story-maintenance

---
name: story-maintenance
description: This skill should be used when the user asks to validate, reindex, repair registries, check links, check continuity, count words, summarize a story project, import an existing manuscript, export a manuscript, run the story CLI, or perform deterministic maintenance on a Story Skills markdown project.
---

# Story Maintenance

## Overview

Run deterministic maintenance for Story Skills projects. Use the CLI for structure validation, registry rebuilds, word counts, link checks, continuity checks, project reports, next-action reports, schema migration, entity helpers, manuscript import, and manuscript export. The creative skills still own story decisions; this skill handles mechanical consistency.

## CLI Access

Prefer the first available command:

1. `story <command>` - when the package bin is installed
2. `bun run story -- <command>` - when working from this repository
3. `node scripts/story.js <command>` - bundled fallback, resolving `scripts/story.js` relative to this skill folder

If none of these are available, perform the requested maintenance manually using the conventions in `story-init`.

Run the installed or bundled CLI in place. Do not copy `scripts/story.js` into the user's story project, and do not create project-local build scripts, generator scripts, or bulk writer scripts to generate story content. Story projects should remain markdown-first, plus explicitly requested exports such as `manuscript.md`.

## Commands

Run commands from the story project root, or pass the story path explicitly.

```shell
story validate .
story reindex .
story wordcount . --write
story links .
story continuity .
story series .
story import draft.md --title "Title"
story report .
story report . --actionable
story next .
story doctor .
story migrate .
story add character "Name"
story rename character old-id "New Name"
story remove promise old-promise
story export . --out manuscript.md
story build . --format markdown
story build . --format epub
story build . --format docx
```

Use:

- `validate` after initialization and at the end of any multi-file edit
- `reindex` after adding/removing/renaming characters, locations, systems, arcs, or chapters
- `wordcount --write` after writing or revising chapters
- `links` after changing character relationships, notable locations, arc participants, or chapter references
- `continuity` after drafting or revising a chapter, and whenever the user asks about contradictions, dead characters appearing, unfired setups, or stale state; it deterministically checks `died-in` ordering, promise/question chapter ordering, Chekhov gaps, POV/cast consistency, and `continuity/state.md` references
- `series` when `story.md` has `follows` or `precedes` links to other books; it orders the linked sequels and prequels by chronology and checks shared canon (characters deceased in an earlier book, cast listings, facts relearned across books, name drift, destroyed artifacts). Use `init --follows <path>` or `init --precedes <path>` to start a linked book, and see the `series-continuity` skill for carrying canon across
- `import` when the user has an existing manuscript or chapter drafts and wants a Story Skills project built from them; follow up by creating character and location files from the printed entity candidates
- `report` when the user asks for project status, inventory, progress, or a quick health summary
- `next` before a drafting session to identify the next deterministic action
- `doctor` when the user asks what is stale, broken, or inconsistent
- `migrate` when a project has an older schema version or missing v2 paths
- `add`, `rename`, and `remove` for deterministic entity file operations when they fit the requested change
- `export` only when the user asks for a combined manuscript at a specific path
- `build` when the user asks to build the book artifact; supports markdown, EPUB, and DOCX outputs in `dist/`

## Failure Handling

- Treat CLI errors as actionable maintenance findings.
- Fix broken references, missing required files, stale registries, or incorrect word counts when the requested task implies doing so.
- Do not overwrite creative prose or story content merely to satisfy a mechanical check.
- If a validation warning reflects intentional user data, report it rather than silently changing it.