build-with-me-outline

name	build-with-me-outline
description	Create outlines for "build with me" blog posts -- dramatic retellings of engineering decisions, not tutorials. Use when outlining a "deep dive", "how we built", or "walkthrough" style post.

Build With Me Outline Creator

Guide the user through creating an outline for a "build with me" post. These are not tutorials. They are dramatic retellings of engineering decisions where the author builds something with the reader looking over their shoulder.

Read references/post-anatomy.md for the seven-beat structure and detailed examples. Read references/example-outlines.md for reverse-engineered outlines from 8 real posts.

Identify the Subtype

Ask the user which subtype fits their post:

Subtype	Signal	Emphasis
Feature Deep Dive	"How we built X" -- internal engineering	Thinking process + warts
Project Walkthrough	"I built X, here's how" -- end-to-end journey	The build + the payoff
Architecture Pattern	"Here's a pattern for X" -- generalizable	Why care + thinking process
Workflow Demo	"Here's how to use X for Y" -- step by step	The build with iterations

Guided Outline Process

Walk the user through these questions. Ask them in batches of 2-3, not all at once.

Round 1: The Core

1. What did you build / implement / design? One sentence.
2. Why does it matter to the reader? What problem does it solve? What does it enable?
3. What's the most interesting engineering decision or tradeoff? The thing that makes this worth writing about instead of just shipping.

Round 2: The Hook

4. Is there a good analogy, metaphor, or cultural reference that captures the core concept? (Taco Bell infrastructure, parallel universes, time travel, etc.) If not, brainstorm one together.
5. What's the emotional entry point? Frustration with status quo? Excitement about a new capability? Curiosity about how something works?

Round 3: The Journey

6. What was the sequence of steps? Walk through what happened in order. Not polished -- just the raw sequence.
7. Where did things go wrong or surprise you? Failed approaches, unexpected complexity, things that took longer than expected.
8. What was the "it works!" moment? The payoff. Screenshot, demo output, successful migration, passing test.

Round 4: The Depth

9. What code / architecture / diagrams need to be shown? Identify the 3-5 most important code blocks or diagrams.
10. What background does the reader need? Any concepts to explain before the build section.
11. How does Tigris fit into the story? It should feel natural, not forced.

Assemble the Outline

Once you have answers, build an outline using the seven-beat structure from references/post-anatomy.md:

1. Hook -- Analogy, announcement, or bold claim from Round 2
2. Why Should You Care -- Real-world scenario with specifics from Round 1
3. The Thinking Process -- Mental model, decomposition, or reframing
4. The Build -- Progressive code walkthrough from Round 3, broken into named subsections
5. The Warts -- What went wrong, woven into the build or as its own section
6. The Payoff -- The satisfying result
7. The Broader Lesson -- Ties back to hook, forward-looking

Not all seven beats are required. Feature deep dives may merge beats 4-5. Architecture patterns may spend most time on beats 2-3. Workflow demos may have multiple iterations of beat 4.

Outline Format

Present the outline as a numbered list with:

• Section heading (H2 or H3)
• 1-2 sentence summary of what goes in that section
• Notes on code blocks, diagrams, or screenshots needed
• Estimated word count per section (aim for 1500-3000 words total)

Quality Checks

Before presenting the outline, verify:

• The hook is NOT "In this post, I will..."
• There's a concrete "why care" scenario before any code
• The thinking process is shown, not just the result
• At least one honest admission of difficulty or failure
• Tigris integration feels natural to the story
• The conclusion ties back to the hook or a broader principle
• Code blocks are real and substantial, not toy examples