ghost-start

Guide authors through collaborative onboarding to generate a book outline.

12|Updated Apr 17, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/leanpub/ghostai --skill ghost-start
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: ghost-start
Source: https://github.com/leanpub/ghostai/tree/main/ghost-start
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/leanpub/ghostai --skill ghost-start

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

Guides authors through a collaborative onboarding workflow that surfaces a clear thesis, audience, and chapter structure before writing, reducing wasted pages and misaligned intent.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Interactive topic discovery and audience refinement through targeted questions.
  • Automatic generation of a scaffolded chapter outline and manuscript outline.
  • Guided workflow that prompts for decisions, saves voice/profile, and scaffolds initial chapters.

Quick Start

Begin the onboarding by running the /ghost-start command to start the collaborative interview and generate your manuscript outline.

Frequently Asked Questions about ghost-start

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I create a structured book outline before writing?

To create a structured book outline, this Skill uses a guided collaborative interview to define your thesis, target audience, and chapter structure, automatically generating a manuscript scaffold before you begin writing.

What is manuscript scaffolding and how does it help authors?

Manuscript scaffolding generates a frontmatter-driven YAML specification and structured chapter outline, reducing wasted pages and misaligned intent by establishing a clear thesis and audience definition before drafting.

Can I use this guided author interview for both fiction and non-fiction projects?

Yes, the interactive topic discovery and chapter planning workflow supports both fiction and non-fiction manuscripts, refining audience definition and generating chapter outlines for either project type.

How do I start the onboarding workflow to plan my book chapters?

You can start the onboarding workflow by running the /ghost-start command, which initiates a collaborative interview to make targeted decisions and automatically generate your initial chapter structure.

What is the best way to define a book's target audience and thesis?

The best way to define your target audience and thesis is through a structured question-and-answer onboarding process that surfaces your core intent and saves your author profile for manuscript alignment.