Manuscript pipeline
Skill jakebrownscombe/science-lab-AI-framework/skills/workflows/manuscript-pipeline
A customizable framework for using LLMs in scientific workflows.
npx -y skills add jakebrownscombe/science-lab-AI-framework --skill manuscript-pipelineAssembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.
One thing to look at
- 1 stars1 stars. Stars are a popularity signal and not a quality one, but at this level it is likely that nobody has read this closely except its author, and you would be relying on your own review.
What its author says it does
Copied from the file, not written here
Orchestrates the end-to-end manuscript workflow from research through review to submission-ready .docx. Chains paper-research, expert-review, and manuscript-builder skills in sequence. Use this skill when the user wants to run the full pipeline, resume from a checkpoint, or coordinate between research, review, and formatting phases. Trigger phrases include: "run the full manuscript workflow", "where are we in the pipeline", "start manuscript review", "run another review round", "build the final docx", or "finalize the manuscript". The orchestrator manages state, tracks completion, and coordinates handoffs between skills. Each component skill remains independently usable.
SKILL.md
9.7 KB, as published. Nobody here has run it
Manuscript Pipeline Orchestrator
Lightweight workflow coordinator for the end-to-end manuscript lifecycle. Chains three primary skills in a managed sequence while keeping each independently usable.
Required references: load before orchestrating
Load from conventions/:
conventions/voice.template.md: base writing voiceconventions/manuscript-format.template.md: manuscript document structureconventions/research.md: citation and source rules
The pipeline orchestrator should propagate these to each phase skill it dispatches.
Overview
The pipeline coordinates three skills:
- paper-research (Phases 0 to 7): outputs
.mdmanuscript draft with YAML frontmatter - expert-review (Phases 1 to 4, iterative): outputs
.mdwith inline markup edits - manuscript-builder: outputs final
.docxfor journal submission
paper-research -> manuscript_draft.md
|
v
expert-review (round 1) -> manuscript_reviewed_r1.md
| (user reviews, accepts/rejects changes)
v
expert-review (round 2) -> manuscript_reviewed_r2.md
| (user finalizes)
v
manuscript-builder -> manuscript_submission.docx
The orchestrator does not duplicate skill logic: it manages checkpoints, state transitions, and user-driven iteration.
State Management
The orchestrator tracks the manuscript lifecycle in a JSON state file saved alongside the manuscript.
{
"manuscript_id": "small-mammal-canopy-occupancy",
"title": "Small-mammal occupancy along a canopy-cover gradient",
"created": "2026-03-08T14:00:00Z",
"current_phase": "review_r1",
"files": {
"reference_doc": "canopy_occupancy_reference_doc.md",
"draft": "canopy_occupancy_draft.md",
"review_r1": "canopy_occupancy_reviewed_r1.md",
"review_r1_edits": "canopy_occupancy_review_r1_edits.md",
"final_docx": null
},
"checkpoints": [
{"phase": "research_complete", "timestamp": "2026-03-08T15:00:00Z", "notes": "Journal of Animal Ecology targeted"},
{"phase": "draft_complete", "timestamp": "2026-03-08T16:30:00Z", "notes": "6850 words"},
{"phase": "review_r1", "timestamp": "2026-03-08T18:00:00Z", "notes": "15 edits applied"}
],
"metadata": {
"journal_target": "Journal of Animal Ecology",
"revision_number": 1,
"word_count": 6850
}
}
State file location: Saved in the same directory as the manuscript, named [manuscript_id]_pipeline_state.json.
State file creation: Automatically created after the first phase completes. Updated after each major phase.
Entry Points
1. Run Full Pipeline from Start
User says: "Run the full manuscript workflow for my paper on [topic]"
Actions:
- Trigger
paper-researchPhase 0 (journal targeting) - Pause for user confirmation on journal profile and paper plan
- Continue through Phases 1 to 7, outputting
[title]_draft.md - Create state file with
current_phase: "draft_complete" - Ask: "Manuscript draft is ready. Would you like to send it for expert review?"
2. Start Expert Review
User says: "Review this manuscript" or "Run expert-review on the manuscript"
Actions:
- Locate the latest .md manuscript (from state file or user-specified path)
- Read YAML frontmatter for context (journal profile, paper plan)
- Trigger
expert-reviewPhase 1 (panel assembly) - Continue through Phases 2 to 4, outputting
[title]_reviewed_r1.mdplus edit summary - Update state:
current_phase: "review_r1", incrementrevision_number - Present: "Review round 1 complete. [N] edits applied. Review the inline markup and let me know when you're ready for another round or to finalize."
3. Run Another Review Round
User says: "Run another review round" or "Second round of reviews"
Actions:
- Load the current manuscript (user's version after accepting/rejecting changes)
- Detect revision number from frontmatter or state file
- Trigger
expert-reviewPhases 1 to 4 with fresh reviewer panel (or same panel if user prefers) - Output
[title]_reviewed_r[N].md - Update state: increment phase counter
- If Round 3+, note: "This is round [N]. If major issues persist, there may be structural concerns that individual edits cannot address."
4. Build Final Manuscript
User says: "Convert to Word" or "Build the final docx" or "Finalize the manuscript"
Actions:
- Load the latest .md manuscript
- Verify no unresolved
[CITE:]or[SOURCE NEEDED]placeholders remain - Ask user: "Should I render this with inline markup visible (as highlights) or as a clean submission version?"
- Trigger
manuscript-builderwith chosen mode - Output
[title]_[journal]_submission.docx - Update state:
current_phase: "final" - Present word count, citation count, and compliance summary
5. Check Status
User says: "Where are we?" or "What's the status of the manuscript?"
Actions:
- Read state file
- Display: current phase, last checkpoint, files generated, next recommended action
- Offer options based on current phase
Handoff Protocol
When passing control from one skill to the next:
- Verify output exists: confirm the output file from the previous skill was saved successfully
- Validate .md structure: check that YAML frontmatter is present and parseable
- Read frontmatter: extract workflow_state, revision_number, journal_target
- Update frontmatter: increment revision_number, update workflow_state and last_modified
- Invoke next skill: pass the file path and any extracted context
Frontmatter Updates at Each Transition
| Transition | workflow_state | revision_number |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 7 complete | draft | 0 |
| Expert review R1 complete | review_r1 | 1 |
| Expert review R2 complete | review_r2 | 2 |
| Final docx built | final | unchanged |
Iteration Model
The pipeline supports user-driven iteration between expert-review rounds:
draft.md -> expert-review R1 -> reviewed_r1.md
|
v
user reviews markup
accepts/rejects changes
|
v
edited_r1.md (clean version)
|
v
expert-review R2 -> reviewed_r2.md
|
v
user reviews markup
|
v
... (repeat as needed)
|
v
manuscript-builder -> submission.docx
Convergence signal: Each round should produce fewer edits than the previous round. If Round 3+ still generates 10+ edits, flag to the user that structural revision may be needed rather than incremental edits.
Version tracking: All versions are preserved with revision suffixes. The user always has access to every intermediate version.
File Naming Convention
[short-title]_draft.md # Phase 7 output
[short-title]_reviewed_r1.md # Expert review round 1
[short-title]_review_r1_edits.md # Edit summary for round 1
[short-title]_reviewed_r2.md # Expert review round 2
[short-title]_[journal]_submission.docx # Final manuscript
[short-title]_pipeline_state.json # State tracking file
All files saved to the user's workspace folder.
Design Principles
-
Skills remain independent. Each skill can be invoked directly without the orchestrator. The orchestrator adds coordination, not new logic.
-
User drives iteration. No automatic progression between phases. The user decides when to move forward, run another round, or finalize.
-
Markdown throughout. All creative work stays in .md format. The .docx is produced only at the end for submission.
-
Clear state tracking. The user always knows where they are in the pipeline and what the next step is.
-
Non-destructive versioning. Every intermediate file is preserved. Nothing is overwritten.
Invocation Patterns
This skill should trigger when the user says things like:
- "Run the full manuscript workflow"
- "Start the manuscript pipeline for my paper on [topic]"
- "Where are we in the pipeline?" / "What's the status?"
- "Send this for expert review"
- "Run another review round"
- "Build the final docx" / "Finalize the manuscript"
- "Convert the manuscript to Word for submission"
- "Resume the workflow from where we left off"
Integration
This skill orchestrates:
skills/workflows/paper-research/SKILL.md: for Phases 0 to 7 (literature research through manuscript drafting)skills/workflows/expert-review/SKILL.md: for simulated peer review and inline markup revisionskills/simple/manuscript-builder/SKILL.md: for final .md to .docx conversion
It reads the SKILL.md of each component skill as needed to understand phase requirements and outputs.