---
name: ascii-glitch-gif
description: Generate procedural dark ASCII cyber-glitch animated GIFs from literal detailed ASCII art, especially black glitch art banners, Discord headers, high-detail character-art loops, occult glyph animations, CRT/VHS terminalcore GIFs, and wallpaper-style glitch backgrounds. Use when the user asks to turn ASCII/text art into a GIF, generate this black ASCII glitch GIF style, make a test glitch GIF, create a cyberpunk ASCII banner, or animate detailed ASCII art. Use with the detailed-ascii-art skill for new subjects.
---


# ASCII Glitch GIF

## Purpose

Use the bundled generator to create real looping GIFs in the black cyber-glitch / ASCII terminal style. The default path is literal character-art animation: detailed ASCII rows go in, looping GIF comes out. Legacy procedural presets still exist for quick tests, but new ASCII subjects should come from `$detailed-ascii-art`.

When the user says "ASCII", treat that as literal text-art made from characters, not merely ASCII-inspired linework. Default outputs should match the user's reference: black background, white monospaced characters, no labels, no border, and no scanlines. Add scanlines, frames, stamps, or terminal labels only when the user specifically asks.

## Skill Chain

For any new subject, use `$detailed-ascii-art` first to create or refine a dense, polished monospaced ASCII composition. Preserve leading spaces and line breaks exactly. Save the finished ASCII to a `.txt` file, then run this skill's generator with `--preset literal-ascii --ascii-file`.

Only use built-in presets like `literal-ascii-demon`, `spinning-angel`, or `ascii-demon` when the user explicitly wants that preset or a fast test.

## Quick Commands

Set paths:

```bash
SKILL_DIR="$HOME/.codex/skills/ascii-glitch-gif"
PY="/Users/tec/.cache/codex-runtimes/codex-primary-runtime/dependencies/python/bin/python3"
[ -x "$PY" ] || PY="python3"
```

Generate a GIF from detailed ASCII art:

```bash
"$PY" "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/generate_ascii_glitch_gif.py" \
  --preset literal-ascii \
  --ascii-file "$PWD/detailed-ascii-art.txt" \
  --spin \
  --out "$PWD/detailed-ascii-glitch.gif" \
  --preview-sheet "$PWD/detailed-ascii-glitch-contact.png"
```

Generate the built-in literal ASCII demon test:

```bash
"$PY" "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/generate_ascii_glitch_gif.py" \
  --preset literal-ascii-demon \
  --out "$PWD/ascii-demon-glitch-banner.gif" \
  --preview-sheet "$PWD/ascii-demon-glitch-banner-contact.png"
```

Generate from a pasted/custom ASCII art file:

```bash
"$PY" "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/generate_ascii_glitch_gif.py" \
  --preset literal-ascii \
  --ascii-file "$PWD/custom-ascii.txt" \
  --out "$PWD/custom-ascii-glitch.gif"
```

Generate a quick procedural spinning angel test:

```bash
"$PY" "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/generate_ascii_glitch_gif.py" \
  --preset spinning-angel \
  --out "$PWD/spinning-angel-glitch-banner.gif" \
  --preview-sheet "$PWD/spinning-angel-glitch-banner-contact.png"
```

Generate a larger wallpaper-style loop:

```bash
"$PY" "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/generate_ascii_glitch_gif.py" \
  --width 1920 \
  --height 1080 \
  --frames 72 \
  --duration 45 \
  --text "KASHWORLD" \
  --out "$PWD/spinning-angel-glitch-wallpaper.gif"
```

## Workflow

1. Choose the output format:
   - `680x240` for Discord/Pinterest-style banners.
   - `1920x1080`, `2560x1440`, or the user's display size for wallpaper loops.
2. If the user asks for a new subject, invoke `$detailed-ascii-art` mentally/procedurally first and produce the full ASCII composition.
3. Write the ASCII composition to a `.txt` file with exact spacing preserved.
4. Run `--preset literal-ascii --ascii-file "/path/to/art.txt"`.
5. Leave `--text` and `--title` unset by default for clean art with no labels.
6. Use `--text` only when the user asks for a lower-right stamp, such as `KASHWORLD`, `DEM0NHUB`, or `30WONTJAM`.
7. Use `--title` only when the user asks for an upper-left terminal label.
8. Use `--scanlines` only when the user asks for CRT scanlines.
9. Use `--frame` only when the user asks for a thin rectangular border.
10. Use `--glitch-bars` only when the user asks for bright horizontal glitch bars.
11. Use `--red-accent` only when the user asks for red demon accents.
12. Use `--spin` when the user asks for spinning, rotating, turning, or orbiting literal ASCII art.
13. Use `--seed` to make alternate variants while keeping the same overall composition.
14. Generate a `--preview-sheet` when visual QA is useful; inspect it before final delivery.
15. For wallpaper use, combine this skill with `macos-gif-wallpaper` after generation.

## Implementation Notes

- Script: `scripts/generate_ascii_glitch_gif.py`
- Current presets: `literal-ascii`, `literal-ascii-demon`, `spinning-angel`, `ascii-demon`
- Default size: `680x240`
- Default frame count: `56`
- Default duration: `45` ms per frame
- Default preset: `literal-ascii`, requiring `--ascii-file`
- Default output: `detailed-ascii-glitch.gif`
- Text overlays are off by default. Do not add a title or stamp unless the user asks.
- Scanlines, borders, bright horizontal glitch bars, and red accents are off by default.
- Spinning is off by default; add `--spin` when requested.

The script requires Pillow. Prefer the bundled Codex primary runtime Python when available because it includes a working ARM64 Pillow build on this machine. If Pillow is missing, install it into a local virtual environment rather than modifying system Python.

Keep GIF sizes practical. For large wallpaper loops, reduce `--colors`, `--frames`, or dimensions if the file becomes too heavy.

## Style Guide

- Keep the visual base mostly black with white/blue-white linework.
- For ASCII requests, favor real monospaced character art with preserved spacing. Use `literal-ascii-demon` or `--ascii-file` for pasted art.
- The expected ASCII quality bar comes from `$detailed-ascii-art`: 50-100 characters wide, 18-45 lines tall, strong silhouette, layered internal texture, and balanced line lengths.
- Good prompt/style terms: `black ASCII glitch`, `cyberpunk terminal`, `CRT scanline`, `VHS noise`, `datamosh`, `monochrome angel`, `occult glyph orbit`, `Discord GIF banner`.
- Avoid bright rainbow palettes unless the user asks; the signature look is dark, sharp, and haunted-tech. Keep the main reference look monochrome unless asked otherwise.