Article Writer — Autonomous Loop

Write a complete, publication-ready article autonomously.

Arguments

• •No arguments: Continue work on the most recent article
• •$ARGUMENTS: Specific article slug to work on

Quality Targets

This loop runs until the article meets ALL quality gates as defined in article.json.

All targets are read from the article spec — there are no hardcoded thresholds. The PRD phase already set appropriate targets based on the content type and any custom word count.

Read these from article.json:

• •targets.total_words and targets.minimum_words
• •targets.external_links
• •targets.real_world_examples
• •quality_gates.min_words_per_section
• •quality_gates.min_links_per_section
• •quality_gates.min_examples_total
• •editorial_standards.prose_ratio_minimum
• •research_config (sources per section, search depth, video research)

Editorial Standards

The article should read like a well-crafted piece appropriate to its content type, not a listicle dressed up with paragraphs. Key principles:

Narrative over lists. Every list needs surrounding prose explaining the "why". Lists are punctuation, not the main text. (Relaxed for listicle content type.)

Critical thinking over information dumps. Don't just present facts—analyze them. What's the trade-off? When would you NOT do this?

Headers that flow. NO double-barreled titles with colons. Use direct, conversational headers.

• •Bad: "Finding Prospects: Where to Look and Who to Target"
• •Good: "Where Good Prospects Hide"

Don't add headers for headers' sake. Articles should flow as continuous prose, not be chopped into dozens of micro-sections. Only use H3 subheadings when they serve a genuine structural purpose. Aim for 2-4 H3s per major section maximum.

Pipeline

The pipeline adapts based on content_type:

Full pipeline (long-form, research, case-study):

RESEARCH (all sections) -> OUTLINE -> WRITE (section by section) -> EMBED MEDIA -> REVIEW -> EVAL
                                          ^                                           |
                                          +----------- REVISE IF EVAL FAILS ----------+

Shortened pipeline (email, news, reddit):

RESEARCH (all sections) -> WRITE (section by section) -> REVIEW -> EVAL
                                  ^                                  |
                                  +------ REVISE IF EVAL FAILS -----+

Skip OUTLINE for content types with fewer than 5 sections. Skip EMBED MEDIA for email, news, and reddit content types.

Execution Steps

Step 1: Load State

// Find active article
const articleDir = findMostRecent('articles/*/article.json')
const article = readJSON(articleDir)
const progress = read('progress.txt')

Determine current phase based on state. Log the content type and targets.

Step 2: Phase Detection

IF not all sections have research_complete: true
   -> PHASE: RESEARCH
   -> Action: Research next incomplete section

ELSE IF outline.md does not exist AND targets.sections >= 5
   -> PHASE: OUTLINE
   -> Action: Generate detailed outline

ELSE IF any section has status !== "written" OR word_count < quality_gates.min_words_per_section
   -> PHASE: WRITING
   -> Action: Write next incomplete section

ELSE IF content_type NOT IN ["email", "news", "reddit"] AND article has unprocessed media placeholders
   -> PHASE: EMBED
   -> Action: Process media embeds

ELSE IF status !== "reviewed"
   -> PHASE: REVIEW
   -> Action: Review and polish

ELSE
   -> PHASE: EVAL
   -> Action: Run quality evaluation

Step 3: Execute Phase

RESEARCH Phase

For each section without research_complete: true:

1. •Load section scaffold and research questions
2. •Execute at least research_config.search_queries_min WebSearch queries
3. •Find research_config.sources_per_section sources per section
4. •Find examples matching section's required_elements.examples_minimum
5. •Write comprehensive research notes
6. •Update article.json

Quality check before moving on (from article.json):

• •Sources meet research_config.sources_per_section
• •Examples meet section requirements
• •Evidence appropriate to article type collected

OUTLINE Phase

Skip if targets.sections < 5 (short-form content doesn't need a separate outline).

1. •Read all research notes
2. •Create detailed outline with:
   • •Section flow and transitions
   • •Key points to cover
   • •Example placements
   • •Evidence locations
3. •Write outline.md

WRITING Phase

For each section without status: "written" or word_count < quality_gates.min_words_per_section:

1. •Load research notes and outline (if exists)
2. •Read previous sections for continuity
3. •Write to the section's word_target, meeting at minimum word_minimum:
   • •Strong opening hook (no "In this section...")
   • •Prose ratio meeting editorial_standards.prose_ratio_minimum
   • •Real examples woven into narrative
   • •Evidence with context and analysis
   • •Conversational headers (no colons)
   • •Smooth transition to next section
4. •Update article.json with word count

Quality check before moving on (from article.json):

• •Word count >= section's word_minimum
• •Prose ratio >= editorial_standards.prose_ratio_minimum
• •Links >= section's required_elements.external_links_minimum
• •Examples >= section's required_elements.examples_minimum
• •Headers conversational

EMBED Phase

Skip for email and news content types.

1. •Scan for <!-- YOUTUBE: --> placeholders
2. •Search for relevant videos
3. •Generate responsive embed HTML
4. •Add mermaid diagrams where helpful

REVIEW Phase

1. •Read full article for flow
2. •Check prose-to-list ratio against editorial_standards.prose_ratio_minimum
3. •Verify headers flow naturally (fix colon-heavy titles)
4. •Remove excessive H3 subheadings
5. •Check all links work
6. •Verify factual accuracy
7. •Strengthen transitions
8. •Polish opening and closing
9. •Mark as reviewed

EVAL Phase

Run quality evaluation. ALL thresholds from article.json:

GATES (all values from article.json):
- Word count >= targets.minimum_words
- All sections >= quality_gates.min_words_per_section
- External links >= targets.external_links
- Real-world examples >= targets.real_world_examples
- Prose ratio >= editorial_standards.prose_ratio_minimum
- Headers conversational (no colons)
- Narrative quality (hook, flow, closing)

If ANY gate fails:

1. •Identify specific gaps
2. •Return to appropriate phase
3. •Loop continues

If ALL gates pass:

1. •Article is complete
2. •Output final summary

Step 4: Progress Tracking

After EVERY action, update progress.txt:

[timestamp] Phase: [phase] | Section: [section-id]
- Action: [what was done]
- Metrics: words=N, links=N, examples=N, prose_ratio=N%
- Status: [PASS/FAIL for quality checks]
- Next: [what comes next]

Step 5: Loop Control

Continue if:

• •Any quality gate not met (per article.json targets)
• •Any section incomplete
• •Research gaps exist
• •Prose ratio below target
• •Headers need fixing

Complete when all article.json targets are met:

• •All sections written (>= min_words_per_section each)
• •Total words >= minimum_words
• •Links >= external_links target
• •Examples >= real_world_examples target
• •Prose ratio >= prose_ratio_minimum
• •Headers verified
• •Narrative verified
• •EVAL returns PASS

Output on Completion

=============================================
ARTICLE COMPLETE
=============================================

Title: [title]
Type: [article_type] | Format: [content_type]
Location: articles/[slug]/output/article.md

Quality Metrics (targets from article.json):
- Word count: N / [total_words] target
- Sections: N complete (all [min_words_per_section]+ words)
- External links: N / [external_links] target
- Real-world examples: N / [real_world_examples] target
- Prose ratio: N% / [prose_ratio_minimum]% minimum
- Headers: Conversational (no colons)
- Narrative: Strong hook, flow, closing

The article is ready for publication!
=============================================

Error Handling

If a phase fails repeatedly:

1. •Log the error
2. •Note specific blocker
3. •Attempt alternative approach
4. •If still blocked, report to user

Key Principles

1. •Quality over speed — Don't rush through phases
2. •Prose over bullets — Write paragraphs, not listicles (unless it IS a listicle)
3. •Rich examples — Every claim needs evidence
4. •Real-world grounding — Name specific people, companies, studies
5. •Strong narrative — Story, not just information
6. •Critical thinking — Analyze, don't just list
7. •No shortcuts — Every gate must pass
8. •Trust the spec — All targets come from article.json, not hardcoded values