Write Article

Follow these stages in order. Never skip a stage. At each checkpoint, stop and wait for Daisy's approval.

All files for an article go in output/<article-slug>/.

Stage 1: Brief

1. If Daisy names a brief, read briefs/<slug>.yaml.
2. If she describes a new idea instead, copy briefs/_template.yaml to briefs/<slug>.yaml and fill in what she told you.
3. If she gives neither, list the briefs in briefs/ (excluding _template.yaml) and ask which one to use.
4. Check the required fields: topic, format, key_takeaway. Ask for any that are missing.
5. If the key takeaway is vague, propose a sharper version and ask Daisy to confirm it.
6. If the format is a blog post and the experience field is empty, ask Daisy for the real story behind it. Never invent it.
7. Read everything listed in source_material.

Stage 2: Research

1. Identify every fact, API, library, and version the article depends on that isn't covered by the source material.
2. Verify each one against official documentation using web search.
3. Save findings to research.md with a link for each source.

Stage 3: Outline (Checkpoint 1)

1. Read every file in voice-samples/.
2. Write outline.md containing: a working title, the opening hook in one or two sentences, each H2 and H3 heading with one line describing what it covers, where code blocks go, and how the piece ends.
3. Show Daisy the outline and ask for approval.
4. Revise until she approves. Do not start drafting before approval.

Stage 4: Draft

1. 1. Write draft.md following every rule in CLAUDE.md. The first line must be the title as # Title, followed by the article body.
2. For tutorials and any piece with code: save each code block to the code/ folder and run it in the writer-agent conda environment. Use the real output for every "You should see..." line.
3. If a code block can't be run (it needs credentials, a paid service, or special hardware), add the comment <!-- VERIFY: reason --> above it.

Stage 5: Review (Checkpoint 2)

1. Reread the draft against CLAUDE.md: voice, format structure, code rules, and platform-safe formatting. Fix every issue you find.
2. Run python scripts/check_draft.py output/<slug>/draft.md. Fix every issue it reports and rerun until it prints All checks passed.
3. Tell Daisy the draft is ready and give her: the word count, the opening hook, and a list of every VERIFY item.
4. Ask her to review draft.md. Revise until she approves. Do not export before approval.

Stage 6: Export

1. Create devto.md. Start with this front matter, then the article body:

   ---

   title: published: false description: <one-sentence summary> tags: <tag1>, <tag2>, <tag3>, <tag4>

2. Create preview.html by running python scripts/make_preview.py output/<slug>.

3. Create publish-kit.md with every item listed in the Outputs section of CLAUDE.md.

4. Tell Daisy the three files are ready, and remind her:

   • dev.to: paste the contents of devto.md into the dev.to editor.
   • Medium and Substack: open preview.html in a browser, select all, copy, and paste into the editor.