ctx-journal-normalize

name	ctx-journal-normalize
description	Normalize journal source markdown for clean rendering. Use after journal site shows rendering issues: fence nesting, metadata formatting, broken lists.
tools	["bash","read","write","edit"]

Reconstruct journal entries as clean Markdown from stripped plain text.

When to Use

• After ctx journal site shows rendering issues
• When journal entries have fence nesting problems
• When metadata blocks render as raw **Key**: value
• Before running ctx-journal-enrich (clean Markdown improves extraction)

When NOT to Use

• On entries already normalized (check .state.json)
• When the site renders correctly
• On non-journal Markdown files

Output Rules

1. Fences: Always use backtick fences. Innermost code gets 3 backticks. Each nesting level adds 1.
2. Metadata: **Key**: value blocks become collapsed <details>.
3. Tool output: Collapse into <details> when > 10 lines.
4. Lists: 2-space indent per level.
5. No invented content: Every word in output traces to input.

Process

1. Backup first: copy journal directory to .bak sibling
2. Identify files to normalize (skip already-normalized via .state.json)
3. Process files turn-by-turn (not whole file at once)
4. Write back the fixed files
5. Mark normalized: ctx system mark-journal <filename> normalized
6. Regenerate site: ctx journal site --build
7. Report what changed

Quality Checklist

• Backup created before modifying
• Already-normalized files skipped
• No content was invented or lost
• State file updated for processed entries