outline

name	outline
description	Generate a detailed article outline from completed research. Creates subsections with conversational headers (no colons) and prose-focused structure.
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Glob

Article Outline Generator

Generate a detailed outline for the article with completed research.

Setup

1. Find Active Article

   • Locate the most recent article in articles/
   • Read article.json
   • Verify research is complete for all sections (or at least the ones to outline)

2. Read All Research

   • Read each research/[section-id].md file
   • Read research/sources.json for source inventory

Outline Process

For each section in article.json:

1. Analyze Research Content

• Identify main themes and concepts
• Note logical flow and dependencies
• Find the best examples and quotes to use

2. Create Subsection Structure

Each section should have 2-4 subsections with conversational headers (no colons):

Bad headers:

## Finding Prospects: Where to Look
### Subsection 1: Introduction to Prospecting
### Subsection 2: Tools and Techniques

Good headers:

## Where Good Prospects Hide
### The ICP Framework
### Tools That Actually Work
### Building Your First 100 Contacts

Headers should sound like something you'd say to a colleague, not academic paper sections.

3. Plan Media Placement

• Mark where YouTube embeds fit naturally
• Note where evidence blocks (data, quotes, visuals) should go
• Identify diagram opportunities (mermaid)

Output

1. Create articles/[slug]/outline.md

# Article Outline: [Title]

## Introduction
- Hook: [opening angle]
- Context: [why this matters now]
- Preview: [what reader will learn]

### Subsection: What is [Topic]
- Key point 1
- Key point 2
- [EMBED: YouTube video about basics]

## [Section 2 Title]
### Subsection: [Name]
- Point with [source citation]
- [EVIDENCE: key data point or quote]

### Subsection: [Name]
- Point
- [DIAGRAM: mermaid flowchart of process]

... continue for all sections ...

## Conclusion
- Key takeaways (3-5 bullets)
- Next steps for reader
- Call to action

2. Update article.json

Add outline field to each section:

{
  "id": "section-id",
  "outline": {
    "subsections": ["Subsection 1", "Subsection 2"],
    "media_placements": ["youtube", "diagram"],
    "key_sources": ["source-url-1", "source-url-2"]
  }
}

3. Append to progress.txt

[timestamp] Outline completed
- Total subsections: N
- Media placements: N
- Ready for writing

Completion

Summarize:

• Total subsections created
• Planned media embeds
• Next step: run /write-section [first-section-id]