Manuscript

Manuscript Scaffold Skill

Scaffolds a new manuscript project using the standard build_doc.py builder. Creates a runnable Python manuscript builder pre-loaded with the correct citation infrastructure ([@slug] format), document style (Times New Roman 12pt, 1-inch margins, double spacing), and section structure. Compatible with /literature:card (card intake) and /literature:claim-audit (citation audit).

What this skill creates

{project_dir}/
  build_doc.py          ← manuscript builder (copy of template, customised)
  references/
    key_papers.bib      ← empty, ready for card intake
    INDEX.md            ← empty, ready for card intake
    cards/              ← empty, cards added via /literature:card

Phase 1 — Gather inputs

Ask the user for:

1. Project directory — absolute path where files should be created
2. Paper title — full title (will appear centred, bold, 14pt on title page)
3. Short title — running head (≤60 chars)
4. Output filename — e.g. manuscript_v1.docx (default: manuscript_v1.docx)

If the user provides these upfront (e.g. /literature:manuscript new --title "..." --dir /path/), skip asking.

Phase 2 — Check for conflicts

ls {project_dir}/build_doc.py 2>/dev/null

If file exists → abort: "A build_doc.py already exists at {project_dir}. Use /literature:manuscript update to modify it."

Phase 3 — Scaffold

Step 3.1 — Create references directory structure

mkdir -p {project_dir}/references/cards

Step 3.2 — Create empty key_papers.bib

% key_papers.bib — populated by /literature:card

Step 3.3 — Create INDEX.md

| slug | title | year | status | date_added |
|------|-------|------|--------|------------|

Step 3.4 — Copy and customise build_doc.py

Read the template from references/build_doc_template.py (in this skill's references folder). Then substitute:

Write the customised file to {project_dir}/build_doc.py.

Phase 4 — Verify

cd {project_dir} && python3 build_doc.py

Should produce {output_filename} with Lorem ipsum content and no errors. If it fails, diagnose and fix before reporting success.

Phase 5 — Report

Tell the user:

• Files created and their paths
• How to add the first citation: /literature:card doi:{doi}
• How to write citations in prose: [@slug] inline in add_para() calls
• How to audit citations when done: /literature:claim-audit {project_dir}

Updating an existing manuscript

Command: /literature:manuscript update {project_dir}

Use this to:

• Add a new section (add add_heading + add_para block)
• Change citation style (CITATION_STYLE = "author-year")
• Add authors or affiliations to the title page
• Bump output filename (manuscript_v2.docx)

Never run this to change prose that is already in build_doc.py — edit build_doc.py directly for prose changes.

Citation convention (critical — do not deviate)

All citations in build_doc.py use this format:

add_para(doc, "Sentence text [@slug] more text [@slug2; @slug3].")

• [@slug] — single citation
• [@slug1; @slug2] — multiple citations, semicolon-separated
• slug = BibTeX key = card slug from /literature:card

resolve_cites() in build_doc.py converts these to numbered superscripts at build time. Do not write formatted citations directly — always use [@slug].

This convention is what /literature:claim-audit scans for. If a different format is used, the audit will not find the citations.