By name: draft-outline-argument description: "Produce outline OPTIONS for an argument — two or three genuinely different structures over the same claim set, each with its strongest counter-argument stated, into project scratch. The counter-outline discipline: an outline that cannot name what would defeat it is not ready to draft. Use when a draft card asks for structure before prose." version: 1.0.0 author: Memoria license: MIT platforms: [linux, macos, windows] metadata: hermes: tags: [Drafting, Outlining, Argumentation] related_skills: [qmd, obsidian] memoria: skill_id: "draft-outline-argument" profile: memoria-writer lane: draft mcp_tools: - obsidian.get_file_contents - obsidian.list_files - obsidian.search - obsidian.put_content - obsidian.append_content - policy.check_permission - policy.complete_write write_scope: ["projects/"] outputs: [source]
draft-outline-argument
Structure before prose. Given a thesis (or a question) and a claim set, produce two
or three genuinely different outline options — not one outline with cosmetic
variants — each annotated with the strongest honest case against its structure. The
PI picks the spine; draft-write-section fills it.
Inputs
| Input | Required | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| thesis / question | yes | What the piece argues or asks (from the handoff payload). |
| claim set | yes | The claim notes / citekeys available to carry the argument. |
| venue / length | no | Shapes section count and depth. |
Procedure
- Read the claim set (via the
obsidianskill) and sort claims by role: load-bearing (the argument fails without them) vs supporting vs color. Note each load-bearing claim'smaturity— a spine resting onseedlingclaims is a risk the PI must see. - Build 2–3 distinct structures (e.g. problem-first vs evidence-first vs
tension-first). For each section node: the point it makes, the claims that carry it
(
[@citekey]/[[claim links]]), and any hole (a node no claim can carry — marked, never papered over). - Counter-outline each option: the strongest honest objection to that structure — the buried assumption, the claim ordering that begs the question, the section a hostile reviewer attacks first.
- Write — gated. One file:
projects/<project>/outlines/<slug>-options.md, frontmatterdrafted_by: memoria-writer,lifecycle: proposed,sources:listing all citekeys used. Never write outsideprojects/.
Output contract
One outline-options note: 2–3 labeled options, each with section nodes →
claim bindings → holes → its counter-outline paragraph; a closing comparison table
(option · load-bearing claims · weakest node). Scoring the options is
draft-score-outline's job — present, don't rank, unless the handoff asks for both.
Honesty rules
- Options must differ in structure, not phrasing — if you cannot find a second honest structure, deliver one option and say why, rather than inventing a strawman twin.
- Counter-arguments are genuine: name the objection a skeptical reader would actually raise, citing the contradicting claim note where one exists.
- A node without a carrying claim is a visible hole (
[!todo] no claim carries this), feeding the gap workflow — never an improvised bridge sentence. - No new claims, no edits outside project scratch, no self-scoring as "the best option" — the PI decides.