| name | beat-writer |
| description | Channel-agnostic writer for any piece of content that doesn't yet belong
to a specific channel. Use when you have something to say but don't know
where it goes — could become a blog post, X thread, newsletter section,
web copy, journal entry, or just stay as a plain doc. Runs the beat
extraction + shaping discipline, pours prose via /authors-voice (with
the operator's default anchor — personal voice), polishes, and leaves
a clean draft in OpenWriter. The draft can later be refactored into a
specific channel via /blog-writer, /x-writer, or /newsletter-writer.
Use when: "/beat-writer", "write this", "draft something", "I have an
idea but don't know where", "extract beats", "write me a draft",
"pour this in voice", "I want to think this through in writing",
"plain doc", "just open a doc", "uncommitted draft", "I'll figure out
where it goes later".
NOT for: known-channel work (use the channel-master directly —
/blog-writer for blogs, /x-writer for tweets, /newsletter-writer for
emails, /book-writer for chapters).
Requires: OpenWriter MCP server configured + /authors-voice set up
with at least Tier 1 anchor.
|
| metadata | {"author":"travsteward","version":"0.1.0"} |
| license | MIT |
Beat Writer
Channel-agnostic, beats-first writer for uncommitted drafts. Owns extraction + shaping; delegates prose to /authors-voice (operator's default anchor — personal voice). Output is a plain OpenWriter doc that can stay generic OR get refactored later into a specific channel via a channel-master writer.
4-layer model:
- EXTRACT — pull beats out of the operator. Same query-first, 5-pass discipline used by
/book-writer. Channel-agnostic CATEGORY tags (CLAIM / REFRAME / MECHANISM / EVIDENCE / STORY / APHORISM / PIVOT / OBJECTION). docs/extraction.md
- SHAPE — order beats by reader flow, lock as commitments (no content prescription). No channel template — just a sequenced beats list.
docs/beat-method.md
- VOICE —
/authors-voice Apply Protocol with the operator's DEFAULT anchor (personal voice). Same machinery as every other writer; no anchor swap. The piece sounds like the operator.
- POLISH —
/polish to 90/100, then /anti-ai, then a naive-reader pass (/congruence if installed, otherwise inline). Delegated, not duplicated.
Firm rules
-
Single entry point. Invoked as /beat-writer only. No subcommands, no flag-syntax args. Internal dispatch from context.
-
EXTRACT before WRITE. Same query-first discipline as /book-writer. AI never invents beats; the operator's head is the source.
-
Beats are commitments, not content. Each beat names the OUTCOME (what the reader registers / what shift lands). The voice layer brings the words.
-
No channel template. This skill deliberately does NOT impose a page structure, thread shape, post format, or chapter container. The draft is shapeless-by-design (just a sequenced beat list) so any channel-master can later re-shape it.
-
Voice = /authors-voice Apply Protocol with operator's DEFAULT anchor. Same machine, default fuel. The piece sounds like the operator. Editor never writes prose directly; every pour is a minion dispatch. Same Rule 1 as /authors-voice.
-
OpenWriter is the writing surface. One container per draft; Beats doc + Draft doc inside (same convention as /blog-writer). Workspace: [Project] Drafts (or reuse the operator's existing writing workspace if present).
-
Refactor is optional. When a draft's destination becomes obvious, hand off to the appropriate channel-master (/blog-writer, /x-writer, /newsletter-writer, /book-writer). Refactor doesn't move the draft; the channel-master reads the Beats + Draft docs and re-shapes into its own container. See docs/refactor.md.
-
Polish is delegated. /polish → /anti-ai → naive-reader pass (/congruence if installed, otherwise read as a first-time reader and fix inline). Do not duplicate their logic.
Architecture
beat-writer/
├── SKILL.md (this file — router + firm rules + 4-layer model)
└── docs/ (loaded on routing match)
├── extraction.md (5-pass — channel-agnostic CATEGORY tags)
├── beat-method.md (beat = type + job + slot; commitments-not-content)
├── pipeline.md (extract → write → polish → anti-ai → congruence)
├── openwriter-surface.md (Drafts workspace + container + Beats/Draft doc pattern)
└── refactor.md (handoff to /blog-writer, /x-writer, /newsletter-writer, /book-writer)
Routing
| User intent | Action |
|---|
| "/beat-writer" with no context | Ask ONE clarifying question: what are we writing about? |
| "draft something about X" / "write this" | Extract → shape → voice → polish |
| "I have this idea: [seed]" | Operator's dump = seed → 5-pass extraction → shape → write |
| "extract beats from [topic]" | Pass 1–5 only — no draft pour |
| "pour these beats: [list]" | Skip extraction; load beats; voice pour via /authors-voice |
| "polish this draft" | Skip extraction + write; run polish/anti-ai/congruence only |
| "make this into a blog/tweet/newsletter/page" | Refactor handoff — load draft + Beats, route to channel-master per docs/refactor.md |
Output contract
{
"status": "draft-ready" | "needs-input" | "blocked",
"artifact": { "doc_id": "...", "workspace_id": "...", "container_id": "..." },
"next_steps": ["polish", "anti-ai", "refactor-to-<channel>", "publish-via-channel-master"],
"notes": "<optional>"
}
Companion skills
- /authors-voice — REQUIRED. Every prose pour delegates to its Apply Protocol with operator's default anchor.
- /polish — REQUIRED for the 90/100 push.
- /anti-ai — final fingerprint scrub after polish.
- /congruence — naive-reader pass for jargon / broken flow (optional; if not installed, do this pass inline).
- openwriter — REQUIRED. Beats + Draft docs live here.
- /blog-writer / /x-writer / /newsletter-writer / /book-writer — refactor targets when the draft's destination becomes clear.
What this skill does NOT cover
- Channel-specific shape — page templates, thread structure, blog post layout, email scaffolds, chapter containers. Those belong to channel-masters.
- Channel-specific constraints — character budgets per slot. Use
/x-writer for tweet/article budgets.
- Voice machinery —
/authors-voice owns Apply Protocol, NEVER-rule patching, fingerprint audit, blinder audit.
- Personal-voice setup —
/authors-voice owns anchor setup, NEVER rules, fingerprints, corpus analysis.
- Publishing — channel-master skills own publish mechanics.
When to skip this skill
- Known channel from the start — use the channel-master directly (
/blog-writer, /x-writer, etc.)
- Single-paragraph or one-liner —
/authors-voice directly is faster
- Pure ideation (no draft target) — talk it out, don't formalize it
- Polish-only on existing prose —
/polish directly
