Best use case
audit-check is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Phase 2: Run mechanical checks and Gemini formatted audit
Teams using audit-check should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/audit-check/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How audit-check Compares
| Feature / Agent | audit-check | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Phase 2: Run mechanical checks and Gemini formatted audit
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
SKILL.md Source
# Phase 2: Check (Mechanical + AI Audit)
Two-stage checking: Python mechanical checks catch definite errors; Gemini batch audit catches judgment-call issues.
## Stage 2a: Mechanical Checks (Python)
```bash
uv run python3 "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../../../skills/bluebook-audit/scripts/scan_formatting.py" --docx path/to/file.docx
```
Checks performed on ALL footnotes:
1. **Journal name small caps** - Comprehensive pattern list (law reviews, finance journals, newspapers, periodicals, forums)
2. **Book title small caps** - Detect italic book titles that should be small caps
3. **Id. chain validation** - Rule 4.1 mechanical check (single-source predecessor)
4. **Signal italic consistency** - All signals (see, cf., e.g.) must be italic
5. **Terminal period** - Every footnote must end with a period
6. **Hereinafter consistency** - Defined at first citation, used consistently after
7. **Author name supra format** - Text before `*supra*` should be roman, not italic (unless it's a case name short form). Catches `*Manne, supra*` → should be `Manne, *supra*`
8. **Italic spillover** - Trailing/leading spaces inside italic or small caps runs (e.g., `*supra *` should be `*supra* `). These don't affect Word display but cause Gemini misparses
### NBSP Handling
DOCX uses non-breaking spaces (`\xa0`) in abbreviations. ALL search functions must handle both `\x20` and `\xa0`:
- `No.\xa02106`, `Feb.\xa07`, `Oct.\xa021`
- `Wall St.\xa0J.`, `Corp.\xa0Governance`
## Stage 2b: Gemini Batch Formatted Audit
**Default: Use Gemini Batch API** (50% cheaper, handles all footnotes in one job). Fallback to sync calls if batch is unavailable.
### Step 1: Extract formatted footnotes
```bash
uv run python3 "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../../../skills/bluebook-audit/scripts/gemini_audit.py" --docx path/to/file.docx --extract-only
```
This outputs a JSON file mapping footnote numbers to formatted text with inline markup:
- `*text*` = italic
- `[SC]text[/SC]` = small caps
- Plain text = roman
### Step 2: Submit Gemini Batch Job
Build a JSONL file with one request per footnote, then submit via Batch API:
```python
# Build JSONL (one line per footnote)
for fn_num, formatted_text in footnotes.items():
request = {
"custom_id": f"fn-{fn_num}",
"body": {
"contents": [{"parts": [{"text": PROMPT.format(fn_num=fn_num, formatted_text=formatted_text)}]}],
"generationConfig": {"responseMimeType": "application/json", "temperature": 0.1}
}
}
# Submit batch job (see /gemini-batch skill for full pattern)
# Use examples/batch_processor.py pattern — DO NOT guess API parameters
```
**IMPORTANT:** Follow the `/gemini-batch` skill's Iron Law — read `examples/batch_processor.py` before writing batch code.
**Fallback (sync):** If batch is unavailable, use:
```bash
uv run python3 "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../../../skills/bluebook-audit/scripts/gemini_audit.py" --docx path/to/file.docx
```
### Gemini Prompt Focuses On:
- Source type classification (case, statute, article, book, newspaper, working paper, hearing, letter, regulation)
- Typeface correctness per Rule 2 (italic vs small caps vs roman)
- Abbreviation correctness per T6/T13
- Short form validity (cases must not use supra)
<EXTREMELY-IMPORTANT>
## Iron Law: Audit ALL Footnotes
The Gemini audit MUST cover every footnote, not a subset. Auditing only "major" or "flagged" footnotes guarantees missed errors.
Previous failure: Auditing 45 of 239 footnotes missed 41 journal names needing small caps.
</EXTREMELY-IMPORTANT>
## Stage 2c: Claude Cross-Footnote Review
**Never trust a single agent.** After Gemini's per-footnote audit, Claude reviews the full set for cross-footnote patterns that per-footnote analysis misses.
Claude receives:
1. ALL formatted footnotes (fits in 1M context at ~20-40K tokens)
2. Gemini's per-footnote findings
3. Mechanical check results
**Claude reviews for:**
- **Supra chain validity** — does `supra note 42` actually point to the right source?
- **Hereinafter consistency** — defined at first citation? Used consistently after?
- **Repeated source type errors** — if Gemini misclassified one SEC release, it likely missed them all
- **Id. chain context** — predecessor footnote analysis that per-footnote Gemini can't see
- **Gemini false positive filtering** — flag Gemini suggestions that are likely wrong (SEC releases, exec orders, working papers)
**Output:** Annotated version of Gemini findings with cross-footnote issues added and false positives flagged.
## Red Flags
- Sending plain text to Gemini → always include inline markup; plain text produces 10-20x false positives without formatting info.
- Auditing a subset of footnotes → audit ALL footnotes; subsets guarantee missed errors.
- Skipping NBSP variants in mechanical checks → always try both space types; NBSPs cause silent search failures.
- Trusting Gemini results without the Claude cross-check → always run Stage 2c; per-footnote review misses cross-footnote patterns.
- Trusting Claude review without mechanical checks → mechanical checks are authoritative for their categories; Claude misses deterministic patterns.
- Skipping any stage → run all three (mechanical → Gemini → Claude); each catches a different error class.
## Merging Three-Layer Findings
**Priority order: Mechanical > Claude cross-review > Gemini per-footnote**
Mechanical checks are authoritative for deterministic rules:
- Signal italic formatting → trust mechanical checker (regex on run-level XML)
- Terminal periods → trust mechanical checker
- Id. chain validation → trust mechanical checker
- Journal/book small caps patterns → trust mechanical checker
Claude cross-review is authoritative for:
- Cross-footnote consistency (supra chains, hereinafter definitions)
- Gemini false positive filtering (source type misclassifications)
- Patterns across footnotes that per-footnote analysis misses
Gemini per-footnote is authoritative for:
- Individual source type classification (when not overridden by Claude)
- Abbreviation correctness (T6/T13 tables)
- Short form validity
**Never drop a mechanical finding because Gemini or Claude didn't flag it.** The mechanical checker catches 100% of signal issues by design.
## Gate: Exit Check
Before proceeding to Report phase:
- [ ] `scratch/audit_findings.json` exists
- [ ] Mechanical check results cover ALL footnotes
- [ ] Gemini audit results cover ALL footnotes (verify count matches extract)
- [ ] Claude cross-footnote review complete
- [ ] Findings merged (mechanical > Claude > Gemini priority)
## Next Phase
Read `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../../../skills/bluebook-audit/skills/audit-report/SKILL.md` and follow its instructions.Related Skills
cite-check
Verify academic citations against source PDFs using Gemini File Search API. Use when 'check citations', 'verify cites', 'cite-check', 'run citation review', 'are my citations grounded', 'does source X support claim Y', 'what does source X say about Y', or validating that pandoc citations in markdown drafts are supported by their source documents.
audit-verify
Phase 5: Verify all corrections were applied correctly
audit-report
Phase 3: Generate and present audit report for user review
audit-extract
Phase 1: Extract footnotes from DOCX with formatting annotations
audit-crossrefs
Phase 7: Convert hardcoded cross-references to auto-updating NOTEREF fields
audit-correct
Phase 4: Apply corrections to DOCX
audit-archive
Phase 6: Archive URLs via perma.cc
bluebook-audit
This skill should be used when the user asks to 'audit footnotes', 'check Bluebook formatting', 'audit citations', 'run footnote audit', 'check my footnotes', 'bluebook audit', or needs systematic Bluebook compliance checking of a law review manuscript.
audit-fix-loop
Canonical doctrine for scored iterative improvement, and the generic fallback for ad-hoc 'iteratively improve / audit and fix / grade and improve / hill-climb quality / score and fix' requests that don't map to a domain workflow.
writing
This skill should be used when the user asks to 'write a paper', 'start a writing project', 'draft an article', 'write about', 'brainstorm writing topics', 'gather sources for a paper', 'what should I write about', or needs the writing workflow entry point for any writing task.
writing-validate
Validate draft sections cover all PRECIS claims before review.
writing-setup
Internal skill for creating PRECIS.md, OUTLINE.md, and ACTIVE_WORKFLOW.md. Called after brainstorm sources are gathered.