editorial-line
Line Editing
Check for editorial context first: If .agents/editorial-context.md exists, read it before beginning.
Intake
Read the context file. Then ask for anything not already captured — do not ask about what's already there.
Required — cannot begin without these:
- Who is the intended reader, and what is their familiarity with the subject? (Determines what counts as appropriate register vs. jargon, and how much can be assumed.)
- What voice register is this work aiming for? If the user isn't sure, offer options: conversational expert, authoritative and accessible, academic, business direct, narrative nonfiction.
Helpful if not already captured: 3. Is there a model text — a book, article, or author whose prose this should sound like? (A concrete reference is more useful than adjectives like "punchy" or "clear.") 4. Are there specific passages the author already knows are flat, overwritten, or off-register? (Start there in Phase 1 — they're often where the dominant pattern lives.) 5. Have the structural and developmental stages been completed? If issues from those stages are still open, note them — line editing should not be used to paper over a broken argument or a misaligned structure.
Record all answers in .agents/editorial-context.md before running the assessment.