Purpose: Catch outline gaps BEFORE they survive into drafting. A thin outline that survives into drafting means every section is improvised, every transition is missing, and every draft rewrites from scratch.
Shared Enforcement
Auto-load all constraints matching applies-to: writing-outline-reviewer:
!uv run python3 ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/load-constraints.py writing-outline-reviewer
You MUST have these constraints loaded before proceeding. No claiming you "remember" them.
When to Dispatch
After writing-outline completes .planning/OUTLINE.md (master outline) and all section outlines in outlines/, before writing-draft begins.
Outline phase complete → all outlines/ files written
→ [THIS SKILL] Dispatch outline reviewer subagent
→ For outlines with 10+ sections: review in groups of 3-4
→ Issues found? Fix outlines → re-dispatch reviewer
→ Approved? → Draft phase: writing-draft
NO DRAFTING WITHOUT REVIEWED OUTLINE. This is not negotiable.
A bad outline that survives into drafting means:
- Sections that don't map to any PRECIS claim
- Subsections with topics but no POINT, EVIDENCE, or LOGIC
- Missing transitions that fragment the argument
- Scope violations that bloat the document
- Filler sections that exist because "papers usually have this" not because the argument needs it
Catching an outline gap NOW costs 1 minute. Catching it during drafting costs a full rewrite.
Chunking Rule
If the outline has 10+ sections (across OUTLINE.md and outlines/ files): Review in groups of 3-4 sections. Each group should be logically related (e.g., "introduction + background", "core argument sections", "counterarguments + conclusion").
If the outline has <10 sections: Review the entire outline in one pass.
Why chunk: Monolithic review of large outlines produces shallow feedback. Focused review per group catches more issues.
Dispatch Template (Single Pass or Per-Chunk)
Use this Task invocation to dispatch the outline reviewer:
Agent(
subagent_type="general-purpose",
description="Review outline documents",
prompt="""
You are an outline document reviewer. Verify this outline is complete, maps to the PRECIS, and is ready for prose drafting.
**Tool restrictions:** You may ONLY use Read, Grep, and Glob tools. Do NOT use Write, Edit, or Bash. Your job is to evaluate, not fix.
**Master outline:** .planning/OUTLINE.md [— Chunk: sections N-M only, if chunked]
**Section outlines:** outlines/ directory
**Precis for reference:** .planning/PRECIS.md
Read ALL files, then evaluate the outline against ALL categories below.
## What to Check
| Category | What to Look For |
|----------|------------------|
| PRECIS Mapping | Every claim in PRECIS.md has at least one section advancing it. No orphan claims. No orphan sections (sections that don't serve any claim). |
| Transitions | Every section has a planned transition to the next. Missing transitions = fragmented argument. |
| Scope Honored | No sections that fall outside PRECIS scope IN. No sections covering PRECIS scope OUT items. |
| Section Purpose | Every section has a clear purpose (not filler like "background" without specific goals). Each section earns its place. |
| Subsection Depth | Each section outline in outlines/ has POINT + EVIDENCE + LOGIC for every subsection. Topic lists without these are NOT outlines. |
| Evidence Mapping | Sources are mapped to specific points, not vaguely listed at the end. |
| Completeness | Every section in OUTLINE.md has a corresponding file in outlines/. No TODOs, TBDs, or placeholders. |
| Internal Consistency | Sections don't contradict each other. Claims don't repeat across sections. |
## CRITICAL — Look Especially Hard For:
- Sections in OUTLINE.md with NO corresponding outlines/ file
- Subsections that list topics but lack POINT, EVIDENCE, or LOGIC
- Transitions that are missing or say "TBD"
- Sections that exist "because papers usually have this" not because the argument needs them
- PRECIS claims not covered by ANY section
- Sections that drift outside PRECIS scope
- Evidence listed without connection to a specific point
- Counterargument sections that address strawmen instead of the objections in PRECIS
## Output Format
## Outline Review
**Status:** APPROVED | ISSUES_FOUND
**Issues (if any):**
- [Section/File]: [specific issue] - [why it matters for drafting]
**PRECIS Coverage Check:**
- [Claim 1]: Covered by Section N ✅ | NOT COVERED ❌
- [Claim 2]: Covered by Section N ✅ | NOT COVERED ❌
**Recommendations (advisory — don't block approval):**
- [suggestions for improvement that aren't blocking]
""")
Handling Reviewer Output
If APPROVED
Write the gate artifact so downstream phases can verify the gate ran:
Write(".planning/OUTLINE_REVIEWED.md", """---
status: APPROVED
date: [ISO 8601]
reviewer: outline-reviewer-subagent
---
# Outline Review: APPROVED
[Include reviewer's approval summary here]
""")
Proceed immediately to draft phase. Read ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../skills/writing-draft/SKILL.md and follow its instructions.
If ISSUES_FOUND
Staged improvement criteria per iteration:
| Iteration | Focus | Expected Improvement |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fix blocking issues (orphan claims, missing outlines/, no POINT/EVIDENCE/LOGIC) | Every claim mapped, every section has structure |
| 2 | Fix secondary issues (missing transitions, weak evidence mapping) | Transitions planned, evidence mapped to specific points |
| 3 | Fix refinement issues (scope drift, filler sections, consistency) | All sections earn their place, no drift outside PRECIS scope |
| 4-5 | Polish (if still needed) | Edge cases, cross-section consistency |
Process:
- Fix the specific issues in the relevant outline files
- Re-dispatch the reviewer (same template)
- Repeat until APPROVED or max 5 iterations
If 5 Iterations Without Approval
Escalate to user:
"Outline reviewer has flagged issues 5 times. Remaining issues:
[list issues]
Should I: (A) Fix these, (B) Proceed with known gaps, (C) Rethink the outline?"
Gate Function
1. IDENTIFY: `.planning/OUTLINE.md` and all `outlines/*.md` files exist
2. DISPATCH: Send to reviewer subagent (per-chunk if 10+ sections)
3. READ: Reviewer returns APPROVED or ISSUES_FOUND
4. VERIFY: If ISSUES_FOUND, fix and re-dispatch (max 5)
5. CLAIM: Only proceed to drafting when ALL chunks APPROVED