ttrpg-tools/docs/skill-reference-plan.md

# tttk skill reference — reorganization plan

Status: **implemented.** Follows the `tttk check` work that made
`docs/reference.md` a generated artifact (see `docs/check-plan.md` §7.11).

Landed: `known.ts` carries element/role `details`, inline specs, and dice
notation; `reference.ts` renders them; `scripts/generate-reference.ts` expands
`~` in `--out`; `npm run gen:skill-reference` refreshes the skill copy. The
skill's `reference.md` is now generated and byte-identical to
`docs/reference.md`, with the extra content moved to `layout.md`, `yaml-tag.md`,
`csv.md`, and `markdown.md`.

## 1. Goal

Make the `tttk-authoring` skill's `reference.md` a **generated** file — the same
catalog the validator uses — and relocate the authoring content it does not
cover into focused companion files. One source of truth (`known.ts`), no
hand-maintained element list, and no content lost in the swap.

## 2. Current state

The skill (`~/.agents/skills/tttk-authoring/`) has a hand-written
`reference.md` (~465 lines) and `SKILL.md`. The repo now generates
`docs/reference.md` from `src/cli/validate/known.ts` via `npm run
gen:reference`.

What the generated doc already covers:

- Directive syntax (brief)
- Custom elements: table + per-element summary, body, attrs, examples
- Inline directives: icons, `:cmd` (brief)
- Code block roles: `spark-table`, `declare`, `file`, `tag` (brief)
- CSV data files (brief)

What only the hand-written skill copy has (the "extra content"):

| # | Section | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A | Directive syntax table + container example | richer than generated |
| B | Per-element prose | md-dice behavior, md-table `roll`/`remix`/`group`, md-deck legacy layer syntax, md-bg `fit` values, md-border class flags, md-font `source` values, md-pins behavior, md-commander CSV columns |
| C | Icon attributes | `label`, `repeat`, `join`, `class` |
| D | Column layout | `\|---` / `-\|-` / `--\|` markers |
| E | `role=declare` column semantics | `tag`/`threshold`/`key`/`expr` |
| F | YAML tag blocks | `data-config`, layers, `back_layers`, fence-line overrides |
| G | CSV authoring | clean-CSV guidance, `label`/`body`, front matter (avoid) |
| H | Alerts and mermaid | GitHub alerts, mermaid diagrams |
| I | Dice notation | notation table |
| J | Validation codes | already duplicated in `SKILL.md` |

## 3. Target skill layout

```
tttk-authoring/
├── SKILL.md          # workflow, rules, validation codes, links
├── reference.md      # GENERATED from known.ts — elements, roles, inline, dice, CSV basics
├── layout.md         # column layout
├── yaml-tag.md       # role=tag, data-config, deck layers and backs
├── csv.md            # CSV authoring and front matter
├── markdown.md       # alerts and mermaid
└── examples/         # unchanged
```

`reference.md` is the only generated file; the rest are hand-written and linked
from `SKILL.md`.

## 4. Content mapping

| Source | Destination |
|---|---|
| A directive syntax | generator (`reference.ts`) — add the part/meaning table + container example |
| B per-element prose | `known.ts` `details` field → rendered into `reference.md` |
| C icon attributes | `known.ts` inline specs → rendered into `reference.md` |
| E declare semantics | `known.ts` `RoleSpec.details` → rendered into `reference.md` |
| I dice notation | `known.ts` `DICE_NOTATION` → rendered into `reference.md` |
| D column layout | `layout.md` |
| F YAML tag blocks | `yaml-tag.md` |
| G CSV authoring | `csv.md` |
| H alerts and mermaid | `markdown.md` |
| J validation codes | dropped — `SKILL.md` owns the code tables |

**Decision (recommended):** fold B/C/E/I into `known.ts` rather than a separate
`components.md`. It keeps the generated reference self-sufficient and avoids a
second, drifting description of the same elements. The alternative — a
hand-written `components.md` — is rejected because it reintroduces the drift the
generator exists to prevent.

## 5. Generator changes

`src/cli/validate/known.ts`:

- `ElementSpec.details?: string` — one paragraph of authoring prose.
- `ElementSpec.attrs` → optional richer `{ name, description }[]` so the
  reference can render an attribute table (keep the plain list if not worth it).
- `InlineSpec` for `:[icon]` and `:cmd` with body/attrs/summary/examples.
- `RoleSpec.details?: string` for `declare` column semantics.
- `DICE_NOTATION: { notation, meaning }[]`.

`src/cli/validate/reference.ts`:

- Render `details`, the attribute table, inline specs, and dice notation.
- Add a `Contents` TOC.
- Upgrade the directive-syntax section (table + container example).

`scripts/generate-reference.ts`:

- Expand a leading `~` in `--out` to `os.homedir()` so the skill copy can be
  regenerated cross-platform.

`package.json`:

- `gen:reference` — unchanged (writes `docs/reference.md`).
- `gen:skill-reference` — `gen:reference -- --out ~/.agents/skills/tttk-authoring/reference.md`.

## 6. New skill file outlines

- **`layout.md`** — column markers, the `-N` width suffix, a worked example.
- **`yaml-tag.md`** — `role=tag` shape (`tag:`, `body:`, other keys as attrs),
  fence-line overrides, `data-config` layer fields (`prop`/`template`, `pos`,
  `font`/`fontSize`, `orientation`, `align`, `visible`), `back_layers`, and the
  legacy `:md-deck` compact layer syntax.
- **`csv.md`** — clean-CSV guidance, `label`/`body` conventions, `group` tabs,
  `{{prop}}` interpolation, quoting rules, and the discouraged front-matter form.
- **`markdown.md`** — GitHub alerts and mermaid (standard markdown, not tttk
  syntax).

## 7. SKILL.md changes

- Update the "Reference" section to link `reference.md` plus the four new files.
- Keep the validation code tables in `SKILL.md` (they are the agent's quick
  reference); `reference.md` no longer carries them.
- Reword "check `reference.md` when unsure" to point at the right file per topic.

## 8. Steps

1. Enrich `known.ts` (details, inline specs, role details, dice notation).
2. Update `reference.ts` and `generate-reference.ts`; regenerate
   `docs/reference.md`; keep the `known.test.ts` drift guard green.
3. Extract D/F/G/H from the old skill `reference.md` into `layout.md`,
   `yaml-tag.md`, `csv.md`, `markdown.md`.
4. Regenerate the skill's `reference.md` with `npm run gen:skill-reference`.
5. Update `SKILL.md` links.
6. Verify (§9).

## 9. Verification

- `npm run gen:reference` leaves `docs/reference.md` unchanged (idempotent).
- `npx jest` passes, including the reference drift guard.
- Diff the old skill `reference.md` against the new file set and confirm every
  section in §2's table has a destination — no content silently dropped.
- `npx tttk check ./content` still runs clean (the catalog changes are
  documentation-only, but the drift guard protects `known.ts`).

## 10. Risks

- **Content loss during extraction.** Mitigate with the §4 mapping as a
  checklist and a manual diff before deleting the old file.
- **`known.ts` bloat.** Keep `details` to one paragraph per element; long-form
  material belongs in the companion files.
- **Skill path portability.** `~` expansion in the generator; the skill lives
  outside the repo, so the drift guard cannot cover it — document that
  `gen:skill-reference` is the refresh command.
- **Two references.** `docs/reference.md` and the skill copy are both generated
  from `known.ts`; they must be regenerated together. Note this in
  `docs/check-plan.md` §9.