Camera-Ready Finalizer

Finalize an accepted paper so the submitted camera-ready version is consistent, de-anonymized, claim-safe, and ready to hand off to code release or artifact evaluation.

Use this skill when:

• a paper has been accepted and the user needs the camera-ready version
• author-response or discussion promises must be checked against the final PDF
• anonymized submission text must become final author-facing text
• acknowledgements, author metadata, code links, project pages, or funding statements must be added
• final figures, tables, captions, appendix, supplement, and references must be synchronized
• new rebuttal experiments or reviewer-requested edits must be integrated cleanly
• the paper needs a final claim/evidence/citation/code-release consistency pass before upload
• camera-ready or publisher-visible source must be cleaned of agent-private files, internal result docs, plotting scripts, raw CSVs, reviewer/rebuttal scratch, and private paths

Do not use this skill for pre-submission readiness. Use submit-paper before initial submission. Use rebuttal-strategist while reviews are still active. Use release-code for the public code repository after paper-facing obligations are clear.

Pair this skill with:

• rebuttal-strategist to recover reviewer issues, response promises, and promised revisions
• paper-evidence-board to close final claim/evidence/provenance/risk/action/handoff links
• figure-results-review to recheck final figures, captions, and tables after edits
• citation-audit for final BibTeX, citation, label, and metadata correctness
• citation-coverage-audit when accepted-paper edits reveal missing related work
• conference-writing-adapter for final wording of accepted reviewer criticism or limitations
• submit-paper for final format and compile checks
• release-code and artifact-evaluation-prep for public code and artifact handoff
• add-git-tag when marking the accepted/camera-ready milestone
• research-project-memory when final paper status should persist across sessions

Skill Directory Layout

<installed-skill-dir>/
├── SKILL.md
└── references/
    ├── claim-evidence-final-lock.md
    ├── de-anonymization.md
    ├── final-submission-audit.md
    ├── memory-writeback.md
    ├── rebuttal-promise-audit.md
    ├── release-handoff.md
    ├── report-template.md
    └── supplement-consistency.md

Progressive Loading

• Always read references/rebuttal-promise-audit.md, references/de-anonymization.md, references/claim-evidence-final-lock.md, and references/final-submission-audit.md.
• Read references/supplement-consistency.md when appendix, supplement, checklist, or extra material exists.
• Read references/release-handoff.md when code, project page, artifact, data, checkpoints, or reproduction links are involved.
• Read references/report-template.md before writing the final report.
• Read references/memory-writeback.md when the project has memory/, component .agent/ folders, or the user asks for persistent memory.
• If venue-specific camera-ready rules matter, verify current official venue instructions before making hard claims about page limits, required sections, licenses, checklists, or upload fields.

Core Principles

• Camera-ready is a consistency and obligation closeout, not a new paper rewrite.
• Every rebuttal promise should be either fulfilled, explicitly superseded, or documented as not applicable.
• De-anonymization must be complete but should not introduce new claims or unsupported links.
• Final claims must match final evidence, figures, tables, supplement, and code.
• New post-acceptance edits should reduce risk, not reopen novelty or evaluation disputes.
• The main paper, appendix, supplement, metadata, and code links must tell the same story.
• The final output should leave a clear handoff to release, artifact evaluation, tagging, and archival memory.
• Do not assume local TeX Live or MacTeX exists. If the project compiles through Overleaf linked to GitHub, use local static checks, push changes, and treat Overleaf's compile log/PDF as the final compile evidence.
• Prefer a dedicated paper worktree under paper-worktrees/ for camera-ready finalization when the main paper branch must preserve the submitted or arXiv state.
• Treat final camera-ready source as camera-ready-public or publisher-artifact unless the user explicitly says the source package remains private.

Step 1 - Recover Acceptance Context

Collect:

• paper directory and main LaTeX file
• whether the final version lives in paper/ or a paper-worktrees/ camera-ready worktree
• target venue and camera-ready deadline
• acceptance email, meta-review, reviews, discussion, and author responses
• rebuttal promise list, if available
• current accepted draft and current camera-ready draft
• final figures, tables, supplement, appendix, checklist, and bibliography
• author list, affiliations, acknowledgements, funding, project/code/data links
• code release or artifact expectations
• project memory IDs such as CLM-###, EVD-###, RSK-###, ACT-###, REV-###, or PROM-###

If no promise list exists, create one from reviews, rebuttal, and discussion before editing the paper.

Step 2 - Audit Rebuttal Promises

Read references/rebuttal-promise-audit.md.

Build a promise ledger:

• reviewer/source
• promise or implied commitment
• required paper change
• current status
• location in final draft
• evidence or artifact link
• risk if omitted

Statuses:

• fulfilled
• partially-fulfilled
• superseded
• not-applicable
• missing
• needs-author-decision

Do not silently drop a promise because it is inconvenient. If a promise cannot be fulfilled, mark the risk and draft a conservative note or limitation if needed.

Step 3 - De-Anonymize and Restore Final Metadata

Read references/de-anonymization.md.

Check:

• author names, order, affiliations, emails, and footnotes
• acknowledgements, funding, compute grants, institutional resources
• code, data, project page, model, and appendix links
• self-citations and anonymized references
• removed anonymity placeholders
• PDF metadata and artifact metadata where applicable
• license, copyright, and publisher-specific final metadata if required

Do not invent funding, affiliation, or author-order details. Ask the user if a required personal/institutional detail is missing.

Step 4 - Lock Claims Against Final Evidence

Read references/claim-evidence-final-lock.md.

For each main claim:

• final paper location
• supporting figure/table/theorem/experiment/citation
• final status: supported, narrowed, moved-to-appendix, limitation, or cut
• whether new rebuttal experiments changed the claim
• whether captions and result prose match final numbers
• whether supplement and code agree with the paper

If a claim is unsupported, either narrow it, move it to limitations/future work, or cut it.

Step 5 - Check Supplement and Appendix Consistency

Read references/supplement-consistency.md when relevant.

Check:

• main paper references to appendix/supplement resolve
• appendix numbering, figure/table labels, and cross-references are correct
• supplement claims do not contradict the main paper
• extra experiments are summarized consistently
• reviewer-requested details are easy to find
• checklists, ethics, limitations, broader impacts, and reproducibility sections match final venue requirements

Step 6 - Run Final Submission Audit

Read references/final-submission-audit.md.

Check:

• venue camera-ready instructions and upload requirements
• page limits and final formatting
• compile status and final PDF sanity
• bibliography and metadata
• labels, references, figures, tables, algorithms, equations, and appendices
• stale TODOs, comments, draft macros, anonymization text, or hidden placeholders
• public or publisher-visible source hygiene: no internal figure/table descriptions, reviewer notes, private paths, or draft-only comments in .tex files
• public or publisher-visible tree hygiene: no .agent/, AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, raw CSVs, internal result docs, plotting scripts, notebooks, provenance ledgers, reviewer/rebuttal scratch, or private paths in the source package
• final title, abstract, author metadata, and PDF filename
• final link reachability if links are included

Use citation-audit and submit-paper for detailed checks when needed.

If local pdflatex, xelatex, or lualatex is unavailable, do not block on local compilation. Confirm the GitHub remote, push the camera-ready source when requested, and ask the user to compile in Overleaf. Use Overleaf logs or screenshots to drive any final LaTeX fixes.

Step 7 - Prepare Release and Artifact Handoff

Read references/release-handoff.md when relevant.

Produce handoff items for:

• release-code: repository visibility, README, license, citation file, tag, model/data links, reproduction commands
• artifact-evaluation-prep: install instructions, expected runtime, minimal demo, hardware, checkpoints, data, troubleshooting
• add-git-tag: accepted/camera-ready milestone summary
• project memory closeout

Keep paper finalization separate from code release, but make obligations explicit.

Step 8 - Write the Camera-Ready Report

Read references/report-template.md.

If saving to a project and no path is given, use:

docs/submission/camera_ready_audit_YYYY-MM-DD_<venue>.md

The report must include:

• readiness decision
• blocking issues
• promise ledger
• de-anonymization status
• final claim/evidence lock
• supplement/appendix consistency
• final submission audit
• release/artifact handoff
• memory update section

Step 9 - Write Back to Project Memory

Read references/memory-writeback.md when memory exists.

Update:

• memory/decision-log.md: acceptance and camera-ready decisions
• memory/claim-board.md: final claim status
• memory/evidence-board.md: final paper-ready evidence and artifact links
• memory/risk-board.md: any residual accepted risks
• memory/action-board.md: final blockers, release tasks, artifact tasks, and tag tasks
• memory/source-visibility-board.md: final source visibility tier, cleanup gate, public-clean audit status, and remaining source-package blockers
• paper/.agent/: camera-ready status, final metadata, final PDF path, final upload notes
• rebuttal/.agent/: promise fulfillment status and accepted outcome

Final Sanity Check

Before finalizing:

• all rebuttal promises are accounted for
• author metadata and acknowledgements are complete
• no anonymity placeholders remain
• final claims match final evidence
• figures/tables/captions/supplement/code links are consistent
• final references and labels are clean or routed to citation-audit
• final format is clean or routed to submit-paper
• final source visibility is clean or routed to submit-paper / source cleanup
• code/artifact/release obligations are routed
• project memory records the accepted/camera-ready state