonsumption
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 500000
      rss:
        - name: The Markup
          url: https://themarkup.org/feeds/rss.xml
      youtube_categories: [27]  # Education
    competitive_gap: "Mechanism-level breakdown of manipulation design with righteous framing"
    keywords:
      include:
        - "dark pattern"
        - "manipulative"
        - "designed to"
        - "trick"
        - "hidden fee"
        - "deceptive"
        - "asshole design"
        - "shrinkflation"
      exclude:
        - "conspiracy"
        - "illuminati"
    curiosity_queries:
      - "Why the unsubscribe button is always broken"
      - "How grocery stores make you spend 40% more"
      - "The psychology behind infinite scroll"
    scoring_weights:
      demand_signal: 1.0
      content_gap: 1.0
      explainability: 1.0
      evergreen_potential: 1.2
      audience_breadth: 1.1
    hook_criteria: |
      WHAT MAKES A STRONG "DESIGNED TO TRICK YOU" HOOK:
      The viewer must encounter a SPECIFIC manipulation they interact with DAILY. The trick must be:
      - Something they personally experience (unsubscribe buttons, grocery store layouts, app notifications — not political manipulation or "society")
      - Reveal intentional design, not accident ("They WANT you to do this")
      - Create mild indignation that leads to feeling armed ("Now you'll notice this every time")
      - Name the specific mechanism, not just the category

      Strong: "Why the 'X' Button on Ads is Designed to Be Impossible to Tap" (specific, daily experience, reveals intent)
      Strong: "How Grocery Stores Make You Walk Past Everything to Get Milk" (specific mechanism, everyone experiences it)
      Weak: "How Companies Manipulate You" (too broad, no specific trick)
      Weak: "The Dark Side of Social Media" (category, not mechanism)

  the_money_thing:
    name: "The Money Thing"
    short_name: "Money Thing"
    description: "Financial clarity channel. The itch: anxiety reduction through understanding. Not investment advice - clarity on how financial systems mechanically work. The hook acknowledges confusion without condescension. The payoff is feeling less stupid about something everyone pretends to understand."
    itch: "financial_anxiety_reduction"
    format: "Name the confusing thing -> explain the actual mechanics -> 'now you know more than most people'"
    color: "#009933"  # Green
    enabled: true
    sources:
      reddit:
        # Primary
        - name: personalfinance
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 21400000
        - name: povertyfinance
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 2100000
        - name: CreditCards
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 1200000
        - name: credit
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 150000
        - name: tax
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 176000
        # Secondary
        - name: FirstTimeHomeBuyer
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 466000
        - name: insurance
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 93000
        - name: StudentLoans
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 661000
        - name: banking
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 54000
        - name: MiddleClassFinance
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 224000
      rss:
        - name: CFPB Blog
          url: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/feed/
      youtube_categories: [27]  # Education
    competitive_gap: "Mechanical 'how it actually works' explanation of financial systems without investment advice"
    keywords:
      include:
        - "how does"
        - "what is"
        - "explain"
        - "credit score"
        - "APR"
        - "interest"
        - "mortgage"
        - "taxes"
        - "confused about"
      exclude:
        - "crypto"
        - "day trading"
        - "get rich"
        - "passive income"
        - "forex"
    curiosity_queries:
      - "What actually happens when you dispute a charge"
      - "Why your credit score drops when you check it (and when it doesn't)"
      - "How tax brackets actually work - you're probably calculating wrong"
    scoring_weights:
      demand_signal: 1.0
      content_gap: 1.0
      explainability: 1.0
      evergreen_potential: 1.2
      audience_breadth: 1.0
    hook_criteria: |
      WHAT MAKES A STRONG "THE MONEY THING" HOOK:
      The viewer must encounter a financial mechanism they USE but don't understand. The topic must be:
      - Something they already interact with (credit scores, tax brackets, APR — not hedge funds or derivatives)
      - Framed as "finally understand this thing you pretend to understand"
      - Acknowledge confusion without condescension ("No one explains this clearly")
      - Mechanical explanation, NOT investment advice

      Strong: "How Tax Brackets Actually Work (You're Probably Calculating Wrong)" (universal confusion, mechanical clarity)
      Strong: "What Actually Happens to Your Credit Score When You Check It" (everyone's heard conflicting info)
      Weak: "How to Build Wealth in Your 20s" (advice, not mechanism)
      Weak: "Understanding the Stock Market" (too broad, sounds like a lecture)

  what_happens_next:
    name: "What Happens Next"
    short_name: "Happens Next"
    description: "Consequence chain channel. The itch: forward-looking curiosity. Present a scenario, trace the cascading consequences. Exploits the domino-chain 'can't look away' impulse. The payoff is seeing the full chain play out."
    itch: "consequence_chain_curiosity"
    format: "Set up the scenario -> trace each consequence step -> land on the surprising final outcome"
    color: "#CC6699"  # Pink
    enabled: true
    sources:
      reddit:
        # Primary
        - name: hypotheticalsituation
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 293000
        - name: theydidthemath
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 500000
        - name: CatastrophicFailure
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 1500000
        - name: askscience
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 18000000
        # Secondary
        - name: HistoryWhatIf
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 65000
        - name: FutureWhatIf
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 45000
        - name: AlternateHistory
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 150000
        - name: worldbuilding
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 1800000
        - name: collapse
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 538000
        - name: WritingPrompts
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 16000000
        - name: WhoWouldWin
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 581000
      rss: []
      youtube_categories: [27]  # Education
    competitive_gap: "Pure consequence-chain format - every video is 'X happens, then Y, then Z'"
    keywords:
      include:
        - "what would happen"
        - "what if"
        - "consequence"
        - "chain reaction"
        - "domino effect"
        - "cascade"
        - "then what"
      exclude:
        - "prediction"
        - "prophecy"
    curiosity_queries:
      - "What happens if you never pay a parking ticket"
      - "What would happen if the internet went down for a week"
      - "The cascade effect of one cancelled flight"
    scoring_weights:
      demand_signal: 1.0
      content_gap: 1.1
      explainability: 1.0
      evergreen_potential: 1.0
      audience_breadth: 1.0
    hook_criteria: |
      WHAT MAKES A STRONG "WHAT HAPPENS NEXT" HOOK:
      Simple starting point with 3+ escalating consequences. The scenario must be:
      - An accessible starting point anyone can understand ("What if you never paid a parking ticket?")
      - Chain of non-obvious consequences that build on each other
      - Each consequence makes you want to know the NEXT consequence (domino effect)
      - Final outcome is surprising or more severe than expected

      CRITICAL FOR THIS CHANNEL: Do NOT lead with the starting condition.
      Lead with the most surprising consequence, then reveal it's part of a chain.

      Instead of: "What Happens to a City When the Water Table Drops"
      Try: "Mexico City Is Sinking 20 Inches Per Year. The Water Under It Is Why."

      Instead of: "What Happens to Your Body If You Stop Sleeping"
      Try: "After 72 Hours Without Sleep, Your Brain Starts Inventing People."

      The starting condition is the video's structure. The most shocking downstream
      consequence is the HOOK. Swap them.

      Strong: "Mexico City Is Sinking 20 Inches Per Year" (shocking consequence first, then the chain)
      Strong: "After 72 Hours Without Sleep, Your Brain Starts Inventing People" (most alarming detail up front)
      Weak: "What Happens to a City When the Water Table Drops" (leads with boring starting condition)
      Weak: "The Future of Technology" (no specific scenario, no chain)

  one_minute_history:
    name: "One Minute History"
    short_name: "1min History"
    description: "Narrative surprise from reality channel. The itch: stories that feel like fiction but actually happened. Not textbook history - weird, dark, absurd, or emotionally resonant moments. The hook is always the most unbelievable detail first."
    itch: "narrative_surprise"
    format: "Lead with the most unbelievable detail -> build the real story around it -> land the 'that actually happened' punchline"
    color: "#996633"  # Brown
    enabled: true
    sources:
      reddit:
        # Primary
        - name: AskHistorians
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 2000000
        - name: todayilearned
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 33000000
        - name: history
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 21800000
        - name: HistoryPorn
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 4000000
        - name: ColorizedHistory
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 850000
        - name: HistoryMemes
          priority: primary
          subscribers: 7300000
        # Secondary
        - name: OldSchoolCool
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 17000000
        - name: ArtefactPorn
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 1900000
        - name: PropagandaPosters
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 410000
        - name: TheWayWeWere
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 1300000
        - name: 100yearsago
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 75000
        - name: MorbidReality
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 616000
        - name: HistoryAnecdotes
          priority: secondary
          subscribers: 50000
      rss: []
      youtube_categories: [27]  # Education
    competitive_gap: "Weird/dark/absurd history moments - not textbook history, not documentaries"
    keywords:
      include:
        - "history"
        - "historical"
        - "century"
        - "ancient"
        - "medieval"
        - "empire"
        - "war"
        - "actually happened"
        - "true story"
      exclude:
        - "breaking"
        - "just announced"
    curiosity_queries:
      - "The pope who put a dead body on trial"
      - "The shortest war in history (38 minutes)"
      - "The man who survived both atomic bombs"
    scoring_weights:
      demand_signal: 1.0
      content_gap: 1.0
      explainability: 1.0
      evergreen_potential: 1.2
      audience_breadth: 1.0
    hook_criteria: |
      WHAT MAKES A STRONG "ONE MINUTE HISTORY" HOOK:
      Real event that sounds like fiction — lead with the most unbelievable detail. The story must be:
      - A REAL historical event (verifiable, not legend or myth)
      - Sound so absurd it feels like fiction ("The Pope once put a dead body on trial")
      - Lead with the most unbelievable detail, not chronological order
      - Emotionally resonant (dark, absurd, triumphant, tragic — not just "interesting")

      Strong: "The Pope Who Put a Corpse on Trial" (sounds fake, is real, emotionally dark/absurd)
      Strong: "The Man Who Survived Both Atomic Bombs" (sounds impossible, is real, human story)
      Weak: "The History of World War I" (textbook title, no specific hook)
      Weak: "Ancient Rome Was Interesting" (no specific claim, no "that actually happened?" moment)

# Global settings
settings:
  # Minimum confidence score for item-channel matching (0.0-1.0)
  min_channel_confidence: 0.3

  # Allow items to appear in multiple channels
  allow_multi_channel: true

  # Default scoring weights (used if channel doesn't override)
  default_scoring_weights:
    demand_signal: 1.0
    content_gap: 1.0
    explainability: 1.0
    evergreen_potential: 1.0
    audience_breadth: 1.0

  # Monitoring cadence
  monitoring_strategy:
    signal_metric: comment_to_upvote_ratio
    sweet_spot_subscribers_min: 50000
    sweet_spot_subscribers_max: 500000
    primary_subreddits: daily
    secondary_subreddits: weekly
    rss_feeds: daily

  # Shared subreddits - these appear in multiple channels intentionally
  # Pipeline routes based on content/keywords, not source alone
  shared_subreddits:
    - todayilearned  # sixty_second_rabbit_hole, one_minute_history
    - askscience    # how_it_actually_works, what_happens_next
    - NoStupidQuestions  # why_you_do_that (primary moved here)
