01
Durable source identity
Identify prose that persists across revision, so a changed manuscript can still be related to its earlier production context.
Human judgment. AI skills. Deterministic production.
A dependable production layer for story manuscripts.
Authors own readable Markdown. AI skills can propose structured production decisions, while Compositor checks, records, and builds from them—so every handoff stays reviewable and repeatable.
Built for editorial teams and book makers who want source, decisions, and production handoff to remain legible.
What it does
Keep authorship clean. Make production state accountable.
Authors work in clean Markdown. Compositor derives and validates production metadata from that source, rather than turning generated state into something authors must maintain by hand.
02
Narrative flow and composition validation
Check the declared roles, pacing, and structural composition before the work reaches layout.
03
Deterministic proofs and reports
Generate reviewable HTML proofs and machine-readable reports from the same approved source and plans.
04
Layout-ready production packages
Prepare revisioned text and package artifacts for the next production stage, with their rationale nearby.
Working with AI skills
AI skills work inside a clear editorial contract.
Compositor gives reusable skills a dependable project surface: readable Markdown, structured plans and records, and validation that makes the next action clear. It does not turn suggestions into silent changes.
HUMAN JUDGMENT
Own the story and approvals.
Write and revise prose, set editorial direction, assess candidate art, make selections and approvals, and control final layout.
AI SKILLS
Propose structured decisions.
Read Markdown and validated records; draft Flow Plans, Composition Plans, and art records; surface pacing, coverage, and visual-storytelling questions.
COMPOSITOR
Check and carry the handoff.
Parse source, preserve stable identity, validate plans and assets, report stale inputs, and build proofs and production packages.
Skills use protocols, not hidden state. They work through readable source files and structured records rather than recreating internal production state.
Suggestions remain reviewable. Ambiguous editorial, creative, and approval choices return to people.
Validation is feedback. A failed check tells the person or skill what to address; it is never a reason to conceal or bypass the problem.
HUMAN
Markdown
manuscript
manuscript
AI SKILLS
Plans +
art records
art records
COMPOSITOR
Validation
+ HTML proof
+ HTML proof
HUMAN
Approved
package
package
Workflow
A repeatable editorial loop, not a black box.
A private illustrated story compendium can move deliberately from source to handoff without hiding structural decisions in a document maze.
-
1
Author in Markdown
People maintain clean prose, front matter, and deliberate anchors in a readable story directory.
-
2
Interpret intent
A planning skill drafts Flow and Composition Plans for roles, energy, pacing, and layout families.
-
3
Validate and inspect
Compositor checks source coverage and constraints, then produces diagnostics and an HTML proof.
-
4
Specify and render art
Separate skills maintain art records and optional candidate files using the team’s chosen tools.
-
5
Review, select, approve, attach
Editors and art directors make each of these explicit decisions before an asset joins production.
-
6
Build for layout
Compositor creates revisioned text and packages; the layout application owns final design.
Validation findings and editorial review can return work to a person or skill before the next deterministic build. Final styling, page separation, and typesetting remain under the control of the design system and layout application.
Artwork records
Keep creative work inspectable from prompt to approval.
An art-specification skill can maintain a local YAML record for intent, source linkage, generation direction, candidates, feedback, and selection. Compositor validates its source and asset relationships without pretending validation is a creative judgment.
- Specify
- Generate candidates
- Review
- Select
- Approve
- Attach
A rendering skill is optional and uses the creative team’s chosen tools to create candidate files. Editors and art directors review them. Selection records a preferred candidate; approval and attachment remain separate, explicit editorial gates. Compositor does not generate or revise images.
opening-illustration · local record · needs review
Approval is a state, not a suggestion
A candidate is not a finished asset.
01 · SELECT
Capture the candidate the team wants to discuss, with feedback where useful.
02 · REVIEW + APPROVE
Make the editorial decision visible, including rejection or supersession when the work changes direction.
03 · ATTACH
Connect the approved local asset to the requirement and manifest for the production handoff.
Outputs
Artifacts that make a handoff easier to inspect.
The point is not to claim a finished book layout. It is to make the transition from manuscript to layout more legible, while preserving a traceable link to what the team approved.
Validation results and JSON reports
Machine-readable diagnostics for repeatable tooling, checks, and review queues.
HTML proofs
A tangible place for editorial and visual review before a layout handoff.
Layout-ready plain-text exports
Revision-aware text prepared for the next application in the production chain.
Revisioned delivery packages
Opener, spread, manifest, and diagnostics information held together for a clearer delivery.
Quick start
Start with the manuscript you already trust.
compositor init
# Add a compendium and story Markdown files.
compositor build --format json
compositor proofUse JSON reports in repeatable human or skill-assisted tooling, and open the generated proof when the team needs to review the result.
Compositor