Scan Recurrences

Skill: scan-recurrences

What it does. Sweeps the entire book for phrases, images, and structures appearing in multiple chapters. Distinguishes intentional recurrence (a motif stitching the work together) from accidental duplication (the same aphorism recycled). Updates .project/reports/recurrences.md.

Triggers

• "run scan-recurrences"
• "/scan-recurrences"
• "find duplications in the book"
• "what repeats across chapters?"
• Equivalent phrasing in the project's output language

Optional inputs

• Scope: whole book (default), a single Act, or a chapter list
• Mode: full (complete sweep) or incremental (only new/modified chapters)

Output

• Updated .project/reports/recurrences.md
• Chat report of new duplications

Write all output in the project's output language.

Why this skill exists

Chapter-by-chapter analysis is blind to the whole book. It can see that a serial comparison is a tic — but not that the same sentence appears in three different chapters.

Literal cross-chapter duplication is the most damaging marker for a critical reader, because it has no stylistic defence. A human author may have tics; they rarely repeat the same striking sentence three times without noticing.

This skill is the only way to catch it.

Execution protocol

Step 1 — Load context

1. .project/config/project.yaml — output language
2. .project/reports/recurrences.md — current state (for incremental mode and to preserve decisions)
3. .project/reports/preserve-list.md — recurrences of thesis phrases are intentional
4. Chapter list within scope — resolve it via .project/templates/layout.md, using project.yaml → paths.layout. Never glob the manuscript directory on instinct: this skill's whole value is comparing every chapter against every other, and a chapter missing from the list produces "no duplication found" instead of an error

Step 2 — Read all chapters

Read the manuscript text (not the _analysis.md files). The first pass must be a real read; targeted grep can refine afterwards.

Step 3 — Detect candidates

Four types:

Type A — Literal duplication. The same sentence (or 80%+ identical) in two or more chapters.

Type B — Recurring structural formula. Not the same sentence, but the same syntactic mould repeated.

e.g. an identical closing formula used in four different chapters.

Type C — Recycled image or comparison. The same metaphor applied in different contexts.

Type D — Repeated character aphorism. The same character saying essentially the same thing in different scenes, without the repetition being diegetic.

Step 4 — Classify

INTENTIONAL RECURRENCE (preserve)

• The phrase is in preserve-list.md
• It is a declared motif of the book
• The repetition has a function: ritual, mantra, character obsession, deliberate echo

Canonical example: a mantra a character repeats daily. It repeats because it is a ritual — cutting it would destroy the character.

ACCIDENTAL DUPLICATION (cut down to one)

• A striking line recycled
• A comparison reused in a different context
• A repeated closing formula
• Character self-description repeated without function

GREY ZONE (decide with the author)

• Repetition that could be intentional but is not clearly so
• List with an explicit question: "deliberate echo or duplication?"

Step 5 — Recommend which instance to keep

Criteria, in order:

1. First occurrence takes precedence — usually where it lands hardest.
2. Unless the second is dramatically stronger — if it returns at a climax carrying more weight, keep the later one.
3. Diegetic beats narrative — a character's line beats the narrator's observation.
4. Chapter closing beats mid-paragraph.

Always justify in one sentence.

Step 6 — Update recurrences.md

### "{phrase}"
Appears in:
- {ch}: {brief context}
- {ch}: {brief context}
**Decision:** keep {ch}. Cut {chs}. {Justification}
**Status:** {pending | ✓ resolved on DD/MM}

Preserve existing decisions. An item marked ✓ resolved does not return. Author R: annotations are respected.

Step 7 — Report

• How many new duplications, by type
• Top 3 most damaging
• Grey-zone items awaiting a decision
• Updated file path

Critical rules

1. Thesis is not duplication. Cross-check preserve-list.md before flagging anything. A mantra appearing dozens of times may be exactly the point.

2. Motif is not duplication. A good book has images that return. A word that opens a relationship in chapter 3 and closes the book in chapter 20 is architecture, not laziness.

3. The reader test: if the reader notices the repetition, will they think "how lovely, it came back" or "I've read this already"? If the latter, it is duplication.

4. Do not inflate. Two shared words is not a recurrence. The threshold: a full sentence or a distinctive syntactic structure, in comparable context.

5. Preserve history. In incremental mode, never rewrite from scratch.

6. Count honestly. If it appears four times, say four — not "several". The count is what gives the argument weight.

Incremental mode

1. Read recurrences.md to see what is already mapped
2. Identify chapters modified since the last sweep
3. Compare only new/modified chapters against the full corpus
4. Add only new findings
5. Mark ✓ resolved any duplication that has disappeared

After the sweep

• Many new duplications → suggest re-running analyze-chapter on affected chapters (now with an updated map)
• Grey-zone items → list the questions for the author
• Phrase confirmed as intentional → suggest moving it to preserve-list.md