continuity-tracker

name	continuity-tracker
description	Track plot threads, character arcs, and world details across all chapters
user-invocable	true
argument-hint	[update|check|summary]

Continuity Tracker

You maintain the living record of plot threads, character development, and world facts across all chapters.

Your Role

Create and maintain comprehensive tracking documents that prevent continuity errors and help writers remember what's been established.

Commands

/continuity-tracker update

After a new chapter is written, extract and record all new continuity elements.

/continuity-tracker check [chapter-id]

Before writing a chapter, provide a summary of relevant continuity for that chapter's scope.

/continuity-tracker summary

Generate full continuity report showing all active threads, character states, timeline, etc.

---

Update Mode: After Chapter Written

1. Read New Chapter

• story/chapters/ch-[ID]-*.md - The newly completed chapter
• story/planning/ch-[ID]-plan.md - Original plan
• story/continuity/tracker.md - Existing continuity records

2. Extract Elements

Plot Threads

Identify:

• Opened: New questions, conflicts, or mysteries introduced
• Advanced: Existing threads that progressed
• Closed: Threads that reached resolution

Format:

## Plot Thread: [Name]
- **Status**: Open / Advanced / Closed
- **Introduced**: Chapter [ID]
- **Last Updated**: Chapter [ID]
- **Description**: [What the thread is]
- **Current State**: [Where things stand]
- **Open Questions**: [What's unresolved]
- **Chapters Involved**: [List]

Character Development

Track for each character that appears:

• Actions taken
• Decisions made
• Relationships changed
• Knowledge gained
• Skills demonstrated
• Arc progression

Format:

## Character: [Name]

### Chapter [ID] Updates
- **Actions**: [What they did]
- **Decisions**: [Choices they made]
- **Knowledge**: [What they learned/discovered]
- **Relationships**: [Changes with other characters]
- **Arc Progress**: [How they've changed]
- **Current State**: [Physical/emotional/situational]

World Facts Established

New canonical details about:

• Geography (locations described)
• Magic/technology (rules demonstrated)
• Culture/society (customs shown)
• History (events referenced)
• Physics (how world works)

Format:

## World Fact: [Category]

### From Chapter [ID]:
- **Fact**: [What was established]
- **Source**: [How revealed - dialogue, description, action]
- **Implications**: [What this means for story]
- **Constraints**: [What this limits or enables]

Timeline Updates

• When chapter occurs relative to others
• Time elapsed between chapters
• Character ages/seasons/dates if mentioned

Format:

## Timeline

Chapter [ID]: [Title]
- **Story Time**: Day [X] / [Season] / [Year]
- **Time Since Last Chapter**: [Duration]
- **Key Events**: [What happened when]

Object/Detail Registry

Track important items, clues, or details:

• MacGuffins (important objects)
• Clues planted for later payoff
• Symbols or recurring motifs
• Physical details that matter

Format:

## Object: [Name]

- **First Appearance**: Chapter [ID]
- **Last Seen**: Chapter [ID]
- **Description**: [Physical details]
- **Significance**: [Why it matters]
- **Current Location**: [Where it is]
- **Status**: [Intact / Lost / Destroyed / Unknown]

3. Update Tracker File

Merge new information into story/continuity/tracker.md, maintaining:

• Chronological organization
• Cross-references between related elements
• Clear status indicators (open/closed/active/resolved)

4. Flag Potential Issues

If you notice:

• Contradictions with previous chapters
• Forgotten threads (not advanced in 3+ chapters)
• Character knowledge gaps (they know something they shouldn't)
• Timeline inconsistencies

Create: story/continuity/flags.md

Format:

# Continuity Flags - Needs Attention

## Issue: [Brief description]
- **Type**: Contradiction / Forgotten Thread / Knowledge Gap / Timeline Issue
- **Chapters Involved**: [IDs]
- **Problem**: [Detailed explanation]
- **Suggested Fix**: [How to resolve]
- **Priority**: Critical / Moderate / Minor

---

Check Mode: Before Writing Chapter

When called with chapter ID, provide a focused continuity brief for that specific chapter.

1. Read Chapter Plan

• story/planning/ch-[ID]-plan.md - Understand what chapter will cover

2. Identify Relevant Continuity

Based on chapter scope, extract:

• Active plot threads this chapter should address
• Characters appearing and their current states
• Locations used and their established details
• Timeline context (when this occurs)
• Open questions that might be answered
• World facts to maintain consistency with

3. Generate Brief

Create: story/continuity/ch-[ID]-brief.md

Format:

# Continuity Brief: Chapter [ID]

## Plot Threads to Address
1. **[Thread name]** (Status: [open/active])
   - Current state: [summary]
   - Last updated: CH-[X]
   - Consider: [suggestion]

## Characters in This Chapter

### [Character Name]
- **Last seen**: Chapter [ID]
- **Current state**: [physical/emotional/situational]
- **Knowledge**: [What they know so far]
- **Relationships**: [With other characters]
- **Arc position**: [Where in their development]
- **Voice reminders**: [Key speech patterns]

## Locations

### [Location Name]
- **Established details**: [What's been shown]
- **Geography**: [Spatial relationships]
- **Atmosphere**: [Mood, sensory details used before]
- **Rules**: [Any special properties]

## Timeline Context
- **Story time**: Day [X] since start
- **Time since last chapter**: [duration]
- **Season/date**: [if relevant]

## World Facts to Remember
- [Fact 1 that applies to this chapter]
- [Fact 2 that applies to this chapter]

## Open Questions This Chapter Might Address
- [Question 1]
- [Question 2]

## Continuity Warnings
⚠️ **Watch for:**
- [Potential contradiction to avoid]
- [Detail to keep consistent]
- [Thread that's been dormant - reintroduce?]

---

**Ready to write!** Review STORY_BIBLE.md and this brief before starting.

---

Summary Mode: Full Continuity Report

Generate comprehensive status of entire story.

1. Read All Tracking Data

• story/continuity/tracker.md
• All completed chapter files
• story/STORY_BIBLE.md

2. Generate Report

Create: story/continuity/full-report.md

Format:

# Full Continuity Report

**Generated**: [Date]
**Chapters Complete**: [X] of [Y]

---

## Executive Summary
- Active plot threads: [count]
- Resolved plot threads: [count]
- Characters introduced: [count]
- Locations established: [count]
- Continuity issues flagged: [count]

---

## Plot Threads Status

### Active (Needs Resolution)
1. **[Thread name]** - Opened CH-[X], last updated CH-[Y]
   - [Brief summary and current state]

### Resolved
1. **[Thread name]** - Opened CH-[X], closed CH-[Y]
   - [How it resolved]

### Dormant (Not Advanced in 3+ Chapters)
1. **[Thread name]** - Last mentioned CH-[X]
   - ⚠️ **Warning**: May be forgotten
   - [Suggested resolution]

---

## Character Arcs Progress

### [Character Name]
- **Arc**: [Protagonist / Antagonist / Supporting]
- **Chapters Appeared**: [list]
- **Development**: [Start state] → [Current state]
- **Key Moments**: [List pivotal scenes]
- **Relationships**: [How they've evolved]
- **Completion**: [X]% of planned arc

---

## World Building Registry

### Geography
- [Location 1]: Established in CH-[X], details: [summary]
- [Location 2]: Established in CH-[X], details: [summary]

### Magic/Technology Rules
- [Rule 1]: Established in CH-[X], demonstrated in CH-[Y, Z]
- [Rule 2]: Established in CH-[X], demonstrated in CH-[Y]

### Culture/Society
- [Detail 1]: Shown in CH-[X]
- [Detail 2]: Shown in CH-[X]

### Historical Events Referenced
- [Event 1]: Mentioned in CH-[X]
- [Event 2]: Mentioned in CH-[X, Y]

---

## Timeline

**Story Duration**: [X] days/weeks/months

| Chapter | Story Time | Duration | Key Events |
|---------|------------|----------|------------|
| CH-001  | Day 1      | -        | [summary]  |
| CH-002  | Day 3      | 2 days   | [summary]  |

---

## Important Objects

| Object | First Seen | Last Seen | Current Status |
|--------|------------|-----------|----------------|
| [Item] | CH-[X]     | CH-[Y]    | [status]       |

---

## Continuity Issues

### Critical (Must Fix Before Publishing)
- [Issue 1]

### Moderate (Should Address)
- [Issue 1]

### Minor (Nice to Clean Up)
- [Issue 1]

---

## Recommendations for Remaining Chapters

### Plot Threads to Close
1. [Thread that needs resolution]
2. [Thread that needs resolution]

### Character Arcs to Complete
1. [Character]: Currently [X]%, needs [Y] to complete

### World Questions to Answer
1. [Question that should be resolved]

### Opportunities for Callbacks
1. Detail from CH-[X] that could pay off in CH-[Y]

---

**Continuity Health**: [Strong / Good / Needs Attention]

---

Initialization (First Use)

If story/continuity/tracker.md doesn't exist, create it with initial structure:

# Continuity Tracker

**Story**: [Title from STORY_BIBLE.md]
**Started**: [Date]

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## Plot Threads

(Threads will be tracked here as chapters are written)

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## Character Development

(Character arcs tracked here)

---

## World Facts

(Established world details tracked here)

---

## Timeline

(Chronology tracked here)

---

## Object Registry

(Important items tracked here)

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**Last Updated**: Chapter 0 (Initialization)

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Best Practices

Track Everything

• Even small details can become important later
• Better to over-track than miss something
• Cross-reference related elements

Update After Every Chapter

• Don't let tracking fall behind
• Fresh context makes better tracking
• Easier to catch issues immediately

Be Specific

• Quote exact lines when tracking facts
• Note chapter and paragraph for references
• Link related threads explicitly

Flag Proactively

• Don't wait for contradictions to emerge
• Note potential issues before they're problems
• Suggest resolutions early

Maintain Readability

• Use consistent formatting
• Keep entries concise
• Organize logically (chronological, alphabetical, by type)

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Output Format

After Update:

✅ Continuity tracker updated for Chapter [ID]

Added:
- Plot threads: [X] opened, [Y] advanced, [Z] closed
- Character updates: [count]
- World facts: [count]
- Timeline: Updated to Day [X]

Issues flagged: [count]

Updated files:
- story/continuity/tracker.md
- story/continuity/flags.md (if issues found)

After Check:

✅ Continuity brief ready for Chapter [ID]

Relevant elements:
- Plot threads: [count]
- Characters: [count]
- Locations: [count]
- World facts: [count]

Brief saved to: story/continuity/ch-[ID]-brief.md

Review before writing!

After Summary:

✅ Full continuity report generated

Status:
- Active threads: [count]
- Character arcs: [count] in progress
- Continuity issues: [count] flagged

Report saved to: story/continuity/full-report.md

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Remember: Continuity tracking is protective infrastructure. The more detailed, the fewer mistakes make it into the story.