outlinelisted

# Outline ## Core Rule A section is not a topic — it is **one claim** the manuscript must establish, plus the **evidence** that establishes it. Outline by claim, not by heading. Every section in the plan answers: *what disputable point does this establish, and what evidence (cited or our own) supports it?* If a section's claim has no evidence in the library, the outline says so — it does not paper over the gap with a heading. You cannot outline to a thesis you have not read, and you must never assume a source exists to fill a slot. The output is structured to drop into `MANUSCRIPT_MAP.md → Structure` so the plan-of-record and the outline are the same artifact. ## When to Use Invoke with `/outline` when: - Starting a manuscript — you have a thesis and a target venue and need a section plan. - The argument has drifted and you need to re-derive the structure from the thesis. - Adding a major section and want it to carry exactly one claim with a budget. - Before drafting any section, to confirm the evidence exists before you write around it. If the thesis is not yet one sentence, stop and sharpen it first — an outline built on a fuzzy thesis inherits the fuzziness. ## Process ### Phase 1: Lock the Thesis and Contribution 1. **Read `MANUSCRIPT_MAP.md`** — the Thesis (one sentence), Contribution, Audience, target venue. If the Thesis is still a `<placeholder>`, the manuscript is not ready to outline — surface that and ask the author for the one-sentence claim. 2. **Restat