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VepricovVepricov/claude-brainlab/skills/reverse-outline-flow-check/SKILL.md

reverse-outline-flow-check

Skill35 starsChanged 2 months agoMITView on GitHub

Diagnose and rewrite section flow using reverse outlining, one-paragraph-one-message structure, and explicit sentence-to-sentence relations. Use when a paper section feels unclear, disconnected, or hard to follow even though the content is roughly correct.

1 other project uses a version of this.

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The file

We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent

10 rules. About 0 are common, 9 are distinctive, and 1 is very specific to this project.

  • ≈0

    Common · estimate

    Many files like this have a rule of this kind.

  • ≈9

    Distinctive · estimate

    This author's own choices. Worth a look.

  • 1

    Very specific

    Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.

  • Common
  • Distinctive
  • Very specific
  1. Distinctive:

    Use this skill when the main problem is local writing flow rather than missing experiments or missing citations.

    line 9
  2. Distinctive:

    If a paragraph appears to carry multiple messages, mark it for splitting or rewriting.

    line 23
  3. Distinctive:

    Write down the section thesis or local goal.

    line 26
  4. Very specific:

    Check whether section goal -> paragraph topic sentence -> supporting content forms a clean chain.

    line 29
  5. Distinctive:

    Check whether each sentence relates to the previous one through cause, contrast, consequence, refinement, or example.

    line 34
  6. Distinctive:

    Add explicit transitions only where the relation is unclear.

    line 35
  7. Distinctive:

    Remove or merge paragraphs that cannot be mapped back to the section goal.

    line 41
  8. Distinctive:

    If needed, add temporary subsection headers during revision, then remove them if the final flow is clear without them.

    line 43
  9. Distinctive:

    Keep explicit transitions only when they clarify a real logical relation.

    line 57
  10. Distinctive:

    Delete or rewrite paragraphs that cannot be justified in the reverse outline.

    line 58

≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.

Keep what fits and drop the rest. Your version, ready for your agents.
Files
SKILL.md

Reverse Outline Flow Check

Use this skill when the main problem is local writing flow rather than missing experiments or missing citations.

When to Use

  • A user asks whether a section "flows" or "makes sense"
  • Paragraphs feel individually acceptable but weak as a sequence
  • Topic sentences, evidence, and thesis claims do not align cleanly
  • The draft reads like accumulated edits instead of a coherent argument

Workflow

Step 1: Read as an External Reader

  • Ignore what the author intended and focus on what the text actually communicates.
  • For each paragraph, identify the one message a reader would take away.
  • If a paragraph appears to carry multiple messages, mark it for splitting or rewriting.

Step 2: Build the Reverse Outline

  • Write down the section thesis or local goal.
  • List the topic sentence of each paragraph.
  • Under each paragraph, list the evidence, explanation, or example it actually contains.
  • Check whether section goal -> paragraph topic sentence -> supporting content forms a clean chain.

See references/reverse-outline-template.md for the minimal template.

Step 3: Audit Sentence-Level Flow

  • Check whether each sentence relates to the previous one through cause, contrast, consequence, refinement, or example.
  • Add explicit transitions only where the relation is unclear; do not pad with generic connectors.
  • Rewrite the first sentence of each paragraph so it states the paragraph's role clearly.

See references/paragraph-relations.md for the allowed relation types.

Step 4: Repair the Section

  • Remove or merge paragraphs that cannot be mapped back to the section goal.
  • Split paragraphs that contain more than one core message.
  • If needed, add temporary subsection headers during revision, then remove them if the final flow is clear without them.

Step 5: Return a Structured Rewrite

Return:

  1. A compact reverse outline
  2. A paragraph-by-paragraph rewrite plan
  3. Revised prose or topic-sentence rewrites
  4. Remaining flow risks that still need author judgment

Rules

  • One paragraph should carry one message.
  • The first sentence should make the paragraph role obvious.
  • Keep explicit transitions only when they clarify a real logical relation.
  • Delete or rewrite paragraphs that cannot be justified in the reverse outline.

References

  • references/reverse-outline-template.md: minimal reverse-outline structure
  • references/paragraph-relations.md: sentence and paragraph relation types

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