check-arclisted

# Skill: check-arc **What it does.** Maps the book's arcs — character trajectories, thematic development, and tension curve — against what the pages actually deliver. Finds flat stretches, rushed turns, and abandoned threads. **Triggers** - "check the arcs" - "/check-arc {scope | character}" - "is {character}'s arc landing?" - "map the tension across Act {N}" - Equivalent phrasing in the project's output language **Input.** Scope: whole book (default), one Act, or one character/theme. **Output.** Arc report in chat or `.project/reports/literary/YYYY-MM-DD-arcs-{scope}.md` if extensive. > **Write the report in the project's output language.** --- ## Core principle > **An arc is judged by beats on the page, not by intentions in the sheet.** The character sheet says "starts closed, learns to trust". The question this skill answers: **in which chapters, through which events, does that movement actually happen — and does the spacing work?** The method is evidence-first: build the beat map from the text, *then* compare against intent. Mapping intent first contaminates the reading. --- ## Execution protocol ### Step 1 — Load context 1. `.project/config/project.yaml` — output language, `paths.layout` 2. The manuscript in scope — full read, **in order**. Resolve the chapter list and its ordering via `.project/templates/layout.md`; an Act scope resolves from the chapter id prefix, not from directory structure 3. `.project/knowledge/characters/*.md` — Arc and engine sectio