Arc Contract Audit

Core Concept

cogni-narrative (upstream) defines story arcs — each with 4 named elements, section proportions, technique assignments, and localized headings. cogni-copywriting (downstream) has an arc-preservation mode that polishes narratives without breaking their arc structure. The preservation mode relies on three reference files that must stay in sync with upstream definitions:

• arc-preservation.md — detection table mapping arc_id to 4 element headings, localized (DE) heading variants, and structural validation rules (H2 counts, heading hierarchy)
• arc-technique-map.md — per-arc sections with element-level technique assignments, Number Play variants, and word targets
• 00-index.md — mode detection logic that lists which arc patterns trigger arc-aware mode

When cogni-narrative adds arcs, renames headings, adjusts proportions, changes technique assignments, or introduces new structural conventions (like message-driven headings), these downstream references drift. This skill detects that drift and produces an actionable report. It never auto-fixes — the human decides what to change.

Upstream Sources (read from cogni-narrative)

Resolve paths relative to the monorepo root. The monorepo root is the nearest ancestor directory containing both cogni-narrative/ and cogni-copywriting/ as siblings.

#	File	What it provides
U1	cogni-narrative/skills/narrative/references/story-arc/arc-registry.md	Master list of all arcs: arc_id, element short names, section proportions, detection signals
U2	cogni-narrative/skills/narrative/references/story-arc/{arc-id}/arc-definition.md	Per-arc: full element headings, DE translations, word proportions, technique notes
U3	cogni-narrative/skills/narrative/references/language-templates.md	Section "Insight Summary (Arc Element Headers)" — exact EN/DE ## headers per arc
U4	cogni-narrative/skills/narrative/references/narrative-techniques/techniques-overview.md	"Application by Arc Element" matrix — which techniques apply to which arc elements

Downstream Targets (files under audit)

#	File	What it contains
D1	cogni-copywriting/skills/copywriter/references/09-preservation-modes/arc-preservation.md	Arc detection table, localized heading table, structure preservation rules, validation checklist
D2	cogni-copywriting/skills/copywriter/references/09-preservation-modes/arc-technique-map.md	Per-arc ## Arc: {arc-id} sections with technique table, element rules, word targets
D3	cogni-copywriting/skills/copywriter/references/00-index.md	Mode detection logic — lists which arc patterns trigger arc-aware mode

Workflow

Step 1: Resolve Paths

Find the monorepo root by walking up from the current working directory until you find a directory containing both cogni-narrative/ and cogni-copywriting/ as children. Set:

MONO_ROOT = <detected root>
UPSTREAM_REGISTRY = ${MONO_ROOT}/cogni-narrative/skills/narrative/references/story-arc/arc-registry.md
UPSTREAM_LANG     = ${MONO_ROOT}/cogni-narrative/skills/narrative/references/language-templates.md
UPSTREAM_TECH     = ${MONO_ROOT}/cogni-narrative/skills/narrative/references/narrative-techniques/techniques-overview.md
DOWNSTREAM_PRES   = ${MONO_ROOT}/cogni-copywriting/skills/copywriter/references/09-preservation-modes/arc-preservation.md
DOWNSTREAM_TECH   = ${MONO_ROOT}/cogni-copywriting/skills/copywriter/references/09-preservation-modes/arc-technique-map.md
DOWNSTREAM_INDEX  = ${MONO_ROOT}/cogni-copywriting/skills/copywriter/references/00-index.md

Read all 7 main files (U1, U3, U4, D1, D2, D3 plus per-arc U2 definitions). If any upstream file is missing, abort with an error — the contract source is unavailable. If a downstream file is missing, flag it as a CRITICAL finding and continue with remaining checks.

Step 2: Extract Upstream Contract

From arc-registry.md (U1), parse the Quick Reference table to build the master arc list:

For each row: arc_id, element_short_names[4], section_proportions

For each arc_id, read {arc-id}/arc-definition.md (U2) and extract:

• Full element headings (EN) — the exact ## header text
• Section proportions (if they differ from registry, prefer arc-definition as more detailed)

From language-templates.md (U3), find the "Insight Summary (Arc Element Headers)" section. For each arc, extract the EN/DE heading table. These are the canonical heading strings.

From techniques-overview.md (U4), find the "Application by Arc Element" table. For each technique row, note which arc elements it applies to.

Step 3: Extract Downstream State

From arc-preservation.md (D1), extract:

• The H2 heading detection table (the markdown table mapping arc_id to 4 element columns)
• The localized headings table (DE translations)
• Note which arc_ids are present

From arc-technique-map.md (D2), extract:

• Which ## Arc: {arc-id} sections exist
• For each section, the technique table: Element | Heading | Primary Technique | Number Play Variant | Word Target
• Whether the "Word Target" column uses absolute ranges (e.g., "400-500") or proportional percentages (e.g., "27%")
• The Post-Polish Validation section's tolerance rules (e.g., "+/-50 words" vs "+/-10% of proportional midpoint")

From 00-index.md (D3), extract:

• The list of arc patterns that trigger arc-aware mode (look for the enumeration of arc IDs in the mode detection logic)

Step 4: Run Audit Checks

Execute checks C1-C8 in order. For each finding, record:

Field	Description
check_id	C1-C8
severity	CRITICAL, HIGH, MEDIUM, or INFO
file_to_fix	Downstream file path (relative to monorepo root)
finding	What is wrong
expected	What the correct value should be (from upstream)

C1: Arc Coverage (CRITICAL)

For each arc_id in the upstream registry:

• Check if it appears in arc-preservation.md's detection table (D1). If missing: CRITICAL.
• Check if arc-technique-map.md has a ## Arc: {arc-id} section (D2). If missing: CRITICAL.
• Check if 00-index.md's mode detection list includes this arc (D3). If missing: HIGH.

This is the most important check. A missing arc means the copywriter will either skip arc-aware mode entirely (if it cannot detect the arc) or polish without element-specific technique guidance (if detection works but no technique section exists). A missing entry in 00-index.md means the mode detection routing won't even consider this arc.

C2: Element Heading Match (HIGH)

For each arc present in both upstream and downstream:

• Compare the 4 element heading names in arc-preservation.md's detection table against the canonical headings from language-templates.md (U3).
• Element names must match. The detection table uses short names (e.g., "Why Change") while language-templates uses full headings (e.g., "Why Change: Unconsidered Needs"). Both forms are valid for detection — but the detection table must contain the correct short-name prefix.
• If a heading mismatch is found: HIGH severity. State expected vs actual.

C3: Localized Heading Match (HIGH)

For each arc present in the upstream language-templates.md:

• Check if arc-preservation.md has DE heading entries for this arc.
• If the DE headings are missing for an arc: HIGH.
• If DE headings exist but don't match language-templates.md: HIGH.

C4: Word Target Consistency (MEDIUM)

Paradigm check first: Determine whether the upstream arc-definitions use absolute word counts or proportional percentages. If upstream has migrated to proportional percentages (e.g., "27% of target") but the downstream technique map still uses absolute ranges (e.g., "400-500"), flag this as a systemic MEDIUM finding — the entire word target paradigm has shifted and all downstream targets are expressed in the old format, even if the numeric ranges happen to overlap. Also check if the Post-Polish Validation tolerance rule has changed (e.g., from "+/-50 words" to "+/-10% of proportional midpoint").

Per-element check: For each arc present in arc-technique-map.md:

• Compare the "Word Target" column values against arc-definition.md's section proportions.
• Compute expected word range: proportion * default_total (default_total = 1675 unless arc-definition specifies otherwise).
• If the technique map's word target range doesn't overlap with the expected range (allowing +/-50 tolerance): MEDIUM.
• Even if ranges overlap, note the paradigm mismatch if the upstream uses proportional and downstream uses absolute.

C5: Technique Assignment Consistency (MEDIUM)

For each arc present in arc-technique-map.md:

• Compare the "Primary Technique" per element against the "Application by Arc Element" matrix from techniques-overview.md.
• If the matrix assigns a technique to an element but the technique map doesn't mention it: MEDIUM.
• If the technique map assigns a technique that contradicts the matrix: HIGH.

C6: Section Proportion Consistency (MEDIUM)

For each arc in arc-technique-map.md:

• Derive implied proportions from word targets (word_target / sum_of_all_word_targets).
• Compare against arc-definition.md stated proportions.
• If any element drifts more than 5 percentage points: MEDIUM.

C7: Version Alignment (INFO)

• Read cogni-narrative's .claude-plugin/plugin.json for current version.
• Read arc-technique-map.md's frontmatter last_updated date.
• Run: git log --oneline --since="{last_updated}" -- cogni-narrative/skills/narrative/references/story-arc/
• If commits exist after the last_updated date: INFO. List the commits so the user can assess impact.

C8: Validation Rule Compatibility (HIGH)

Check whether the downstream validation rules in arc-preservation.md and arc-technique-map.md are structurally compatible with all upstream arcs — including arcs that may use different conventions than the original 5.

Specific checks:

• H2 count rule: arc-preservation.md may specify "H2 count — exactly 6 total (subtitle + 4 elements + bridge)." For each upstream arc, check if this rule holds. Some arcs (e.g., theme-thesis) use message-driven headings where H2/H3 usage differs from the standard pattern. If an arc's heading convention is incompatible with the downstream validation rule: HIGH. State which rule conflicts and what the arc actually produces.
• Heading immutability rule: arc-preservation.md requires "exact character match" for element heading texts. If an upstream arc uses dynamic/message-driven headings (where headings are content-derived, not static arc element labels), this validation rule would incorrectly flag valid documents as violations. If such a conflict exists: HIGH.
• Word count tolerance rule: arc-technique-map.md's Post-Polish Validation may specify "+/-50 words." If upstream has shifted to proportional tolerances (e.g., "+/-10% of proportional midpoint"), flag the mismatch: MEDIUM.

The point of this check is to catch cases where the downstream validation logic would reject a correctly-produced narrative — a false negative that breaks the polish pipeline silently.

Step 5: Generate Report

Output the report directly (do not write to file). Use this structure:

# Arc Contract Audit Report

**Date:** {today ISO}
**cogni-narrative version:** {version}
**arc-technique-map.md last_updated:** {date}
**Arcs in upstream registry:** {count}
**Arcs in downstream technique map:** {count}

## Summary

| Severity | Count |
|----------|-------|
| CRITICAL | {n} |
| HIGH     | {n} |
| MEDIUM   | {n} |
| INFO     | {n} |

## Findings

### C1: Arc Coverage

{Table showing each arc's presence in all three downstream files (D1, D2, D3)}

### C2-C8: {Per-check findings}

{For each finding: severity badge, file to fix, what's wrong, what it should be}

## Recommended Actions

{Ordered list: CRITICAL first, then HIGH, then MEDIUM. Each action states the file to edit and the specific change to make.}

Step 6: Summary Line

End with a single summary line:

Audit complete: X findings (Y CRITICAL, Z HIGH, W MEDIUM, V INFO)

If CRITICAL findings exist, add: "Immediate action recommended — missing arcs mean the copywriter cannot apply arc-aware polish for those narratives."