Paragraph Curator (select -> evaluate -> subset -> fuse)

Purpose: turn “keep rewriting and getting longer” into a controlled convergence step.

This skill adds a decision layer between “draft paragraphs” and “polish voice”:

• keep the best paragraphs

• merge redundant ones

• rewrite for clearer argument moves

• expand only when coverage is missing (using existing evidence cards)

This is a content-structure pass (not a style pass). Run style-harmonizer and opener-variator after curation.

Inputs

Required:

• sections/ (especially H3 bodies: sections/S<sub_id>.md )

• outline/writer_context_packs.jsonl (what each H3 must cover + allowed citations)

• output/ARGUMENT_SKELETON.md (single source of truth for terminology + premises)

Recommended:

• output/SECTION_ARGUMENT_SUMMARIES.jsonl (paragraph moves + outputs)

• output/SECTION_LOGIC_REPORT.md (paragraph linkage risks)

• output/WRITER_SELFLOOP_TODO.md (style smells / scope/citation warnings)

Outputs

• Updated sections/*.md (same filenames; body-only; no headings)

• output/PARAGRAPH_CURATION_REPORT.md (short; PASS/FAIL + what changed)

• Create sections/paragraphs_curated.refined.ok when done (empty file; pipeline contract signal)

What this skill optimizes (rubric)

You are not trying to “shorten”. You are trying to increase information density while keeping the section verifiable.

Score each paragraph on a simple 0-2 rubric:

Criterion 0 (bad) 1 (ok) 2 (good)

Coverage does not match any required axis/card matches one axis, thin directly executes a must-use card/comparison

Novelty repeats nearby content partially redundant adds a distinct comparison/insight

Move clarity unclear what it does move exists, weak output clear move + reusable output

Consistency premise/term drift vs skeleton minor mismatch fully aligned with Consistency Contract

Citation hygiene uncited when it should be; cite-dump vibe acceptable citations are local and anchored (not just tail)

Fusion readiness cannot merge; tangled mergeable with edits clean unit that can be fused or kept

Decision labels:

• KEEP : keep mostly as-is

• REWRITE : keep content, rewrite for clearer move/output

• FUSE : merge with neighbor(s) and rewrite into one stronger paragraph

• REPLACE : keep the slot, but rewrite using existing evidence cards (when coverage is missing)

Paragraph budget (profile-aware)

Default per-H3 target:

• draft_profile=survey : 10-12 paragraphs

• draft_profile=deep : 11-13 paragraphs

If you exceed the budget, do not delete content blindly. Prefer FUSE (merge redundancy) and make the fused paragraph denser.

Must-have coverage checklist (per H3)

Each H3 must contain at least:

• 1x Definition/Setup (only if this H3 introduces a new term/protocol field)

• 2x concrete Contrast paragraphs (A-vs-B comparisons; not just “many papers do...”)

• 1x Evaluation anchor paragraph (task + metric + constraint/budget/tool access; cite-backed)

• 1x cross-paper Synthesis paragraph (what generalizes, what does not; cite-backed)

• 1x Boundary/Failure paragraph (limitations; threats to validity; cite-backed when possible)

• 1x Local conclusion (a reusable takeaway used downstream)

If any item is missing, use REPLACE to write that paragraph from the writer context pack (do not invent new facts).

Workflow (minimal)

• Pick the target set

• Start with the H3 bodies listed in output/SECTION_LOGIC_REPORT.md , plus any H3 flagged in output/WRITER_SELFLOOP_TODO.md as repetitive/template-y, plus any H3 that keeps growing across edits.

• Work file-by-file: each target is a concrete sections/S<sub_id>.md .

• Build a paragraph inventory (scratch only; do not paste into the paper)

• If output/SECTION_ARGUMENT_SUMMARIES.jsonl exists, use its per-paragraph moves /output as the first draft of your inventory, then reconcile with the actual text. For each paragraph, write one line:

• P<i> :: move(s) -> output (1 sentence) :: citations (keys)

• Apply the rubric and label each paragraph

• Mark KEEP/REWRITE/FUSE/REPLACE .

• If two adjacent paragraphs repeat the same axis, FUSE .

• For any paragraph you plan to change (REWRITE /REPLACE /FUSE ), draft 2-3 candidate rewrites in parallel (different angles: contrast-first / protocol-first / synthesis-first).

• Score candidates quickly with the rubric; keep one winner (or fuse two if they cover complementary axes).

• Keep citation keys unchanged while sampling; you are choosing surface form + structure, not changing the evidence set.

• Construct the curated set

• Use outline/writer_context_packs.jsonl to enforce must-have coverage (paragraph_plan/must_use/comparison_cards/limitation_hooks) without inventing new content.

• Enforce the must-have coverage checklist.

• Enforce the paragraph budget by fusing redundancy rather than deleting substance.

• Fuse + rewrite (keep citation keys fixed) Rules that keep the pipeline stable:

• Do not add/remove citation keys; when fusing, carry citations forward and re-anchor them to the right sentence.

• Do not move citations across subsections.

• Avoid adjacent citation blocks (e.g., [@a] [@b] ) and duplicate keys in one block (e.g., [@a; @a] ).

• When fusing, it is often faster to write two fused candidates (one contrast-heavy, one synthesis-heavy) and pick the better one.

• Write the report + marker

• output/PARAGRAPH_CURATION_REPORT.md should be short and actionable:

• • Status: PASS|FAIL

• per H3: paragraph count before/after; what was fused; any remaining gaps

• (minimal) how many candidates you tried for the main rewrites (e.g., 2-3), so future passes can see whether this was a real selection step

• Create sections/paragraphs_curated.refined.ok .

Routing rules

• If you cannot fill a missing must-have paragraph without new evidence: stop and route upstream (evidence-selfloop / C3-C4). Do not pad.

• If you feel forced to change a definition or evaluation premise: update output/ARGUMENT_SKELETON.md# Consistency Contract first, then rerun argument-selfloop .

• If the only issue is surface cadence/openers: do not overwork curation; run style-harmonizer / opener-variator .

Done checklist

• Each targeted H3 stays within its paragraph budget (survey 10-12; deep 11-13) without losing required moves.

• Redundant paragraphs are fused into denser, clearer ones (not just deleted).

• No citation keys were added/removed; citation shape is reader-facing (no adjacent blocks, no dup keys).

• output/PARAGRAPH_CURATION_REPORT.md exists and is understandable.

• sections/paragraphs_curated.refined.ok exists.

Script

Quick Start

• python .codex/skills/paragraph-curator/scripts/run.py --workspace workspaces/<ws>

All Options

• --workspace <dir> (required)

• --unit-id <U###>

• --inputs <semicolon-separated>

• --outputs <semicolon-separated>

• --checkpoint <C#>

Examples

• Curate paragraphs in a survey workspace:

• python .codex/skills/paragraph-curator/scripts/run.py --workspace workspaces/survey-llm-agents