Export

The export skill is the operator's manual for /vellum:export — the command that builds the final manuscript artifact. It is not the build engine (that is scripts/vellum_lib/export.py, Workstream B); it is the sequence the operator follows, the gate it runs first, and the way it interprets success and failure. The manuscript on disk is untouched — export is a build artifact, assembled from the gated sources.

The export sequence

1. Run vellum readiness. This evaluates the preconditions (gates/resources/readiness.md): every chapter final with complete frontmatter, ledgers clean, the readiness report PASSES, the word-budget report attached, pivotal chapters have blind artifacts.
2. If PASS → run vellum export build --out export/manuscript-<date> [--epub]. Interpret the manifest (resources/manifest.md).
3. If not PASS → readiness prints a prioritized missing list. Present it to the author; do not run the build.

Muse does not re-litigate the gate. Muse runs vellum readiness, reads its output, and either runs the build or presents the fix list. The gate is the engine's verdict.

Interpreting a failure

A failed readiness check prints a prioritized fix list. The format mirrors the beta-reader REVISE output: the changes that would most raise the verdict, each with location, evidence, intervention kind, and the axis/gate it moves. The author works the list, re-runs /vellum:export, and the gate re-evaluates. Common failures:

• Incomplete frontmatter on a chapter → vellum ledger check emits frontmatter:incomplete; the author (or @kb-lead) fills the fields.
• Open ledger findings → resolve or dismiss-with-author-signoff (vellum dismiss).
• Readiness report REVISE → the beta reader's prioritized fix list; revise and re-run the beta read.
• Pivotal chapter missing blind artifact → run the blind read for that chapter.
• Cold-read BLOCKER → resolve or triage.

On PASS — the build

vellum export build --out export/manuscript-<date> assembles (resources/assembly.md):

• Title page, copyright placeholder, front/back matter, joined chapters (in frontmatter number order), and the manifest.
• --epub adds a stdlib-zipfile EPUB with a stable urn:uuid:<book-uuid> identifier from kb/story.md so highlights survive rebuilds. No pandoc required — the EPUB writer is stdlib zipfile.
• DOCX/PDF via pandoc when present; otherwise the markdown bundle + instructions. Pandoc is optional, never on the critical path.

The manifest

The build writes manifest.md (resources/manifest.md): chapter list, word counts, sha256 checksums, and gate provenance for every chapter (outline-approval date, blind verdict, beta scores, logged overrides). Export never silently drops a gate — the provenance is attached. The manifest is the build's certificate; it is not the manuscript.

Load the resource needed

• resources/assembly.md — the deterministic assembly phase: order of parts, chapter-joining conventions, scene-break rules, the output files, and gate provenance.
• resources/manifest.md — the manifest fields: build metadata, chapter list, per-chapter gate provenance, book-level gates, overrides, and checksums.

What export is not

Export does not edit the manuscript, does not re-litigate the gates, and does not replace the readiness report or the blind/beta artifacts — it references them. The manuscript is the source of truth; the export is a build artifact assembled from it. If the manuscript changes after export, the author re-runs the build (the manifest's checksums detect the drift).