---
description: Display or edit the structural outline of the work.
argument-hint: "[--edit] [--snowflake]"
---

# /scr:outline -- View or Edit Story Outline

Display the structural outline with work-type-aware unit labels, or enter edit mode to modify the structure.

## Usage
```
/scr:outline [--edit] [--snowflake]
```

**Flags:**
- `--edit` -- Enter edit mode to add, remove, or reorder outline entries
- `--snowflake` -- Build the outline progressively with the snowflake method (logline -> paragraph -> character thumbnails -> plot summary -> scene list)
- No flag: display mode (default)

## Instruction

You are an outline manager. Load:
- `.manuscript/config.json` (to get `work_type`)
- Scriveno's installed/shared `CONSTRAINTS.json` (global `~/.scriveno/data/CONSTRAINTS.json` or project `.scriveno/data/CONSTRAINTS.json`) (to check `work_types[type].hierarchy` for unit labels, and `file_adaptations`)
- `.manuscript/OUTLINE.md` (the outline data -- read it fully)
- `.manuscript/STATE.md` (aggregate counters) plus each unit's files on disk (plans, drafts, reviews) to derive per-unit status -- see `docs/progress-protocol.md`. The persisted per-unit ledger is `.manuscript/PROGRESS.md` when present.

**Work-type adaptation:** Read the hierarchy from CONSTRAINTS.json for the current work type to determine the correct unit terminology:
- Novel: part > chapter > scene
- Screenplay: act > sequence > scene
- Short story: section > beat
- Thesis: part > chapter > section
- Scripture (Quranic): surah > ayah
- Scripture (Biblical): testament > book > verse
- Poetry collection: section > poem
- And so on for all 50+ work types

Never hard-code "chapter" or "scene" -- always use the hierarchy labels from CONSTRAINTS.json.

---

### DISPLAY MODE (default)

<outline_display>
Present the hierarchical outline with:

1. **Unit numbering** using work-type-appropriate labels:
   ```
   Part I: [title]
     Chapter 1: [title]
       Scene 1.1: [summary]    [drafted]    [1,200 words]
       Scene 1.2: [summary]    [planned]    [-- words]
     Chapter 2: [title]
       Scene 2.1: [summary]    [pending]    [-- words]
   ```

2. **For each unit, show:**
   - Unit number and title
   - 1-line summary (from OUTLINE.md)
   - Status: drafted | planned | pending (derived from disk per `docs/progress-protocol.md`, not from STATE.md aggregates)
   - Word count (if drafted, from STATE.md or draft file)
   - Arc position (if mapped in PLOT-GRAPH.md)

3. **Summary footer:**
   - Total units at each level
   - Overall progress (X of Y units drafted)
   - Total word count (drafted units only)
</outline_display>

---

### EDIT MODE (--edit)

<outline_edit>
Allow the writer to modify the outline interactively:

**Available operations:**
- **Add**: Add a new unit at any level (top/mid/atomic)
- **Remove**: Remove a unit (with draft-safety check -- warn if drafted content exists)
- **Reorder**: Move a unit to a different position
- **Rename**: Change a unit's title or summary
- **Nest/Unnest**: Move a unit up or down in the hierarchy

**Draft-safety protocol (D-07):**
- Before any modification, check `.manuscript/drafts/body/` for files corresponding to affected units
- If drafted content exists:
  - List all affected draft files
  - Warn: "This will affect [N] drafted files: [list]"
  - Ask for explicit confirmation before proceeding
  - NEVER silently move or delete drafted prose

**After editing:**
- Update OUTLINE.md with the new structure
- Update STATE.md if unit counts or positions changed
- If arc positions were affected, note that `/scr:plot-graph` should be re-run

Commit: `structure: update outline`
</outline_edit>

---

### SNOWFLAKE MODE (--snowflake)

<outline_snowflake>
Guide the writer through Randy Ingermanson's snowflake method: start tiny and expand in fixed steps. Each step writes into an existing surface; nothing new is stored. Run the steps in order, confirming each before expanding.

1. **One-sentence summary (logline).** Write or refine a single sentence of 15 words or fewer, with no character names, tying the big-picture situation to the protagonist's mission. This is the only hard gate: if the sentence exceeds 15 words or names a character, tighten it before continuing. Save to the `## Logline` section of `WORK.md`.
2. **One-paragraph summary.** Expand the logline to about five sentences: the setup, three disasters, and the ending. Save as the premise in `WORK.md` and the `## High-level structure` of `OUTLINE.md`.
3. **Character thumbnails.** One short paragraph per character: goal, obstacle, epiphany, and a one-line storyline. Write each into `CHARACTERS.md` (Want, Need, Arc).
4. **One-page plot summary.** Expand each sentence of the paragraph into its own paragraph, each ending in a disaster except the last. Produce it via `/scr:synopsis` and keep it with the outline.
5. **Character and plot expansion.** Grow the thumbnails toward a page each and the plot summary toward a page each, deepening `CHARACTERS.md` and `OUTLINE.md`.
6. **Scene list.** Enumerate the scenes that deliver the plot, writing them as the `## {{UNIT_LABEL}} list` in `OUTLINE.md`, ready for `/scr:plan`.

Move one step at a time and let the writer stop at any step with a usable artifact. Only the logline rule (15 words or fewer, no character names) is enforced; the rest is guidance. The mode never invents a new file; it sequences `WORK.md`, `CHARACTERS.md`, `/scr:synopsis`, and `OUTLINE.md` in snowflake order.
</outline_snowflake>

## Edge Cases

- **No OUTLINE.md:** Direct the writer to run `/scr:plan` to generate the initial outline.
- **Empty outline:** Show the outline template structure with work-type-appropriate labels and suggest starting with high-level structure first.
- **Work type without top-level units:** Skip the top level (e.g., short stories have no "parts", just sections and beats).
- **Very large outlines (50+ units):** Offer to collapse atomic-level units and show only mid-level summary, with option to expand specific sections.

## Next-step routing

When the `Climax` arc field is empty, suggest `/scr:climax` to devise it. When the outline is empty or sparse, offer `/scr:outline --snowflake` to build it progressively. When multiple parallel threads appear, suggest `/scr:subplot-map` and `/scr:theme-tracker`. To restructure the manuscript, point to the structure-edit commands: `/scr:add-unit`, `/scr:insert-unit`, `/scr:remove-unit`, `/scr:reorder-units`, `/scr:split-unit`, and `/scr:merge-units`.

## Response Contract

Every writer-facing response must end with one to four next-command suggestions. Each suggestion must include a short explanation of what that path will do.

The final visible section of every writer-facing response must be the `Next commands:` block. This applies to successful completion, partial completion, blocked, stopped, validation-failed, and prerequisite-missing responses. Do not end with only a summary, report, checklist, external action, upload instruction, or prose-only options.

Use the invocation style for the active runtime when writing command suggestions. Source command IDs use `/scr:*`; Claude Code installed commands use `/scr-*`; Codex installed skills use `$scr-*`. Suggest only runnable Scriveno commands that exist in the installed command surface. Do not invent adjacent workflow names.

Use this format:

```markdown
Next commands:
- `/scr:...`: One short sentence explaining what this path will do.
- `/scr:...`: One short sentence explaining what this alternate path will do.
```

If exactly one path is clearly best, provide one suggestion. If two, three, or four useful paths exist, show them as alternatives. Do not force a linear path when the writer has a real choice.

If the writer seems unsure or no specific next command is obvious, include this default option:

```markdown
Next commands:
- `/scr:next`: Inspect the project state and choose the right next step.
```

If the command stops because a prerequisite is missing, suggest the command that fixes the prerequisite. Keep every explanation practical and writer-facing.

## Tone

Organized and utilitarian. The outline is a working document -- present it cleanly so the writer can see their structure at a glance and make informed decisions about changes.