Aaai

[SKILL: AAAI PAPER FORMAT]

Activate when: user mentions AAAI, Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, or asks to use/fix AAAI template format.

Execution Protocol

After this skill is activated, select the matching scenario based on user intent.

Shared Common Workflow

Before venue-specific template steps, also load and follow ml-paper-writing skill.

At minimum, apply these shared references:

• writing-guide.md (narrative and clarity)
• citation-workflow.md (verified citations; no hallucinations)
• reviewer-guidelines.md (reviewer-facing quality checks)
• checklists.md (pre-submission gates)

Built-in template: templates/aaai2026/ (referred to as TEMPLATES_DIR below), targeting AAAI 2026. Contents: aaai2026.sty, aaai2026.bst, aaai2026-unified-template.tex, aaai2026-unified-supp.tex, aaai2026.bib.

Pre-step: Year Confirmation & Author Kit Selection

This step MUST be completed before any scenario below.

1. Confirm target year and stage (anonymous submission vs camera-ready/final). Default to latest available year if user does not specify.
2. Check whether TEMPLATES_DIR exists and includes required files: aaai2026.sty, aaai2026.bst, aaai2026-unified-template.tex, aaai2026.bib.
3. Use local built-in template only when BOTH conditions hold:
   • target year = 2026
   • files in TEMPLATES_DIR are complete
4. If either condition fails (target year is not 2026 OR local template files are missing/incomplete), execute this workflow:
   • Inform user local built-in template is unavailable or year-mismatched
   • Go to https://aaai.org/
   • Navigate: Conferences -> target year conference page (for example, AAAI-27)
   • Open "Author Kit" or "Submission Instructions" and download official LaTeX style package
   • If the official page is unavailable/delayed, use Overleaf fallback and search "AAAI "
   • Unzip downloaded files directly into .
   • Continue all remaining scenarios with downloaded year-specific filenames
5. Confirm target track/page policy from current CFP before final checks.
6. Filename substitution rule for all steps below:
   • Treat aaai2026 in commands/examples as a placeholder for the resolved package basename from the selected .sty file.
   • Example: if the downloaded file is aaai2025.sty, replace aaai2026 with aaai2025 everywhere (\\usepackage, .bst, copy commands, checklist checks).

Scenario Routing

• User says "create / new AAAI paper" → Scenario 1
• User says "switch to AAAI format" / "apply AAAI template" → Scenario 2
• User says "AAAI format issue" / "compile error" → Scenario 3
• User says "check format" / "prepare for submission" → Scenario 4

Scenario 1: Create a New AAAI Project

Step 1 — Copy style files to project core directory using bash:

bash(command="cp TEMPLATES_DIR/aaai2026.sty TEMPLATES_DIR/aaai2026.bst TEMPLATES_DIR/aaai2026.bib <PROJECT_CORE>/")

Step 2 — Read TEMPLATES_DIR/aaai2026-unified-template.tex with read_file to follow the official preamble and author/affiliation structure.

Step 3 — Create main.tex using write_file:

• \documentclass[letterpaper]{article}
• Anonymous submission: \usepackage[submission]{aaai2026}
• Camera-ready/final: \usepackage{aaai2026}
• Keep required package set from template (times, helvet, courier, url, graphicx, natbib, caption)
• Use AAAI author macros: \author{...} + \affiliations{...}
• Add \bibliography{references} (or project bib file)
• Do not add \bibliographystyle{aaai2026} manually if natbib is loaded, because style file sets it automatically

Step 4 — Run latex_compile and fix compile errors.

Scenario 2: Switch an Existing Project to AAAI Template

Step 1 — Read current main.tex with read_file.

Step 2 — Read TEMPLATES_DIR/aaai2026-unified-template.tex with read_file as migration baseline.

Step 3 — Copy style files with bash (style files only — do NOT overwrite paper content):

bash(command="cp TEMPLATES_DIR/aaai2026.sty TEMPLATES_DIR/aaai2026.bst <PROJECT_CORE>/")

Step 4 — Update preamble via str_replace:

• Set \documentclass[letterpaper]{article}
• Set \usepackage[submission]{aaai2026} for review or \usepackage{aaai2026} for final
• Keep required AAAI packages and ordering from official template
• Remove forbidden/conflicting packages (especially hyperref, fontenc, geometry, authblk, multicol)

Step 5 — Align anonymity/final metadata:

• Submission: anonymize author identity and remove identifying acknowledgements/links
• Final: restore full author + affiliation info and required copyright notice behavior

Step 6 — Bibliography setup:

• Keep natbib loaded
• Use \bibliography{references}
• Avoid duplicate \bibliographystyle{...} commands

Step 7 — Run latex_compile and resolve remaining issues.

Scenario 3: Fix AAAI Format Issues

Step 1 — Run latex_compile to collect current errors.

Step 2 — Read current preamble and compare to TEMPLATES_DIR/aaai2026-unified-template.tex.

Step 3 — Check common AAAI failures:

• Missing aaai2026.sty in project root
• Using wrong mode (\usepackage{aaai2026} during anonymous submission)
• Loading forbidden packages (hyperref, fontenc, geometry, etc.)
• Duplicate \bibliographystyle command causing BibTeX style conflicts
• Using non-AAAI author macro layout (missing \affiliations{})

Step 4 — Apply targeted fixes via str_replace.

Step 5 — Re-run latex_compile until clean.

Scenario 4: Pre-submission Format Compliance Check

Step 1 — Read full main.tex with read_file.

Step 2 — Verify checklist items:

• \documentclass[letterpaper]{article} is used
• Submission mode uses \usepackage[submission]{aaai2026}
• Anonymous version has no identifying author/affiliation content
• No forbidden packages/commands (especially hyperref, fontenc, geometry, layout hacks)
• Two-column layout preserved (do not force custom page geometry)
• Bibliography setup is valid with AAAI style (natbib + no duplicate bibstyle declarations)
• Page limit matches current CFP/track rules (commonly strict content-page limits)

Step 3 — Report violations and fix them one by one using str_replace.

Step 4 — Run final latex_compile verification.

Format Reference

⚠️ Reference only — always verify: AAAI policies can change by year and track. Always use the target year's CFP + Author Kit as source of truth.

Template Download

• AAAI conference pages (Author Kit links are year-specific): https://aaai.org/
• Official template examples can also be used in Overleaf if they match target year

Setup: Unzip Location

Unzip into project root (same folder as main.tex):

project/
├── main.tex
├── aaai2026.sty
├── aaai2026.bst
├── aaai2026.bib
└── aaai2026-unified-template.tex

Read These Files First

1. aaai2026-unified-template.tex — canonical preamble and usage examples
2. aaai2026.sty — allowed/forbidden package behavior and submission option rules
3. Target-year CFP or author instructions PDF — page limits and track-specific policies

Template Setup in main.tex

\documentclass[letterpaper]{article}
\usepackage[submission]{aaai2026} % anonymous review
% \usepackage{aaai2026}           % camera-ready

\usepackage{times}
\usepackage{helvet}
\usepackage{courier}
\usepackage[hyphens]{url}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{natbib}
\usepackage{caption}

Key Format Rules

Common Pitfalls

• Loading hyperref (hard error in AAAI style)
• Mixing non-AAAI author block patterns with AAAI macros
• Keeping author identities in anonymous submission
• Adding \bibliographystyle{aaai2026} again when style already sets it
• Using layout/margin hacks that violate template constraints