Article Illustrator

Analyze articles, identify illustration positions, generate images with Type × Style consistency.

Two Dimensions

Dimension	Controls	Examples
Type	Information structure	infographic, scene, flowchart, comparison, framework, timeline
Style	Visual aesthetics	notion, warm, minimal, blueprint, watercolor, elegant

Combine freely:

--type infographic --style blueprint

Or use presets:

--preset tech-explainer

→ type + style in one flag. See Style Presets.

Types

Type	Best For
`infographic`	Data, metrics, technical
`scene`	Narratives, emotional
`flowchart`	Processes, workflows
`comparison`	Side-by-side, options
`framework`	Models, architecture
`timeline`	History, evolution

Styles

See references/styles.md for Core Styles, full gallery, and Type × Style compatibility.

Workflow

- [ ] Step 1: Pre-check (EXTEND.md, references, config)
- [ ] Step 2: Analyze content
- [ ] Step 3: Confirm settings (AskUserQuestion)
- [ ] Step 4: Generate outline
- [ ] Step 5: Generate images
- [ ] Step 6: Finalize

Step 1: Pre-check

1.5 Load Preferences (EXTEND.md) ⛔ BLOCKING

bash

# macOS, Linux, WSL, Git Bash
test -f .baoyu-skills/baoyu-article-illustrator/EXTEND.md && echo "project"
test -f "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/baoyu-skills/baoyu-article-illustrator/EXTEND.md" && echo "xdg"
test -f "$HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-article-illustrator/EXTEND.md" && echo "user"

powershell

# PowerShell (Windows)
if (Test-Path .baoyu-skills/baoyu-article-illustrator/EXTEND.md) { "project" }
$xdg = if ($env:XDG_CONFIG_HOME) { $env:XDG_CONFIG_HOME } else { "$HOME/.config" }
if (Test-Path "$xdg/baoyu-skills/baoyu-article-illustrator/EXTEND.md") { "xdg" }
if (Test-Path "$HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-article-illustrator/EXTEND.md") { "user" }

Result	Action
Found	Read, parse, display summary
Not found	⛔ Run first-time-setup

Full procedures: references/workflow.md

Step 2: Analyze

Analysis	Output
Content type	Technical / Tutorial / Methodology / Narrative
Purpose	information / visualization / imagination
Core arguments	2-5 main points
Positions	Where illustrations add value

CRITICAL: Metaphors → visualize underlying concept, NOT literal image.

Full procedures: references/workflow.md

Step 3: Confirm Settings ⚠️

ONE AskUserQuestion, max 4 Qs. Q1-Q2 REQUIRED. Q3 required unless preset chosen.

Q	Options
Q1: Preset or Type	[Recommended preset], [alt preset], or manual: infographic, scene, flowchart, comparison, framework, timeline, mixed
Q2: Density	minimal (1-2), balanced (3-5), per-section (Recommended), rich (6+)
Q3: Style	[Recommended], minimal-flat, sci-fi, hand-drawn, editorial, scene, poster, Other — skip if preset chosen
Q4: Language	When article language ≠ EXTEND.md setting

Full procedures: references/workflow.md

Step 4: Generate Outline

Save

outline.md

with frontmatter (type, density, style, image_count) and entries:

yaml

## Illustration 1
**Position**: [section/paragraph]
**Purpose**: [why]
**Visual Content**: [what]
**Filename**: 01-infographic-concept-name.png

Full template: references/workflow.md

Step 5: Generate Images

⛔ BLOCKING: Prompt files MUST be saved before ANY image generation.

Execution strategy: When multiple illustrations have saved prompt files and the task is now plain generation, prefer

baoyu-imagine

batch mode (

build-batch.ts

→

--batchfile

) over spawning subagents. Use subagents only when each image still needs separate prompt iteration or creative exploration.

For each illustration, create a prompt file per references/prompt-construction.md
Save to
```
prompts/NN-{type}-{slug}.md
```
with YAML frontmatter
Prompts MUST use type-specific templates with structured sections (ZONES / LABELS / COLORS / STYLE / ASPECT)
LABELS MUST include article-specific data: actual numbers, terms, metrics, quotes
DO NOT pass ad-hoc inline prompts to
```
--prompt
```
without saving prompt files first
Select generation skill, process references (
```
direct
```
/
```
style
```
/
```
palette
```
)
Apply watermark if EXTEND.md enabled
Generate from saved prompt files; retry once on failure

Full procedures: references/workflow.md

Step 6: Finalize

Insert

![description]({relative-path}/NN-{type}-{slug}.png)

after paragraphs. Path computed relative to article file based on output directory setting.

Article Illustration Complete!
Article: [path] | Type: [type] | Density: [level] | Style: [style]
Images: X/N generated

Output Directory

Output directory is determined by

default_output_dir

in EXTEND.md (set during first-time setup):

`default_output_dir`	Output Path	Markdown Insert Path
`imgs-subdir` (default)	`{article-dir}/imgs/`	`imgs/NN-{type}-{slug}.png`
`same-dir`	`{article-dir}/`	`NN-{type}-{slug}.png`
`illustrations-subdir`	`{article-dir}/illustrations/`	`illustrations/NN-{type}-{slug}.png`
`independent`	`illustrations/{topic-slug}/`	`illustrations/{topic-slug}/NN-{type}-{slug}.png` (relative to cwd)

All auxiliary files (outline, prompts) are saved inside the output directory:

{output-dir}/
├── outline.md
├── prompts/
│   └── NN-{type}-{slug}.md
└── NN-{type}-{slug}.png

When input is pasted content (no file path), always uses

illustrations/{topic-slug}/

with

source-{slug}.{ext}

saved alongside.

Slug: 2-4 words, kebab-case. Conflict: append

-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS

Modification

Action	Steps
Edit	Update prompt → Regenerate → Update reference
Add	Position → Prompt → Generate → Update outline → Insert
Delete	Delete files → Remove reference → Update outline

References

File	Content
references/workflow.md	Detailed procedures
references/usage.md	Command syntax
references/styles.md	Style gallery
references/style-presets.md	Preset shortcuts (type + style)
references/prompt-construction.md	Prompt templates
references/config/first-time-setup.md	First-time setup

baoyu-article-illustrator

NPX Install

SKILL.md Content

Article Illustrator

Two Dimensions

Types

Styles

Workflow

Step 1: Pre-check

Step 2: Analyze

Step 3: Confirm Settings ⚠️

Step 4: Generate Outline

Step 5: Generate Images

Step 6: Finalize

Output Directory

Modification

References