$npx -y skills add yha9806/academic-writing-toolkit --skill revision-escalationStop repeated failed writing, coding, manuscript, rebuttal, or restructuring revisions when the same issue has gone through 3+ unsatisfactory edits, vague feedback such as still wrong/weird/unclear/weak/越改越乱, version contamination, or possible gap/claim/evidence/venue-fit drift.
| 1 | # /revision-escalation - 3-Strike Revision Control |
| 2 | |
| 3 | ## Purpose |
| 4 | |
| 5 | Prevent repeated local patches from making a draft or code path more inconsistent. Use this when the issue may no longer be wording or implementation detail, but specification, structure, evidence, or version-control drift. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ## Trigger Words |
| 8 | |
| 9 | This skill activates on: `revision escalation`, `3-strike`, `three strikes`, `stop and diagnose`, `still wrong`, `still weird`, `unclear`, `weak`, `越改越乱`, `还是不对`, `还是怪`, `不够清楚`, `逻辑还是混乱`, `/revision-escalation`. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | ## Core Rule |
| 12 | |
| 13 | If the same issue remains unresolved after 3 revision attempts, treat it as a specification or structure problem before treating it as another local editing task. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Do not make a fourth patch immediately. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | ## Revision Escalation Check |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Before editing again, classify the problem: |
| 20 | |
| 21 | | Category | Meaning | Next action | |
| 22 | | --- | --- | --- | |
| 23 | | Underspecified request | Target, constraint, audience, venue, or expected output is missing. | Ask for a concrete target before editing. | |
| 24 | | Ambiguous feedback | Feedback is evaluative but not operational: "weird", "weak", "unclear", "not good enough". | Ask what should change. | |
| 25 | | Local execution problem | The goal is clear, but the previous patch implemented it incorrectly. | Make one small targeted patch. | |
| 26 | | Structural mismatch | The issue affects the research question, gap, contribution, evidence chain, section structure, module boundary, or venue framing. | Propose a restructure plan before editing. | |
| 27 | | Evidence gap | The desired claim is unsupported by available data, experiments, citations, or files. | Downgrade the claim or request evidence. | |
| 28 | | Version contamination | Repeated patches have mixed old assumptions with new requirements, causing inconsistency, duplication, or bloat. | Recommend a new version, branch, or consolidated brief. | |
| 29 | |
| 30 | ## Required Response |
| 31 | |
| 32 | When triggered, respond in this structure before any patch: |
| 33 | |
| 34 | ```md |
| 35 | I should pause before making another patch. |
| 36 | |
| 37 | This issue has already gone through several revision rounds and may not be a local wording or implementation problem anymore. |
| 38 | |
| 39 | Current diagnosis: |
| 40 | |
| 41 | * Category: |
| 42 | * Why: |
| 43 | * What is missing or conflicting: |
| 44 | * Recommended next action: |
| 45 | |
| 46 | Options: |
| 47 | A. Clarify the concrete target and continue a local patch. |
| 48 | B. Consolidate all current requirements into a single brief, then retry. |
| 49 | C. Create a new version or branch and restructure the section/module. |
| 50 | D. Reframe the paper/project from the research question, gap, and evidence chain. |
| 51 | ``` |
| 52 | |
| 53 | ## Academic Writing Rule |
| 54 | |
| 55 | Classify manuscript work before editing: |
| 56 | |
| 57 | - Local patch: wording, grammar, citation format, figure caption, table formatting, or one paragraph. |
| 58 | - Section-level restructure: one section changes, but the research question, contribution, and evidence chain stay stable. |
| 59 | - Full reframing: title, abstract, introduction, research question, gap, contribution, methods-results alignment, discussion, or venue framing changes. |
| 60 | |
| 61 | For full reframing, do not directly rewrite the manuscript. First produce a reframing brief with target venue, research question, gap, core claim, available evidence, claims that must not be made, and proposed new structure. |
| 62 | |
| 63 | ## Red Flags |
| 64 | |
| 65 | Stop and diagnose when thinking: |
| 66 | |
| 67 | - "One more patch should fix it." |
| 68 | - "The user is still dissatisfied, but I can just rewrite harder." |
| 69 | - "The wording is awkward" while the evidence chain or contribution boundary is unstable. |
| 70 | - "The current version is messy, but I can keep accumulating edits." |
| 71 | |
| 72 | Never continue accumulating edits on a structurally inconsistent manuscript, rebuttal, or code path. |