preprint

name

preprint

description

Use when you need to create a preprint / working-paper variant of a paper currently in conference or journal format. Forks the existing Overleaf project — adds a `preprint/` subfolder using the user's `your-template` Template, ports the body content from the source paper. The preprint is accessed locally via the existing `paper-{venue}/paper/preprint/` path (subfolder under the conference paper's symlink); no separate `paper-wp/` directory. Trigger on "set up a working paper", "create a preprint", "WP version", "arXiv-ready version", "ready to preprint". Never creates a new top-level Overleaf project — always nests inside the existing one. Never uses the conference's own style (.sty / .cls); always swaps to `your-template`.

Preprint — fork a WP variant inside the existing Overleaf project

Take an existing paper-{venue}/paper/ (Overleaf-linked, conference-styled) and produce a sibling preprint/ subfolder inside the same Overleaf project that compiles via the user's working-paper template (your-template + your-bib-template). Port the body content but rebuild the preamble + title block from scratch — never just toggle the conference style.

When to Use

• Paper has been submitted (or is ready to submit) and the user wants an arXiv / SSRN / institutional-repo preprint
• Drafting an open-access version that doesn't carry venue-specific page banners, checklists, or anonymity toggles
• Sharing with collaborators who shouldn't have to install neurips_2026.sty / icml.sty / etc.

When NOT to Use

• The paper is already on the WP template (no source to port — start fresh from Template)
• The user wants to retarget to a different journal / conference (use /retarget-journal)
• The user wants to archive the conference draft (use /archive-paper-draft)

Critical Rules

1. Never create a new top-level Overleaf project. The preprint always lives as a preprint/ subfolder inside the source paper's existing Overleaf project. Reviewers and co-authors should be able to flip the Overleaf "Main document" setting to switch variants.
2. Always use your-template (Template), never the conference style. The whole point of a preprint is to drop venue-specific scaffolding. Toggling [main] → [preprint] on neurips_2026.sty (or equivalent) is forbidden — replace the preamble entirely.
3. Source is read-only. Never modify paper-{venue}/paper/main.tex or any of its siblings. The preprint is downstream; the conference draft remains canonical.
4. Idempotent. If preprint/ already exists, refresh template files but never silent-overwrite a main.tex containing manual edits. Diff and prompt instead.
5. Compile must verify. A WP fork that doesn't build is worse than no fork. The skill compiles via latexmk at the end and prints a per-issue manual-fix list if the build fails.
6. Never create a vault submission entry. A preprint post is NOT a venue submission event — see rules/preprint-vs-submission.md. The atlas topic's outputs[*] (status: Posted) and the project CLAUDE.md cover it; ~/vault/submissions/ must stay untouched. Phase 7 (CLAUDE.md update) is the only place this skill records the preprint event; do not extend to vault submissions even when prompted by adjacent helpers.
7. Archive the as-posted PDF once the post is live. Per rules/submission-file-archive.md: download the canonical server copy (for arXiv, https://arxiv.org/pdf/<id> — the server copy IS authoritative for preprints), file it under paper-<venue>/submission/archive/<date>-preprint/manuscript-as-posted.pdf with a provenance README (URL, SHA-256, page/title check), and record submitted_files: on the atlas outputs[*] preprint entry. The entry's posted_date + submitted_files double as the preprint-posted event in the paper's atlas timeline.

---

Phase 1 — Resolve Source and Target

1. Source. If a positional arg is given, treat it as the source paper directory (paper-{venue}/paper/ or just paper-{venue}/). Otherwise:
   • Auto-detect a single paper-*/paper/ matching paper-* excluding paper-wp/.
   • If multiple, list them and prompt user to pick.
2. Target Overleaf folder. Resolve <source-paper-dir> by following its symlink:
   • paper-{venue}/paper -> ../../../../../Apps/Overleaf/<existing-folder>
   • Target is <existing-folder>/preprint/ inside that same project.
3. Refuse if target already populated. If <existing-folder>/preprint/main.tex exists:
   • Read it, hash it, compare to a fresh template-only baseline.
   • If it has manual edits → list them, ask whether to refresh template files only (keep main.tex), refresh all (overwrite main.tex too), or abort.
4. Verify Template source exists. Confirm Template is at the correct Dropbox path for this machine — on Mac Mini that's /Volumes/SSD/Dropbox/Apps/Overleaf/Template/, on MacBook ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox/Apps/Overleaf/Template/. Resolve via hostname check per multi-machine.md. Must contain your-template.sty, your-bib-template.sty, .latexmkrc. If not → abort with instructions to clone Template from Overleaf first.
5. No separate paper-wp/ directory. The preprint lives entirely inside the existing Overleaf project as <existing-folder>/preprint/, accessed locally via <source-paper-dir>/preprint/ (the existing paper-{venue}/paper/ symlink already covers it). The tracked PDF backup goes to <source-paper-dir-parent>/backup/preprint-vcurrent.pdf (e.g., paper-ieee-sp/backup/preprint-vcurrent.pdf) — alongside the conference paper's backup PDF in the same backup/ directory.

Phase 2 — Stage Template into preprint/

Copy the following from ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox/Apps/Overleaf/Template/ into <existing-folder>/preprint/:

File	Action
your-template.sty	Copy verbatim
your-bib-template.sty	Copy verbatim
.latexmkrc	Copy verbatim (LuaLaTeX, output to out/, copies PDF back)
sections/	Copy directory verbatim (skeleton section files)
README.md	Skip — template README does not belong in Overleaf paper folder per overleaf-separation rule
paperpile.bib	Skip — populated in Phase 4 from source's .bib
main.tex	Skip — rebuilt in Phase 3
out/, log/	Skip — build artefacts

These are dependencies of the WP class, not artefacts of the source paper. They must come from Template, never from the conference draft.

Phase 3 — Port main.tex

Build <existing-folder>/preprint/main.tex by combining the WP skeleton with ported content from the source.

What to port FROM the source main.tex

Element	How
\title{...}	Lift verbatim
\author{...}	Lift verbatim if non-anonymous; otherwise prompt user for affiliations and emails
\begin{abstract} ... \end{abstract}	Lift verbatim
Theorem / lemma / definition declarations (\newtheorem{...}{...})	Port — your-template declares some but not necessarily all the source's environments
\input{headline_macros}	Port if file exists; copy headline_macros.tex to preprint/
Body content (everything between \maketitle and \bibliography{...} / \end{document})	Lift verbatim
\appendix block (if present)	Lift verbatim — but strip venue-specific subsections (see below)

What to STRIP

Element	Why
\documentclass{article} and original \usepackage{...} block	Replaced by WP preamble
Conference style: \usepackage[...]{neurips_2026}, \usepackage{icml*}, etc.	Forbidden by Critical Rule 2
\input{checklist} and any \section*{NeurIPS Paper Checklist}	Venue-specific
Anonymous-mode toggles (\anonymous, \if@anonymous, blind-submission \thanks blocks)	Preprints are non-blind
\bibliographystyle{plainnat} + \bibliography{references}	Replaced by your-bib-template (\printbibliography if biblatex, or matched fallback)
Page-1 venue banners, footer macros, copyright lines	Venue-specific
\nocite{*} and other reviewer-only debugging	Cleanup

What to ADD

Build the WP main.tex skeleton:

\documentclass[12pt,a4paper]{article}

\usepackage{your-template}
\usepackage[harvard]{your-bib-template}

% your-template.sty pre-declares: theorem, proposition, lemma, corollary,
% definition, assumption, example, remark, hypothesis. ONLY add envs the
% source uses that are not in this list (e.g. `conjecture`). Re-declaring
% any of the above triggers `Command \theorem already defined`.
\newtheorem{conjecture}[theorem]{Conjecture}  % example — replace with what source actually needs

\input{headline_macros}  % if source has it

\title{<ported title>\thanks{<acknowledgements — leave TODO if source has none>}}
\author{<ported authors>}
\date{<GENERATION-DATE>}  % hard-coded date the preprint was generated, NOT \today.
                          % Substitute with the literal date (e.g., "19 May 2026").
                          % \today re-evaluates on every compile, which would shift
                          % the preprint's claimed publication date arbitrarily.

\begin{document}

\begin{titlepage}
    \maketitle
    \begin{abstract}
        \noindent <ported abstract body>

        \bigskip
        \noindent\textbf{Keywords:} <TODO>
    \end{abstract}
    \setcounter{page}{0}
    \thispagestyle{empty}
\end{titlepage}

\clearpage
\doublespacing

<ported body>

\printbibliography

\appendix
<ported appendix, with checklist stripped>

\end{document}

Citation syntax port: if source uses \citep{} / \citet{} (natbib), convert to biblatex equivalents (\parencite{} / \textcite{}) — your-bib-template is biblatex-based. This is a search-replace pass on the ported body.

What to FLAG (don't auto-fix)

• Custom citation commands beyond \citep/\citet (e.g., \citeauthoryear, \citealp) → flag with line numbers
• Hyperref configuration in source preamble → flag if non-default
• \input{} / \include{} of files not in the source paper dir → flag missing dependencies
• \graphicspath{} overrides → flag and have user re-point to figures/

Phase 4 — Port Bibliography and Figures

1. Bibliography. Find the source's .bib (references.bib, paperpile.bib, etc.). Copy its contents to <preprint>/paperpile.bib. If the source bib is heavily filtered for the conference draft, re-run /bib-filter with the new main.tex after Phase 5 compile.
2. Figures. If source has figures/ directory, copy verbatim to preprint/figures/. If figures are inline (e.g., TikZ), they ride along inside main.tex body content — no separate copy needed.
3. Auxiliary inputs. Copy any \input{}'d files referenced from the body (typically just headline_macros.tex for code-generated stats).

Phase 5 — Compile and Verify

1. cd <preprint>/ && latexmk main.tex (uses .latexmkrc → LuaLaTeX → biber → re-run pdflatex).
2. If compile passes: print page count, file size, "compile clean".
3. If compile fails: parse the log, surface the top 3 errors with file:line references, and print the most likely fix per error from this catalogue:

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Undefined control sequence \citep	natbib → biblatex	Search-replace \citep → \parencite, \citet → \textcite
Command \theorem already defined (or any of proposition, lemma, corollary, definition, assumption, example, remark, hypothesis)	Re-declaring an env that your-template already provides	Drop the duplicate \newtheorem{...} from the ported preamble; keep only the envs your-template lacks (typically conjecture)
Package biblatex Error: 'harvard' invalid	Style mismatch	Drop [harvard] from \usepackage[...]{your-bib-template} if local TeX install lacks the harvard style
Missing $ inserted near a theorem	your-template redefines amsmath ordering	Verify theorem declarations are AFTER \usepackage{your-template}
File 'neurips_2026.sty' not found	Stripping didn't catch the package call	Search source for residual \usepackage{neurips_2026} or similar
LuaLaTeX required from a \RequirePackage{fontspec}	User ran pdflatex instead of lualatex	Confirm .latexmkrc is in place; re-run latexmk
Citation 'X' undefined for many keys	Bibliography file empty or biber not run	Verify paperpile.bib is populated; force latexmk -gg to regenerate

Limit retry attempts to 2 — don't loop indefinitely on a fundamentally incompatible source.

Phase 6 — Refresh Tracked PDF Backup

The preprint compile output (<existing-folder>/preprint/main.pdf) lives on the Overleaf side and syncs cross-machine via Dropbox. For faster cross-machine availability via git pull, also stash a copy under the source paper-dir's tracked backup:

cp <existing-folder>/preprint/main.pdf <project>/<source-paper-dir-parent>/backup/preprint-vcurrent.pdf

Example for an IEEE source: paper-ieee-sp/backup/preprint-vcurrent.pdf (sibling of the existing paper-ieee-sp_vcurrent.pdf).

No separate paper-wp/ symlink is created — the preprint is accessed locally via the existing paper-{venue}/paper/preprint/ path (subfolder under the conference paper's symlink).

Phase 7 — Update Project CLAUDE.md

Record the preprint generation in the project's CLAUDE.md (project root, not the Overleaf side). Add or update a line under the "Status & Venue" or "Paper variants" section noting:

- **Preprint variant:** generated YYYY-MM-DD at `paper-{venue}/paper/preprint/` (`your-template` template, single-column 12pt A4 double-spaced; compiles under LuaLaTeX via local `.latexmkrc`).

If the project doesn't have a clearly-named section for paper variants, append it under the existing "Status & Venue" block. Don't restructure CLAUDE.md beyond the minimal addition.

Phase 8 — Final Summary

Preprint variant created.

Source:    paper-neurips/paper/ (Paper T1 Example Topic Four (NeurIPS 26))
Target:    <Overleaf>/Paper T1 Example Topic Four (NeurIPS 26)/preprint/
           (accessed locally via paper-neurips/paper/preprint/)
Template:  your-template (LuaLaTeX, Harvard biblatex)
Build:     out/main.pdf — XX pages, X.X MB
Backup:    paper-neurips/backup/preprint-vcurrent.pdf (git-tracked)
CLAUDE.md: updated with preprint generation date

Manual TODOs:
  • Set Overleaf "Main document" to preprint/main.tex (Menu → Settings)
  • Verify Overleaf project compiler is LuaLaTeX (Menu → Settings → Compiler)
  • Fill in title \thanks{} acknowledgements (current: TODO placeholder)
  • Add Keywords: line in abstract block
  • Review citation syntax port — N \citep/\citet calls converted to biblatex
  • [If figures/] verify graphicspath is correct

Version bump → changelog

When this is a refresh of an already-posted preprint (the source paper advanced and you're producing arXiv vN+1), generate a changelog for the version note: run /latex-diff between the previously-posted preprint/main.tex (the git revision or backup/preprint-vcurrent.pdf's source revision) and the refreshed one, filtered to --semantic-only. Surface the change list so the user can write the "Changes in vN+1" note — do not edit the manuscript to add it. First posting (no prior version) skips this.

Examples

# Auto-detect single paper-{venue}/
/preprint

# Specify source explicitly (multi-paper project)
/preprint paper-neurips

# Refresh — preprint/ already exists, refresh template files only
/preprint paper-neurips --refresh-template

# Refresh — overwrite main.tex (lose manual edits)
/preprint paper-neurips --rebuild-main

Failure Modes

Failure	What the skill does
No paper-*/ found	Print "no source paper directory found"; exit
Multiple paper-*/ candidates	List them, prompt user to pick or pass arg
Source paper/ is not a symlink	Print "source paper not Overleaf-linked — manual upload required for the preprint subfolder" and proceed
Template not in Overleaf folder	Abort with: "Clone Template from Overleaf to your local Overleaf folder first"
Existing preprint/main.tex has manual edits	Diff against fresh template; ask: refresh template only / rebuild main / abort
Existing preprint/ directory not from this skill	Refuse — user must clear it manually (avoid silent data loss)
Compile fails after 2 retries	Print remaining errors and manual-fix catalogue; leave preprint/ in place for user to fix
Source has anonymous authors	Prompt for real author names + affiliations + emails before proceeding

Cross-References

• references/venue-toggles.md — short reference of conference-style stripping patterns (NeurIPS checklist regex, ICML camera-ready toggles, etc.)
• /latex-diff — on a version bump, generate the vN→vN+1 changelog for the arXiv version note (see "Version bump → changelog" above)
• /retarget-journal — for conference-to-conference moves (uses different style, this skill always uses your-template)
• /archive-paper-draft — for paper variants that should be archived rather than preprinted
• /bib-filter — run after Phase 5 if the ported paperpile.bib is bloated
• /latex — if compile fails and you want the autonomous error-resolution loop instead of the catalogue in Phase 5

Citation Contract

1. Paperpile is the only source of truth for committed citation keys and BibTeX metadata.
2. Before writing \cite{key}, verify with paperpile get-item key and paperpile export-bib key.
3. Resolve unknowns in order: DOI lookup → Paperpile substring search → refpile semantic search → Paperpile verify.
4. A DOI miss is not non-membership; continue with title/author search and refpile.
5. If unresolved, write \CiteTodo{slug}{title/author/year/DOI hint} — never a guessed key.
6. Drafting sub-agents must not write/edit the active .bib; only the orchestrator regenerates it from Paperpile exports.
7. Stage genuine new refs under .paperpile-import/ for manual Paperpile import; don't cite until Paperpile mints the key.
8. Run scripts/bib/citation_lint.py before commit; zero placeholders, zero non-Paperpile keys, zero hand-authored metadata.

See rules/paperpile-citations.md for the full workflow.