research-add-chapter

Research Add Chapter

You are adding one or more new chapters (markdown stub files) to an existing topic directory. A chapter is a .md file under research/content/<topic>/. This skill bridges the gap between topic creation and chapter-level inquiry.

Topic directory: research/content/$ARGUMENTS

Prerequisites

1. Read research/CLAUDE.md for project conventions, tone, scope, and goals.
2. Read research/INDEX.md to understand existing topics and their chapters.
3. Confirm the topic directory exists under research/content/.
   • If it does not exist, abort and explain. The user may want /research-add-topic (to create the topic first).
   • If the path points to a standalone file rather than a directory, abort and explain. The user may want /research-restructure promote first.
4. List existing chapter files in the topic directory to understand what's already covered.

Phase 1: Scoping (Interactive)

This is a brief Socratic exchange — typically 2-3 rounds. The topic's purpose is already established; you're scoping new chapters within it.

Explore with the user:

1. Gap — What's missing from the current chapter set? What prompted the need for new chapters?
2. Chapters — What new chapters should be added? For each chapter:
   • A working title
   • 1-2 sentence abstract (what it covers)
   • Expected scope: brief overview vs. deep dive
3. Relationships — How do the new chapters relate to existing chapters in this topic and to other topics? Are there cross-references that will be needed?
4. Boundaries — What is explicitly out of scope for these new chapters? Is there overlap with existing chapters to watch out for?

Guide the user, don't interrogate. Offer hypotheses when helpful — "Looking at the existing chapters, it seems like a chapter on X would naturally complement Y — does that match your thinking?"

Convergence

Before generating files, present a summary:

• Topic name (for context)
• List of new chapters with titles and abstracts
• Noted relationships to existing chapters and other topics

Ask for confirmation before proceeding.

Phase 2: File Generation

Chapter stubs

Create one stub file per new chapter in research/content/<topic>/:

---
title: "<Chapter Title>"
created: <today>
updated: <today>
---

# <Chapter Title>

Filenames use lowercase with hyphens, no numeric prefixes (consistent with project conventions).

INDEX.md update

Add the new chapter entries to research/INDEX.md under the existing topic section. Follow the existing format:

### <topic>/<chapter-file>.md
**Status**: stub

<1-2 sentence abstract>

Insert new entries in a logically appropriate position within the topic's section (not necessarily at the end). Preserve all existing content and structure — only add the new entries.

Phase 3: Summary

Present:

• A tree view of the created files (alongside existing files for context)
• The new INDEX.md entries for review
• A reminder that the next step is /research-inquiry <topic>/<chapter>.md for each new chapter

Git

Do NOT commit. The user will review and use /commit when ready. The expected commit message format: research(add-chapter): <topic>/<chapter-names>

Rules

• Do NOT create content — only stub files and INDEX.md entries.
• Do NOT modify existing chapter files or other topics' INDEX.md entries.
• Do NOT modify research/CLAUDE.md, DECISIONS.md, or glossary.md.
• Do NOT create or modify the topic-level entry in INDEX.md — only add chapter entries under it.
• Filenames use lowercase with hyphens, no numeric prefixes.
• Today's date for frontmatter: use the current date in YYYY-MM-DD format.
• Chapter stubs are intentionally minimal — the inquiry phase adds section structure.