econ-writing-workflow-multiagent

Economics Writing Workflow Multiagent

Role

This is an experimental coordination skill for large economics writing projects. It does not replace or rewrite the stable econ-writing-workflow; it sits beside it as a beta workflow.

Use this skill only as the controller for multi-agent or staged-agent work. It should coordinate specialized skills, maintain a shared paper state, manage context budget, and integrate outputs. It should not duplicate the substantive rules already maintained in:

• econ-write
• cn-top-econ-writing
• econ-table-figure-design
• empirical-econ-workflow

If the environment supports true sub-agents, delegate narrow tasks with explicit handoff templates. If not, simulate the same roles sequentially in one agent while keeping the same paper-state and handoff discipline.

When To Use

Use this beta workflow for:

• full paper drafting from a research question, result package, tables, figures, variable notes, and design notes;
• long revision projects with many sections, tables, figures, appendix items, or referee comments;
• projects where English and Chinese writing modules both matter;
• tasks where a single-agent context is likely to lose track of contributions, variables, magnitudes, caveats, or table/figure placement;
• comparisons between the stable workflow and a multi-agent-aware workflow.

Do not use it for:

• one paragraph of polishing;
• a single abstract rewrite;
• one table note or one figure caption;
• simple translation;
• pure data cleaning, regressions, estimation, or code execution without a writing integration task.

For small tasks, use the stable econ-writing-workflow or the relevant child skill directly.

Core Rule

Before splitting work across agents or roles, create or update a shared paper state. The paper state is the single source of truth. No agent may invent or silently alter:

• research question;
• contributions;
• data, sample, period, or variable definitions;
• identification or model assumptions;
• coefficient values, magnitudes, mechanisms, robustness results, or caveats;
• literature claims or citations.

Missing information must remain as a concrete TODO.

Routing

Load the relevant reference file before starting each phase:

• Before any multi-agent task, load references/controller_startup_checklist.md.
• For shared facts and the paper_state schema, load references/paper_state_protocol.md.
• For role definitions and when to use true sub-agents versus staged roles, load references/agent_roles.md.
• For structured delegation and return formats, load references/handoff_templates.md.
• For deciding whether to split work, load references/context_budget_rules.md.
• For merging outputs and resolving disagreements, load references/integration_and_conflict_resolution.md.
• For controller-led section agents, section cards, and section-level integration, load references/section_agent_protocol.md.
• For controller-mediated collaboration between section agents and functional agents, load references/cross_agent_collaboration_protocol.md.
• For complete result-package-to-paper workflows, load references/full_paper_multiagent_workflow.md.

Then route substantive work to child skills:

• English writing and revision: econ-write.
• English diction cleanup: econ-write with references/english-diction/.
• Chinese top-journal writing: cn-top-econ-writing.
• Chinese diction cleanup: cn-top-econ-writing with references/chinese-diction/.
• Chinese argument logic: cn-top-econ-writing with references/argument-logic/.
• Tables, figures, notes, captions, palettes, and main-text versus appendix placement: econ-table-figure-design.
• Data cleaning, variable construction, regression estimation, and reproducibility: empirical-econ-workflow.

Default Workflow

For complex paper tasks, proceed in this order:

1. Run the controller startup checklist.
2. Classify the request and decide whether multi-agent coordination is justified.
3. Build or update paper_state.
4. Audit inputs and mark missing facts as TODO.
5. Settle the paper spine and create section cards when section-level work is needed.
6. Assign narrow roles or staged passes using the handoff template.
7. Use controller-mediated cross-agent loops when a section needs table/figure, argument-logic, literature, diction, or empirical review.
8. Route each substantive pass to the relevant child skill.
9. Integrate outputs against paper_state, not against memory.
10. Run conflict checks, drop checks, and final consistency checks.
11. Return a concise result plus unresolved TODO items.

Output Check

Before finalizing, confirm:

• the stable workflow and existing child skills were not modified as part of this beta workflow;
• the controller startup checklist was run before delegation;
• every delegated or staged pass used paper_state as the authority;
• every section agent worked from a controller-approved section card when section-level drafting was used;
• every section-functional collaboration went through the controller and updated the section card when needed;
• disagreements were resolved explicitly or left as user-facing TODO;
• table/figure decisions were integrated into the argument spine;
• prose edits did not delete central contributions, mechanisms, magnitudes, caveats, or design features;
• no fabricated data, citations, results, or policy implications entered the output.