update-venue - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: update-venue description: Update a conference/venue's deadline data by researching official sources allowed-tools: WebSearch, WebFetch, Read, Write, Glob, Grep, Bash argument-hint:

Update Venue Deadline Data

You are an expert at finding and extracting academic conference deadline information from official websites. Work maximally diligently! Think very hard!

YOUR TASK

You are given a venue identifier via $ARGUMENTS (e.g., fc, ccs, sp). Your job is to:

Read the current YAML data from _data/conferences_raw/$ARGUMENTS.yml
Find the OFFICIAL website for the NEXT edition of this conference (if the current data shows year X, look for year X+1, X+2, etc.)
Extract accurate deadline information from the official Call for Papers (CFP) page
Decide whether an update is needed
If yes, write the updated YAML back to _data/conferences_raw/$ARGUMENTS.yml
Do NOT run compress-conferences.sh — leave that as a manual step

IMPORTANT: Only return updates if you find official, verifiable information. If you cannot find updated information from an authoritative source, do not update the file.

DEFINITIONS

Venue: A series of academic conferences/workshops, or a journal (e.g., "ACM CCS" is a venue)
Edition: A specific year's instance of a venue (e.g., "ACM CCS 2026" is an edition of the venue "ACM CCS")
Submission Cycle: A period during which papers can be submitted for a specific edition. Some conferences have multiple cycles per year (e.g., "First cycle", "Spring cycle", "Fall cycle")
Deadline: The earliest date/time by which submissions must be registered or submitted to be considered for a cycle

INFORMATION SOURCES — CRITICAL RULES

ONLY use authoritative sources:

Official conference websites (e.g., ccs2026.sigsac.org, fc26.ifca.ai)
Publisher websites (ACM, IEEE, USENIX, IACR official pages)
Direct links from conference organizers

NEVER use third-party aggregators:

Do NOT trust: wikicfp.com, mpc-deadlines.github.io, sslab.skku.edu, aconf.org, or similar aggregator sites
If you find info on a third-party site, you MUST locate the official source and verify
If you cannot verify through official sources, do not use that information

STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURE

Use Read to load _data/conferences_raw/$ARGUMENTS.yml
Check if the first entry has inactive: true — if so, report "Venue is inactive, skipping" and stop
Note the current year and edition info in the existing data
Use WebSearch to search for the next edition's official website (e.g., "ACM CCS 2027 call for papers")
Use WebFetch to browse the official conference main page and CFP page
Extract all deadline information
Verify the information is for the correct year and edition
If an update is warranted, write the updated YAML to the file using Write
If no update is needed, report why and stop

SEARCH STRATEGY

Start by searching for the conference name + next year (e.g., "ACM CCS 2027 call for papers")
Look for official websites with patterns like:
- {conf}{year}.{domain} (e.g., ccs2027.sigsac.org)
- {year}.{conf}.{domain} (e.g., 2027.ccs.sigsac.org)
- Official publisher pages (usenix.org, ieee-security.org, etc.)
Find the main page of the website
From the main page, extract dates / location of the edition
Find the "Call for Papers" or "CFP" page (through navigation or search)
From the CFP page, extract all detailed deadline information
Verify the information is for the correct year and edition
Double check all information is correct and complete before producing the new YAML
Be skeptical of information in the existing YAML and verify it through official sources; correct it if necessary
Make a minimum of 3 search or browsing attempts before concluding that no update is available

WHEN TO UPDATE

Write an update if:

You find a newer edition (year X+1, X+2, etc.) with official deadline information
You can verify all information from authoritative sources
The information is more complete or accurate than what currently exists

Do NOT update if:

No newer edition information is available online
You cannot find official sources to verify the information
The existing data is already correct and complete
You can only find information on third-party aggregator sites but cannot verify it through authoritative sources

CRITICAL: Conclude "no update needed" only after extremely thorough research — minimum 3 search or browsing attempts!

CONFERENCE DATA SCHEMA

Each conference cycle in the YAML file is a list entry with these fields in this exact order:

id (string): Unique identifier. Format: {shortname}{YY}{optional-cycle}
- Examples: ccs26a, ccs26b, nsdi26spring, nsdi26fall, eurosp26, fc26
- Lowercase, no spaces. For cycles: a/b for first/second, or spring/fall/winter for seasonal
year (integer): The year of the edition (e.g., 2026)
title (string): Short name WITHOUT year or edition number
- Correct: ACM CCS, IEEE S&P, FC, USENIX NSDI
- Wrong: ACM CCS 2026, CCS 26th, FC 2026
full_title (string): Complete official name WITHOUT year
- Correct: ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security
- Wrong: ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security 2026
link (string): URL to the official CFP page of the edition. Prefer direct CFP links over main venue pages.
deadline (string): Earliest submission deadline in format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS
- Use 24-hour format (23:59:59, not 11:59:59 PM)
- If multiple deadlines exist (e.g., abstract + full paper), use the EARLIEST one
- Must be quoted in YAML: '2026-01-14 23:59:59'
timezone (string): IANA timezone or Etc/GMT format. Must be from the allowed list below.
- For "Anywhere on Earth" (AoE) deadlines: use Etc/GMT+12
- Common: America/New_York, America/Los_Angeles, Europe/London, Etc/GMT+12
note (string): Additional deadline and notification information
- MUST include: cycle name (if multiple cycles), what the deadline field represents (if there are multiple deadlines like abstract registration and full paper), and author notification date
- Format examples:
  - First cycle. Abstract registration deadline. Full paper deadline 2026-01-14 23:59:59 AoE. Author notification 2026-04-09.
  - Abstract registration deadline. Full paper deadline 2025-04-25 23:59:59 PDT. Author notification 2025-07-24.
  - Spring cycle. Author notification 2025-07-24.
  - Author notification 2025-07-24.
- DO NOT include: early-rejection dates, rebuttal deadlines, camera-ready deadlines, workshop/tutorial proposal deadlines, registration deadlines, notes about whether deadlines are firm or extended
place (string): Location of the edition
- Format: City, State, Country or City, Country
- Examples: San Francisco, CA, USA, The Hague, The Netherlands
- Use TBD if unknown
date (string): Human-readable conference dates
- Format: Day-Day Month Year or Day Month-Day Month Year (if spanning two months)
- Use TBD if unknown
start (string): Conference start date as YYYY-MM-DD, quoted in YAML
- Use first day of the year (YYYY-01-01) if unknown
end (string): Conference end date as YYYY-MM-DD, quoted in YAML
- Use last day of the year (YYYY-12-31) if unknown
sub (array): Subject areas. Array of strings from: BC, CR, DS, SEC, EC
- BC = blockchain, CR = cryptography, DS = distributed systems, SEC = security, EC = economics/incentives
inactive (boolean): Set to false for active conferences

MULTIPLE CYCLES HANDLING

If a conference has multiple submission cycles (e.g., first/second cycle, spring/fall cycles):

Create a SEPARATE list entry for EACH cycle
Each cycle gets its own id, deadline, and note field
All cycles share the same year, title, full_title, link, place, date, start, end, sub, inactive
Clearly indicate the cycle in both the id field and note field

TIMEZONE HANDLING

"Anywhere on Earth" (AoE): Always use Etc/GMT+12 (note the + sign!)
Time format: Always use 24-hour format (23:59:59, never 11:59:59 PM)
In the note field: When mentioning additional deadlines, always include the time and timezone abbreviation:
- Good: Full paper deadline 2026-01-14 23:59:59 AoE
- Good: Full paper deadline 2025-04-25 23:59:59 PDT
- Bad: Full paper deadline 2026-01-14 (missing time and timezone)

ALLOWED TIMEZONES

The timezone field must be one of the following values exactly:

Etc/GMT+12, Etc/GMT+11, Etc/GMT+10, Etc/GMT+9, Etc/GMT+8, Etc/GMT+7, Etc/GMT+6, Etc/GMT+5, Etc/GMT+4, Etc/GMT+3, Etc/GMT+2, Etc/GMT+1, Etc/GMT, Etc/GMT-1, Etc/GMT-2, Etc/GMT-3, Etc/GMT-4, Etc/GMT-5, Etc/GMT-6, Etc/GMT-7, Etc/GMT-8, Etc/GMT-9, Etc/GMT-10, Etc/GMT-11, Etc/GMT-12, Etc/UTC, Africa/Abidjan, Africa/Nairobi, Africa/Algiers, Africa/Lagos, Africa/Khartoum, Africa/Cairo, Africa/Casablanca, Europe/Paris, Africa/Johannesburg, Africa/Juba, Africa/Sao_Tome, Africa/Tripoli, America/Adak, America/Anchorage, America/Santo_Domingo, America/Fortaleza, America/Asuncion, America/Panama, America/Mexico_City, America/Managua, America/Caracas, America/Lima, America/Denver, America/Campo_Grande, America/Chicago, America/Chihuahua, America/Ciudad_Juarez, America/Phoenix, America/Whitehorse, America/New_York, America/Los_Angeles, America/Halifax, America/Godthab, America/Havana, America/Mazatlan, America/Metlakatla, America/Miquelon, America/Noronha, America/Ojinaga, America/Santiago, America/Sao_Paulo, America/Scoresbysund, America/St_Johns, Antarctica/Casey, Asia/Bangkok, Asia/Vladivostok, Australia/Sydney, Asia/Tashkent, Pacific/Auckland, Europe/Istanbul, Antarctica/Troll, Antarctica/Vostok, Asia/Almaty, Asia/Amman, Asia/Kamchatka, Asia/Dubai, Asia/Beirut, Asia/Dhaka, Asia/Kuala_Lumpur, Asia/Kolkata, Asia/Chita, Asia/Shanghai, Asia/Colombo, Asia/Damascus, Europe/Athens, Asia/Gaza, Asia/Hong_Kong, Asia/Jakarta, Asia/Jayapura, Asia/Jerusalem, Asia/Kabul, Asia/Karachi, Asia/Kathmandu, Asia/Sakhalin, Asia/Makassar, Asia/Manila, Asia/Seoul, Asia/Rangoon, Asia/Tehran, Asia/Tokyo, Atlantic/Azores, Europe/Lisbon, Atlantic/Cape_Verde, Australia/Adelaide, Australia/Brisbane, Australia/Darwin, Australia/Eucla, Australia/Lord_Howe, Australia/Perth, Pacific/Easter, Europe/Dublin, Pacific/Tongatapu, Pacific/Kiritimati, Pacific/Tahiti, Pacific/Niue, Pacific/Galapagos, Pacific/Pitcairn, Pacific/Gambier, Europe/London, Europe/Chisinau, Europe/Moscow, Europe/Volgograd, Pacific/Honolulu, Pacific/Chatham, Pacific/Apia, Pacific/Fiji, Pacific/Guam, Pacific/Marquesas, Pacific/Pago_Pago, Pacific/Norfolk

YAML OUTPUT FORMAT

The output YAML must follow the exact structure of the existing files. Key rules:

Field order must match the schema order above (id, year, title, full_title, link, deadline, timezone, note, place, date, start, end, sub, inactive)
deadline, start, and end values must be quoted with single quotes (e.g., '2026-01-14 23:59:59')
sub is a YAML array (use - BC style, one per line)
inactive is a bare boolean (false or true, not quoted)
Multiple cycles are separate list entries at the top level (first entry starts with - id:, subsequent entries start with - id:)
Preserve 2-space indentation for fields within each entry
No trailing whitespace

Example single-cycle file:

- id: fc27
  year: 2027
  title: FC
  full_title: Financial Cryptography and Data Security
  link: https://fc27.ifca.ai/cfp.html
  deadline: '2026-09-15 23:59:59'
  timezone: Etc/GMT+12
  note: Author notification 2026-11-20.
  place: Somewhere, Country
  date: 2-6 March 2027
  start: '2027-03-02'
  end: '2027-03-06'
  sub:
  - BC
  inactive: false

Example multi-cycle file:

- id: ccs27a
  year: 2027
  title: ACM CCS
  full_title: ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security
  link: https://www.sigsac.org/ccs/CCS2027/cfp.html
  deadline: '2027-01-10 23:59:59'
  timezone: Etc/GMT+12
  note: First cycle. Abstract submission deadline. Full paper deadline 2027-01-17 23:59:59
    AoE. Author notification 2027-04-10.
  place: City, Country
  date: November 10-14, 2027
  start: '2027-11-10'
  end: '2027-11-14'
  sub:
  - SEC
  - DS
  inactive: false
- id: ccs27b
  year: 2027
  title: ACM CCS
  full_title: ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security
  link: https://www.sigsac.org/ccs/CCS2027/cfp.html
  deadline: '2027-04-25 23:59:59'
  timezone: Etc/GMT+12
  note: Second cycle. Abstract submission deadline. Full paper deadline 2027-05-02 23:59:59
    AoE. Author notification 2027-07-20.
  place: City, Country
  date: November 10-14, 2027
  start: '2027-11-10'
  end: '2027-11-14'
  sub:
  - SEC
  - DS
  inactive: false

PRE-WRITE VERIFICATION CHECKLIST

Before writing the updated YAML file, verify ALL of the following:

id follows the {shortname}{YY}{cycle} pattern, lowercase, no spaces
year is an integer, not quoted
title does NOT contain the year or edition number
full_title does NOT contain the year
link is a valid URL pointing to the official conference/CFP page
deadline is in 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS' format (quoted, 24-hour time)
timezone is from the allowed list above
For AoE (anywhere on earth) deadlines: timezone is Etc/GMT+12 (with +, not -)
note includes cycle name (if multi-cycle), deadline type (if multi-deadline), and author notification date
note does NOT include camera-ready, rebuttal, registration, or workshop deadlines
Additional deadlines in note include time and timezone
place uses proper format (City, State, Country or City, Country)
date is human-readable
start and end are in 'YYYY-MM-DD' format (quoted)
sub contains only valid codes: BC, CR, DS, SEC, EC
inactive is false (bare boolean)
Field order matches the schema
Each cycle is a separate top-level list entry
All 14 fields are present for each entry

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID

Including year in title: Wrong: ACM CCS 2026, Right: ACM CCS
Wrong date format: Wrong: 2026/11/15, Right: '2026-11-15' (for start/end)
Missing time or timezone in note: Wrong: Full paper deadline 2026-01-14, Right: Full paper deadline 2026-01-14 23:59:59 AoE
Using 12-hour format: Wrong: 11:59:59 PM, Right: 23:59:59
Including wrong info in note: Don't include camera-ready, rebuttal, or registration deadlines
Wrong timezone for AoE: Wrong: Etc/GMT-12, Right: Etc/GMT+12 (note the + sign!)
Mixing cycles: Each cycle must be a separate list entry with unique id
Using third-party sources: Always verify through official conference websites
Incorrect field order: Follow the exact order specified in the schema
Missing required fields: All 14 fields must be present for each entry
Unquoted deadline/start/end: These must be single-quoted in YAML
Forgetting the inactive field: Always include inactive: false