gate-fine-outline

name	gate-fine-outline
description	Run the Fine-outline Gate (PASS/WARN/FAIL) before drafting chapters. Enforces per-chapter structure and Han > 500 per chapter plan when measurable.

gate-fine-outline

Use when (proactive triggers)

Call this skill without being asked when you observe any of the following:

• Fine-outline exists and you are about to draft chapters.
• Fine-outline was recently edited and you need to confirm the minimum standard (structure + Han threshold).
• Chapters are drifting; you suspect the fine-outline is too vague to control prose.

What this gate protects

This gate prevents you from drafting chapters on top of a fine-outline that is:

• too short/vague to control prose (invites drift)
• missing end-state clarity (invites “chapter happens” without consequence)
• missing anchors at ambiguity points (invites rule cheating)
• carrying unresolved questions that will get “solved” in prose by accident

Inputs (what to read)

• Fine-outline artifact(s) under project outline/:
  • preferred: outline/fine/*.md (one file per chapter)
  • acceptable: outline/fine-outline.md
• outline/outline.md (for intended spine and open questions)
• Relevant constraints in spec/ (premise/system/continuity/timeline)

Quick start

1. Locate fine-outline artifacts under outline/:
   • preferred: one file per chapter under outline/fine/
   • acceptable: a single outline/fine-outline.md (harder to measure per chapter)
2. For each chapter plan, verify required structure and constraints.
3. Verify Han > 500 per chapter plan:
   • if per-chapter files exist, use project__text_stats for each file and check counts.han
4. Output a Gate Report.

Evidence tooling (how to stay concrete)

• Use project__glob to list fine-outline files.
• Use project__text_stats to verify counts.han per chapter plan (when files are per-chapter).
• Use project__read_text to quote missing/ambiguous sections.
• Use project__search_text(query=\"@spec:\", path=\"outline\") to spot-check anchors.

Fix routing (where to repair)

• Structure too vague / missing end state → revise fine-outline, not chapter prose.
• Missing canon constraint needed by a chapter → backfill spec/outline first, then revise fine-outline.
• Han below threshold → expand stakes/obstacles/beat consequences; add explicit end state.
• Many unresolved questions → resolve upstream or mark as blocking (FAIL) if drafting depends on them.

Gate Report format

• Target: Fine-outline
• Result: PASS / WARN / FAIL
• Findings: list of {severity, location, problem, suggested_fix}
• Next step: continue / revise fine-outline / revise outline / rollback

Minimum checks (v1)

PASS:

• Each chapter fine-outline has Han > 500 (when measurable).
• Each chapter includes at least: goal / conflict / key turn or info gain / end state (result).
• Where ambiguity points exist, chapter plan includes constraint anchors @spec:<id> (when necessary).

FAIL:

• Any chapter plan is missing the “what/why/result” skeleton such that drafting can’t be controlled.

WARN:

• Han count cannot be measured reliably due to monolithic file layout; recommend splitting to per-chapter files.
• Chapter plans exist but “Undecided / Open Questions” remain; treat as WARN unless they block drafting.

Constraints

• Do not modify outline/ while running this gate; only report findings.
• If a chapter plan depends on missing canon constraints, recommend backfilling upstream (spec/outline), not “fix it in prose”.
• Findings MUST be anchored to concrete locations (file + heading, or file + line when available).

Self-check

• Did you verify the >500 Han requirement using project__text_stats when possible?
• Are fixes targeted (revise the plan), not “fix it in prose”?