# Drama Skills (ZenStory) — guide skill for stories & short dramas

> **For AI agents:** find the right skill in one call — `curl -s "https://skills.varg.ai/api/search?q=<what the person wants>"` returns the matching use case and the best skills with install commands, as markdown (Russian works too). Full index: https://skills.varg.ai/llms.txt. Every page has a markdown twin: add `.md` to its path. Before generating anything, show the person the options on the use-case page.

Short-drama skills that beat a no-skill control in blind tests: script, assets, storyboard, keyframe and video prompts.

- **Type:** [Guide](https://skills.varg.ai/guides.md) · [Stories & short dramas](https://skills.varg.ai/browse/skills/story.md)
- **Slug:** `zenstory-drama-skills`
- **Status:** live
- **Publisher:** ZenStory AI (community)
- **License:** MIT
- **Source:** https://github.com/zenstory-ai/drama-skills
- **Works in:** Claude Code, Codex
- **Requires:** Provider keys only for the produce step (MiniMax, OpenAI, Volcengine Ark or Qwen)
- **Cost:** Writing skills are free; production calls are billed to your own provider keys
- **Adoption:** 18,834 installs, 3,388 GitHub stars (GitHub + skills.sh, 2026-10-26)

## What it does

Twelve skills that carry a Chinese short drama or AI manju (comic drama) from an idea or a novel to the edit: development and adaptation, novel analysis, episode writing, character and location assets, image prompts, a storyboard with frozen keyframe prompts and continuity checks (axis, blocking, eyelines, props), video prompts, review, edit planning and production through provider adapters. In the Awesome Short Drama Skills blind test (2026-10-18, Opus and GPT judges, three runs each), its scripts and character outlines beat the no-skill control every time; judges noted short lines, distinct voices and emotion carried by objects, with episode-end hooks on the restrained side. The writing skills produce Markdown and call no provider; the produce skill can call MiniMax, OpenAI, Volcengine Ark or Qwen with your keys.

## Use when

- Develop a short drama or manju from an idea or a novel
- Turn a script into storyboards and keyframe prompts
- Check continuity before generating video

## Not for

- English-language scripts (skills and outputs are Chinese-first)

## Install

- Claude Code: `npx skills add zenstory-ai/drama-skills -y -g`
- Codex: `npx skills add zenstory-ai/drama-skills -y -g`

**Models it drives:** seedance_2

## Example output

https://skills.varg.ai/previews/zenstory-drama-skills.mp4 — The README's 68 s vertical sample: opening of episode 1 of 让你管账号, adapted from a 20-chapter novel, 20 storyboard shots generated one by one, then cut with captions, system panels and SFX. Cut 2.5-10.5 s. (credit: ZenStory AI (drama-skills), https://github.com/zenstory-ai/drama-skills#readme)

## Used for

- [AI short film or series](https://skills.varg.ai/use-cases/short-film.md): A multi-shot story with consistent characters: script, storyboard, previz, shots, edit.

## More stories & short dramas skills

- [fal Storytelling](https://skills.varg.ai/skills/fal-storytelling.md): Plan multi-shot stories: storyboards, shot lists, first-to-last-frame chains and continuity across scenes.
- [Shuohao Short-Drama Skills](https://skills.varg.ai/skills/shuohao-short-drama.md): Seven chained skills from novel to AI short drama: characters, outline, art bible, script, staging, storyboard.
- [Screenwriting Skills](https://skills.varg.ai/skills/screenwriting-skills.md): 26 screenwriting and dramaturgy skills, from story structure to writing in the style of Ozu, Chekhov or Succession.
- [Emma Short-Drama Writing Skills](https://skills.varg.ai/skills/emma-screenwriting.md): Short-drama writing kit (hooks, outlines, dialogue, trims, US localization) that beat a no-skill control in blind tests.
- [AI Short Drama Studio](https://skills.varg.ai/skills/ai-short-drama-studio.md): Greenlight score, series bible, episode compiler and production pack for serialized AI short dramas and manju.
- [Short Drama Skill Finder](https://skills.varg.ai/skills/short-drama-skill-finder.md): Picks short-drama and manju skills from a hand-checked list of 90+ projects by stage, video model and agent.

## Run the generation on varg

varg is one API key for the models these skills drive — Seedance 2.5, Kling 4, Veo 3.1, Wan 3, Nano Banana 2.1, GPT Image 2.5, ElevenLabs v4 and 200+ more — billed in credits, with a cost estimate before anything runs.

- Claude Code: `claude plugin marketplace add vargHQ/skills && claude plugin install varg@varg` (skill + hosted MCP)
- Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenClaw: `npx skills add vargHQ/skills --skill varg-ai -a <agent> -y`
- Claude.ai, ChatGPT, any MCP client: connect `https://mcp.varg.ai/mcp`
- API key: https://varg.ai/dashboard/api · Model specs: https://varg.ai/models/llms.txt