Narrative Skills

Repository of narrative-writing skills for agentic fiction workflows.

These skills are designed to let a coding-oriented console agent work as a story assistant with persistent files, explicit editorial artifacts, and a repeatable manuscript workflow.

Author: Rafael García Moreno bladecoder@gmail.com

Installation

Use scripts/install-skills.sh to install all skills for Codex, Claude Code, or OpenCode.

If you run the script without arguments, it prints the help instead of installing anything.

Supported install modes:

• symlink
• copy

Examples:

scripts/install-skills.sh --target codex --mode symlink
scripts/install-skills.sh --target claude-code --target opencode --mode copy
scripts/install-skills.sh --target all --mode symlink --force
scripts/install-skills.sh --target all --mode symlink --in-repo

Default target directories:

• Codex: ${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills
• Claude Code: ${CLAUDE_CODE_HOME:-${CLAUDE_HOME:-$HOME/.claude}}/skills
• OpenCode: ${OPEN_CODE_HOME:-${OPENCODE_HOME:-$HOME/.config/opencode}}/skills

If you want a repository-local install for testing, use --in-repo. By default it writes into the repository you run the script from, or the current directory if that directory is not inside a Git repository. It writes to:

• .codex/skills
• .claude/skills
• .opencode/skills

You can override paths with --codex-dir, --claude-dir, --opencode-dir, or change the local install base with --repo-dir.

Repository conventions

• The current working directory is the root of the story project.
• Core metadata lives in story.yaml.
• File and folder names stay in English for automation stability.
• Human-readable content is written in the selected story.language with normal orthography and Unicode.
• The canonical project structure is created by init-story-project.

Skills

Project setup and shared context

• load-story-context: Reads the current story workspace, validates story.yaml, normalizes shared metadata, and identifies missing or inconsistent project context.
• init-story-project: Creates or normalizes the base story-project structure, persists the minimum briefing, and initializes the metadata contract.
• define-style-bible: Builds the prose, voice, POV, lexical, and taboo rules that govern all future drafting and review.

Story design

• create-character-bible: Defines the protagonist, supporting cast, and core dramatic relationships in narratively useful terms.
• generate-high-level-outline: Converts premise, cast, and intent into a three-act structure and chapter map with real progression.

Chapter workflow

• plan-chapter: Produces an operational chapter plan with beats, POV, conflict, emotional progression, and continuity watchpoints.
• draft-chapter: Writes a full chapter draft from the persisted plan, style bible, character state, and continuity files.
• chapter-review: Reviews a drafted chapter for narrative, stylistic, and structural issues and writes actionable editorial feedback.
• rewrite-chapter: Revises a chapter draft from its review while keeping a separate revision artifact for traceability.
• continuity-check: Detects contradictions, ambiguity, new canon facts, and open-thread changes, then updates continuity records carefully.
• update-character-state: Persists dynamic character state after a stable chapter or rewrite.
• update-timeline: Synchronizes chronology and dated canon facts after a stable chapter or rewrite.
• sync-story-bible: Synchronizes chapter status, open loops, synopsis-level state, and workflow metadata after accepted changes.

Manuscript-level feedback

• manuscript-review: Reviews a partial or full manuscript at story level for structure, pacing, arc development, and cumulative coherence.
• beta-reader-pass: Simulates reader-experience feedback focused on engagement, confusion, payoff, and emotional traction.

Packaging and delivery

• prepare-export: Builds a clean reader-facing export package under 08_exports/ from accepted manuscript state.
• build-distribution: Converts the export package into distribution formats such as HTML, EPUB, and PDF when the required backend is available.

Interactive fiction with Ink

Skills under skills/if/ support exploratory interactive fiction built with Ink. They keep project filenames in English, write human-facing project content in story.language, and use story.yaml as the shared contract.

• ink-doc: Provides Ink language reference guidance for .ink files.
• if-load-context: Reads and validates an interactive fiction Ink project before downstream IF work.
• if-init-project: Creates or normalizes the canonical Ink IF project structure.
• if-design-structure: Defines the playable promise, core loop, phases, and two-axis exploration model.
• if-design-map: Designs the spatial map, locations, connections, gates, and location unlocks.
• if-design-dialogue: Designs free-order character conversations, topic availability, and dialogue state.
• if-design-progression: Models obstacles, knowledge, inventory, protagonist skills, and unlock conditions.
• if-plan-ink-slice: Plans one implementable Ink slice before drafting code.
• if-draft-ink: Writes or revises Ink files from the project design and slice plan.
• if-playtest-review: Reviews playability, routes, dead ends, loops, locks, and state coverage.
• if-sync-state: Synchronizes accepted Ink changes back into design, progression, and continuity records.

End-to-end workflow

flowchart TD
    A[load-story-context] --> B{Story project exists?}
    B -- No --> C[init-story-project]
    B -- Yes --> D[define-style-bible]
    C --> D
    D --> E[create-character-bible]
    E --> F[generate-high-level-outline]

    F --> G[plan-chapter]
    G --> H[draft-chapter]
    H --> I[chapter-review]
    I --> J{Needs rewrite?}
    J -- Yes --> K[rewrite-chapter]
    J -- No --> L[continuity-check]
    K --> L

    L --> M[update-character-state]
    M --> N[update-timeline]
    N --> O[sync-story-bible]

    O --> P{More chapters to write?}
    P -- Yes --> G
    P -- No --> Q[manuscript-review]
    Q --> R[beta-reader-pass]
    R --> S{Revise manuscript?}
    S -- Yes --> G
    S -- No --> T[prepare-export]
    T --> U[build-distribution]

Loading

Recommended usage pattern

1. Initialize or load the project state.
2. Define style, characters, and high-level outline.
3. For each chapter, iterate through plan, draft, review, rewrite if needed, and sync.
4. Once enough material exists, run manuscript-level and reader-level passes.
5. Export the accepted manuscript state and convert it into distribution formats.

Example fixture

The repository includes a full sample project in examples/the-hours-left-over/README.md and a concise end-to-end workflow example in examples/workflow.md.

License

This repository is licensed under the MIT License.