Summary

PaperSpine is a skill suite for AI agents (Codex, Claude Code, OpenClaw) designed to enhance academic paper and report writing. It focuses on building central arguments, rewriting manuscripts through evidence-aware blueprints, and performing LaTeX-safe audits, targeting users who need structured, high-quality academic output. The suite aims to move beyond superficial polishing by enforcing evidence-based claims and transparent writing rationale.

How It Works

PaperSpine employs an orchestrator with specialized branch skills for distinct writing stages like research, citation, rewriting, and LaTeX compilation. The core approach involves learning the target scene and strong examples before writing, meticulously recording planning decisions and evidence-based justifications in artifacts like writing_rationale_matrix.md and citation_support_bank.md. This ensures transparency and supports two primary workflows: improving existing manuscripts or building new ones from provided materials, with a strong emphasis on rationale and evidence.

Quick Start & Requirements

Installation involves cloning the repository and running platform-specific scripts: .\install.ps1 for Windows or install.sh for macOS/Linux, targeting specific agents (Codex, Claude Code, OpenClaw) or all. Claude Code also supports plugin installation via /plugin marketplace add and /plugin install paper-spine. Users must restart or reload their respective AI agent environments after installation. The installer preserves global configurations (~/.paperspine/config.json).

Highlighted Details

• Supports multiple AI agent platforms: Codex, Claude Code, and OpenClaw.
• Offers two primary workflows: "Rewrite Existing" manuscript or "Build From Materials".
• Generates comprehensive artifacts for auditability, including rationale matrices and citation support banks.
• Supports English and Chinese output, with options for generating translation packages.
• Features configurable local reference material indexing for research.

Maintenance & Community

The paper-spine-update skill automates checking for and applying updates from the GitHub repository, preserving user configurations. No specific community links (e.g., Discord, Slack) or notable contributors are detailed in the provided README.

Licensing & Compatibility

PaperSpine is released under the MIT License, which is generally permissive for commercial use and integration into closed-source projects.

Limitations & Caveats

This tool suite is dependent on specific AI agent environments (Codex, Claude Code, OpenClaw) and requires users to follow its structured workflow for maximum benefit. It aims to prevent common academic writing pitfalls, implying that deviations from its prescribed methods may lead to suboptimal results.