Write.as Skill

Comprehensive assistance with Write.as and WriteFreely API development, based on official API documentation. This skill provides practical guidance for building applications around the Write.as blogging platform and its open-source WriteFreely implementation.

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be triggered when:

• Working with the Write.as REST API (https://write.as/api/)
• Building applications that interact with Write.as or WriteFreely
• Implementing blog post creation, updates, or management
• Setting up user authentication for Write.as accounts
• Creating or managing collections (blogs)
• Implementing crossposting to Twitter, Medium, or Tumblr
• Integrating Markdown rendering for blog posts
• Debugging Write.as API calls or authentication issues
• Working with anonymous posts and post claiming
• Building self-hosted WriteFreely instances

Key Concepts

Core Terminology

Posts: Markdown-based articles with metadata. Posts can be created anonymously or associated with a user account.

Collections: Known as "blogs" in the UI. Container for multiple posts with customizable settings. Creating collections requires a Pro account.

Users: Registered accounts with password, email, and resource access. Users can own multiple collections and posts.

Tokens: Used for authentication and post management. Anonymous posts return a token for later modifications, while user operations use access tokens via Authorization: Token {access_token} header.

Authentication

• Anonymous: No authentication required. Store the returned token for later updates/deletions.
• User-based: Login via /api/auth/login to get an access token, then pass it in the Authorization header.

Quick Reference

Creating an Anonymous Post

POST https://write.as/api/posts
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "body": "This is a post.",
  "title": "My First Post"
}

Response:

{
  "code": 201,
  "data": {
    "id": "rf3t35fkax0aw",
    "token": "ozPEuJWYK8L1QsysBUcTUKy9za7yqQ4M",
    "title": "My First Post",
    "body": "This is a post."
  }
}

Note: Save the token to update or delete this post later.

Updating a Post (Anonymous)

POST https://write.as/api/posts/{POST_ID}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "token": "ozPEuJWYK8L1QsysBUcTUKy9za7yqQ4M",
  "body": "This is an updated post."
}

User Authentication

POST https://write.as/api/auth/login
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "alias": "username",
  "pass": "password"
}

Response:

{
  "code": 200,
  "data": {
    "access_token": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000",
    "user": {
      "username": "username"
    }
  }
}

Creating a Post as Authenticated User

POST https://write.as/api/posts
Authorization: Token 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "body": "# My authenticated post\n\nThis post is linked to my account.",
  "title": "Authenticated Post"
}

Styling Posts with Fonts

POST https://write.as/api/posts
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "body": "This is a monospace code post.",
  "font": "code"
}

Available fonts:

• sans - Sans-serif with word wrap
• serif or norm - Serif with word wrap
• wrap - Monospace with word wrap
• mono - Monospace without wrap
• code - Syntax-highlighted monospace

Crossposting to Social Media

POST https://write.as/api/posts
Authorization: Token 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "body": "Check out my new post!",
  "title": "My Post",
  "crosspost": [
    {"twitter": "yourusername"},
    {"medium": "yourusername"}
  ]
}

Supported services: Twitter, Tumblr, Medium

Creating a Collection (Pro Feature)

POST https://write.as/api/collections
Authorization: Token 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "alias": "my-blog",
  "title": "My Blog"
}

Publishing to a Collection

POST https://write.as/api/collections/{ALIAS}/posts
Authorization: Token 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "body": "# First blog post\n\nWelcome to my blog!",
  "title": "Hello World"
}

Moving Anonymous Post to Collection

POST https://write.as/api/collections/{ALIAS}/collect
Authorization: Token 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
Content-Type: application/json

[
  {
    "id": "rf3t35fkax0aw",
    "token": "ozPEuJWYK8L1QsysBUcTUKy9za7yqQ4M"
  }
]

Rendering Markdown to HTML

POST https://write.as/api/markdown
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "raw_body": "# Hello\n\nThis is **Markdown**."
}

Response:

{
  "code": 200,
  "data": {
    "body": "<h1>Hello</h1>\n<p>This is <strong>Markdown</strong>.</p>"
  }
}

Error Handling

All API responses follow this structure:

{
  "code": 200,
  "data": {}
}

Common HTTP status codes:

• 200 - Success
• 201 - Created successfully
• 400 - Bad request or malformed data
• 401 - Missing or invalid authentication
• 403 - Insufficient permissions (e.g., creating collection without Pro)
• 404 - Resource not found
• 410 - Post unpublished (may return later)
• 429 - Rate limited

Reference Files

This skill includes comprehensive documentation in references/:

• api.md - Complete Write.as API documentation including:
  • All available endpoints (posts, collections, users, formatting)
  • Request/response examples
  • Authentication methods
  • Crossposting configuration
  • Error codes and handling

Use view to read the API reference file when detailed information is needed.

Working with This Skill

For Beginners

1. Start with anonymous posts: No authentication required, perfect for testing
2. Save the token: Always store the token returned when creating anonymous posts
3. Test with single posts: Create, update, retrieve, and delete one post before scaling
4. Read error responses: The API provides clear error messages in the response body

For Intermediate Users

1. Implement user authentication: Use /api/auth/login to get access tokens
2. Work with collections: Create blogs and organize posts into collections
3. Enable crossposting: Automatically share posts to Twitter, Medium, or Tumblr
4. Claim anonymous posts: Convert anonymous posts to user-owned posts with /api/posts/claim
5. Use post styling: Apply different fonts (code, sans, mono) for various content types

For Advanced Users

1. Build full applications: Leverage all endpoints for complete blog management
2. Self-host WriteFreely: Deploy open-source WriteFreely instances
3. Implement rate limiting: Respect API limits and handle 429 responses
4. Use client libraries: Leverage official libraries (Go, Swift, Java) or community libraries (PHP, Python, JavaScript, .NET)
5. Handle edge cases: Implement retry logic, token refresh, and error recovery

Navigation Tips

• Authentication flow: See api.md → "Users" section
• Post management: See api.md → "Posts" section
• Collection setup: See api.md → "Collections" section
• Crossposting: See api.md → "Crossposting" section
• Error handling: See api.md → "Error Handling" section

API Best Practices

1. Store tokens securely: Never commit access tokens or post tokens to version control
2. Handle anonymous posts: Always save the token field when creating anonymous posts
3. Respect rate limits: Implement exponential backoff on 429 responses
4. Use HTTPS: All API endpoints require HTTPS
5. Test with small datasets: Verify your integration with a few posts before scaling
6. Check Pro status: Collection creation requires a Pro account
7. Validate Markdown: Test Markdown rendering with /api/markdown before posting
8. Handle 410 gracefully: Unpublished posts may return with 410 status

Common Use Cases

Building a Blog Publishing Tool

Use authenticated user endpoints to create collections, publish posts, and manage content.

Creating a Markdown Editor Integration

Implement post creation with Markdown preview using /api/markdown endpoint.

Social Media Cross-Poster

Leverage the crosspost parameter to automatically share posts to multiple platforms.

Anonymous Blogging Platform

Build an app using anonymous post creation, storing tokens locally for later management.

Content Migration Tool

Use /api/posts/claim to import anonymous posts into a user account.

Client Libraries

Official:

• Go: https://github.com/writeas/go-writeas
• Swift: https://github.com/writeas/writefreely-swift
• Java: https://github.com/writeas/java-writeas

Community:

• PHP, Python, JavaScript, Vala, .NET Core (see Write.as documentation)

Resources

Official Documentation

• API Docs: https://developers.write.as/docs/api/
• WriteFreely: https://writefreely.org/ (open-source self-hosting)

Key Features

• Backwards compatibility: Endpoints rarely removed; new features added alongside existing
• Flexible authentication: Works anonymously or with user tokens
• Markdown-first: All content uses Markdown formatting
• Self-hosting ready: WriteFreely powers Write.as and independent instances

Notes

• All API requests must use HTTPS
• Anonymous posts can be claimed by authenticated users
• Collections (blogs) require a Pro subscription on Write.as
• Post IDs are permanent and unique
• Tokens are sensitive credentials - protect them like passwords
• The API maintains backwards compatibility - old integrations continue working

Updating

This skill is based on the official Write.as API documentation. For the latest updates, refer to:

• https://developers.write.as/docs/api/