copyeditor-skill
A skill for copyediting academic English .docx manuscripts: tracked changes, comments and checks of citations and numbers.
- 285 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Extended access
Why this level
- Scripts read and modify `.docx` files, and edits go through Microsoft Word automation.
- The manuscript text enters the model context: send unpublished work deliberately.
Install
- Works in
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add skills/copyeditor-skillDetects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- Scripts read and modify `.docx` files, and edits go through Microsoft Word automation.
- The manuscript text enters the model context: send unpublished work deliberately.
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
`copyeditor-skill` leads an agent through an academic copyeditor workflow. It makes a copy of the manuscript, applies local edits in Word tracked changes and leaves comments where the author must decide. A `Copy Editing and Proofreading Report` is added at the end of the document. Python scripts check the `.docx` structure, citation order and reference list, p-values, confidence intervals, table and figure numbering, and make sure edits do not turn into whole-paragraph replacements. The output can be a package: a tracked file, a clean copy, a PDF and audits.
Who it is for. Authors from non-English-speaking countries preparing an article or reviewer response in English who want a checked copyedit with visible changes.
Good fit when
- A manuscript before journal submission needs tracked changes so each can be accepted separately.
- Citation order, figure numbers and p-values may have drifted apart in the text.
- Copyediting must not break fonts, tables, captions and reference links.
- After the edits a report with likely reviewer objections and author questions is required.
Not a fit when
- The content needs rewriting: the skill protects the author facts and methods and does not decide for them.
- The manuscript is not a `.docx`: the workflow is built around Word.
- Acceptance of the paper must be guaranteed: the skill promises no submission outcome.
Example request
Use `$copyeditor-skill`: a medium copyedit, tracked changes, author comments, citation and number checks and a report at the end.Limitations
Beta status. Tracked changes work best on Windows with Microsoft Word installed, because edits go through Word automation. The check scripts are heuristic: flagged places must be confirmed by eye. The skill does not replace legal, ethical or statistical review and makes no decisions on authorship, rights or journal policy. The directory must be copied whole with `references/` and `scripts/`. Documentation is mostly Chinese, with `README.en.md` available.
How to disable. Delete the `~/.codex/skills/copyeditor-skill` folder. Manuscript copies and reports sit next to your files and are deleted separately.
FAQ
What does the skill do with the original?
Nothing: edits go into a copy and the original is not overwritten.
When are comments added?
Only where the author must decide: unclear meaning, thin evidence, term conflicts, a statistics or citation problem.
Does it work with Claude Code?
The README suggests keeping a clone of the repository and pointing a command or subagent at `SKILL.md`, keeping `references/` and `scripts/`.
What do the scripts depend on?
Python and Microsoft Word are needed: edits and the report go through Word automation. `create_delivery_package.py` builds the package with a clean copy and PDF.
How do I check the file before delivery?
Run `python scripts/validate_docx.py` with `--source`, `--require-report` and `--require-comment-author Catherine`. The script checks tracked changes, comments, the report and encoding.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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