| name | book-export |
| description | Assemble the full manuscript from chapters/ into a typeset PDF (and optionally EPUB). Use when the user asks to build the book, export the book, compile a draft, produce a readable copy, or ship the manuscript. Defaults to a DRAFT-watermarked preview build; will refuse to produce a ship build if any chapter is not ship-ready. |
| model | sonnet |
book-export
Final-assembly skill for Builder-Leader: The AI Exoskeleton That Crosses the Gap. Takes the chapter files in chapters/ and produces a typeset PDF in export/.
When to run
- User says "build the book", "export the book", "ship it", "produce a PDF", "finish the book", "compile the draft", or anything pointing at final assembly.
- Automated gates at milestone boundaries (end of Stage 2, end of Stage 3, etc.).
Modes
Two modes, passed as the first argument to scripts/build.sh:
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|
preview (default) | Compiles every chapter in chapters/ regardless of status. Stamps DRAFT — NOT FOR CIRCULATION in the running header of every page and large on the title page. Writes status column in the TOC. For sharing pre-ship drafts with named readers. |
ship | Refuses to compile unless every chapter's frontmatter status field is ship-ready. No watermark. Clean TOC. For final distribution. |
Pass epub as the second argument to also produce an EPUB.
./build.sh preview # → export/book-preview.pdf
./build.sh preview epub # → export/book-preview.pdf + export/book-preview.epub
./build.sh ship # → export/book.pdf (gated on ship-ready)
Inputs
chapters/*.md — chapter files, sorted by filename (00 → 10)canon/thesis.md — used to extract title and one-line description- Each chapter's YAML frontmatter (
chapter, title, status, word_count)
Procedure
- Prepare. Ensure
export/ exists. Check pandoc + xelatex are on PATH. If missing, tell the user to install and stop.
- Gate (ship mode only). Read frontmatter of every chapter file. If any
status is not ship-ready, print the list of offenders and exit 1.
- Strip frontmatter. For each chapter file, produce a frontmatter-stripped copy in a tempdir. Keep chapter order by filename prefix.
- Assemble. Concatenate into a single
manuscript.md with page breaks between chapters (pandoc \newpage raw LaTeX).
- Build TOC data. Derive title list from frontmatter titles. Status column appears in preview mode only.
- Invoke pandoc. Uses
templates/book.tex as header include, templates/titlepage.tex as before-body include. xelatex engine. 6"×9" trim. Iowan Old Style body, Avenir Next display.
- Report. Print output path, final page count, and any pandoc warnings.
Typography decisions (locked)
- Trim: 6" × 9" (standard trade hardcover)
- Body: Iowan Old Style 11/15pt (ships with macOS, book-optimized)
- Display: Avenir Next for chapter numbers, chapter titles, running heads
- Chapter opener: drop cap (40pt first letter) + small caps first three words of chapter
- Pull quotes: fenced div
::: pullquote ... ::: — rendered larger italic with rule above/below, no quote marks
- Block quotes: standard markdown
> — indented, slightly smaller, roman
- Attributions / citations: numbered endnotes per chapter via pandoc footnotes (
[^1] markdown). Currently zero citations in chapters; wired for future use.
- Running heads: verso = book title (small caps), recto = chapter title (italic). Folio outer. Preview mode adds
DRAFT — NOT FOR CIRCULATION in header center.
- Front matter: title page with title + subtitle + author + DRAFT notice + copyright, then TOC
- Back matter: about the author placeholder (stub for later)
Copyright notice (title-page verso, preview and ship)
Copyright © 2026 Justin Johnson. All rights reserved.
No part of this manuscript may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted
without the prior written permission of the author.
Working title; subject to change.
Pull-quote markdown convention
To render a pull quote in any chapter, use a pandoc fenced div:
::: pullquote
You can't read your way across the gap. You cross it by building.
:::
Attribution, if present, goes on the next line inside the div, prefixed by an em-dash-free separator (the project bans em-dashes):
::: pullquote
The harness is the moat.
, Justin Johnson, Run Data Run
:::
The skill will render this as a centered pull quote with the attribution styled smaller.
Dependencies
pandoc 3.x (installed via Homebrew)xelatex from MacTeX / BasicTeX- LaTeX packages:
fontspec, microtype, geometry, fancyhdr, xcolor, hyperref, setspace, parskip
If any LaTeX package is missing, the skill prints the exact sudo tlmgr install command to fix it and exits.
What this skill does NOT do
- Does not modify any chapter file.
- Does not run fact-checking or red-team. Those are
book-fact-check and book-red-team.
- Does not publish. Distribution is a separate human step.
- Does not attempt cover art. Cover is a later concern.
Output location
export/book-preview.pdf — preview buildsexport/book.pdf — ship buildsexport/book-preview.epub / export/book.epub — when epub flag is setexport/.build.log — pandoc stderr from the latest build
