| name | canoa-build-spec-book |
| description | Turn the master schedule (or a project / room subset) into a branded spec book artifact — PDF, Google Sheets export, or Markdown. Use when the designer says "build a spec book for Project Magnolia", "export the schedule", "make a PDF for the client", "produce the spec book", "package the lobby specs", or any request to produce a client-facing deliverable from the schedule. Redacts Dealer Net before export.
|
| allowed-tools | mcp__canoa__read_master_sheet, mcp__canoa__export_spec_book |
Build a Spec Book
Produces a client-facing spec book from the master schedule. Four output formats: PDF (default for client delivery — server returns print-ready HTML that auto-opens the designer's browser print dialog), HTML (same render without auto-print), Google Sheets (for collaborative review), Markdown (for embedding in other docs). Native server-rendered PDF lands in v1.1.
How to invoke
Step 1 — Confirm scope and format
Ask:
- Scope: whole schedule / project / room / selection of rows
- Format: PDF / Sheets / Markdown (default PDF if the designer mentioned a client)
- Audience: client / internal / dealer (changes what columns appear — see below)
- Project metadata: project name, client name, issue date (auto-fills to today)
Read ## Studio profile for the studio name + sustainability stance. The latter controls whether the embodied-carbon column ships in the export.
reference/output-formats.md covers the per-format details.
Step 2 — Filter rows
Call canoa.read_master_sheet with the scope filter (e.g., tag = 'Magnolia Lobby'). Count the rows. Show the designer what's in scope: "47 rows for Magnolia Lobby. 4 are tier=candidate — I'll surface this in the document but recommend you audit those before sending."
If any rows are tier=candidate and the audience is client, ask: "Want to run /canoa-audit-row on the candidate rows before exporting, or include them with a tier note?"
Step 3 — Build
Call canoa.export_spec_book with the scope, format, audience, and project metadata. The server:
- Reads the filtered rows
- Redacts the Dealer Net column for any audience other than
dealer (PRIVATE — never ships to clients)
- Applies the brand template (studio logo, project title block, page footer with audit date)
- Generates the artifact and returns a download URL
Step 4 — Hand off
Present the artifact:
Spec Book — Magnolia Lobby
────────────────────────────────────
Format: PDF
Pages: 18
Items: 47 (4 tier=candidate flagged)
Last audit: 2026-05-16 (whole-schedule)
Dealer Net: REDACTED (client audience)
Carbon column: INCLUDED (sustainability stance: required for some)
Download: <signed URL, 24h expiry>
Audience profiles
| Audience | Dealer Net | Internal notes | Audit-status column | Tier column |
|---|
| client | redacted | hidden | hidden | hidden (verified only ships; candidates flagged) |
| internal | shown | shown | shown | shown |
| dealer | shown | hidden | hidden | shown |
The audience defaults to client if the designer mentions one. Only override when the designer explicitly says "internal" or "for the dealer."
Hard rules
- Dealer Net is private. Never ship to client or dealer audiences. Redaction is a server-side allowlist, not a client-side suppression — the column does not leave canoa.supply when audience !=
dealer.
- Tier=candidate flagged in client exports. Either drop the rows or surface them with a clear tag. Never let a candidate-tier row ship silently into a deliverable.
- Cite the audit date. The last audit timestamp goes in the footer of every page. Designers and clients should always know how fresh the data is.
- Don't refresh during build. This skill exports the current state. To refresh before exporting, run
/canoa-audit-schedule first.
After build
- Email the PDF to the client (designer handles this)
- Share the Sheets export with collaborators
- Mark the spec book as issued in the schedule (status column updates by the designer)
