baoyu-comic v1.117.4B

Immutable. This exact content never changes and is served at /api/v1/blob/3357da757c3ed3cf.

---
name: baoyu-comic
description: Knowledge comic creator supporting multiple art styles and tones. Creates original educational comics with detailed panel layouts and batch-capable image generation. Use when user asks to create "知识漫画", "教育漫画", "biography comic", "tutorial comic", or "Logicomix-style comic".
version: 1.117.4
metadata:
  openclaw:
    homepage: https://github.com/JimLiu/baoyu-skills#baoyu-comic
    requires:
      anyBins:
        - bun
        - npx
---

# Knowledge Comic Creator

Create original knowledge comics with flexible art style × tone combinations.

## User Input Tools

When this skill prompts the user, follow this tool-selection rule (priority order):

1. **Prefer built-in user-input tools** exposed by the current agent runtime — e.g., `AskUserQuestion`, `request_user_input`, `clarify`, `ask_user`, or any equivalent.
2. **Fallback**: if no such tool exists, emit a numbered plain-text message and ask the user to reply with the chosen number/answer for each question.
3. **Batching**: if the tool supports multiple questions per call, combine all applicable questions into a single call; if only single-question, ask them one at a time in priority order.

Concrete `AskUserQuestion` references below are examples — substitute the local equivalent in other runtimes.

## Image Generation Tools

Resolve the image backend in this order:

1. **User names a backend** in the current message → use it.
2. **`preferred_image_backend`** in `EXTEND.md` names a backend available now → use it. `ask` means ask every run.
3. **Auto-select** (preference `auto`, unset, or the pinned backend is unavailable), first match wins:
   - **Codex `imagegen`** skill is in your available skills → you are in Codex and MUST use it: `Skill` with `skill: "imagegen"`, passing the prompt file's content plus output path and aspect ratio. It outranks non-native skills such as `baoyu-image-gen`.
   - **Codex via `codex exec` (`codex-imagegen`)**: no native `imagegen`, but the `codex` CLI is on `PATH` with an active `codex login` → `baoyu-image-gen --provider codex-cli` (preferred), or the bundled wrapper if baoyu-image-gen is unavailable. Load [references/codex-imagegen.md](references/codex-imagegen.md) only for this branch.
   - **Cursor `GenerateImage`** → use it (outranks non-native skills). It has no aspect-ratio parameter, so state the aspect ratio / dimensions in the `description` prompt; it saves to a tool-managed location, so copy the file to the expected output path (e.g., `outputs/.../NN-xxx.png`). Reference images go in `reference_image_paths`.
   - **Other runtime-native image tool** (e.g., Hermes `image_generate`) → use it the same way.
   - Exactly one non-native backend installed (e.g., `baoyu-image-gen`) → use it.
   - Several non-native backends → ask the user once, batched with other initial questions.
4. **None available** → tell the user and ask how to proceed.

**⛔ Raster only**: never substitute SVG, HTML/CSS, canvas, or other code-based rendering for a raster image, even for diagram-like content. If no raster backend resolves, go to step 4.

**⛔ No bitmap text patching**: never use ImageMagick, Pillow, Canvas, SVG, HTML/CSS, OCR scripts, or any other overlay to cover, rewrite, erase, stroke, or replace dialogue, sound effects, panel labels, or any other text inside an already generated comic page. Regenerate from a corrected prompt, redraw the page with less or no on-image text, or ask the user which imperfect candidate to keep.

**Prompt file (hard)**: before invoking any backend, write each image's full, final prompt to its own file under `prompts/` (`NN-{type}-[slug].md`) and pass that file (or its content) to the backend. It is the reproducibility record and lets you switch backends without rewriting prompts.

Change the pinned backend via `## Changing Preferences` below. Tool names above are examples; use the local equivalent in other runtimes.

## Batch Generation Policy

After every prompt file for the current generation group has been saved and verified, generate images in batches by default.

Priority order:

1. Use the chosen backend's native batch / multi-task interface if it exists. Each task must keep its own prompt file, output path, aspect ratio, session ID, and direct reference images.
2. If no native batch interface exists but the runtime can issue parallel tool calls, dispatch up to `generation_batch_size` images at a time. Default: `4`. An explicit user request in the current message, such as `--batch-size 4` or "并行4张一起生成", overrides EXTEND.md.
3. If neither native batch nor parallel tool calls are available, generate sequentially.

Rules:

- Honor workflow dependencies first: generate `characters/characters.png` before pages that use it as a reference.
- Never start the first page batch until all selected page prompt files exist on disk.
- Retry failed items once without regenerating successful items.
- Do not use subagents merely to parallelize image rendering. Use subagents only for separate prompt iteration or creative exploration.

## Reference Images

Users may supply reference images to guide art style, palette, scene composition, or subject. This is **separate from** the auto-generated character sheet (Step 7.1) — both can coexist: user refs guide the look, the character sheet anchors recurring character identity.

**Intake**: Accept via `--ref <files...>` or when the user provides file paths / pastes images in conversation.
- File path(s) → copy to `refs/NN-ref-{slug}.{ext}` alongside the comic output
- Pasted image with no path → ask the user for the path (per the User Input Tools rule above), or extract style traits verbally as a text fallback
- No reference → skip this section

**Usage modes** (per reference):

| Usage | Effect |
|-------|--------|
| `direct` | Pass the file to the backend as a reference image on every page (or selected pages) |
| `style` | Extract style traits (line treatment, texture, mood) and append to every page's prompt body |
| `palette` | Extract hex colors and append to every page's prompt body |

**Record in each page's prompt frontmatter** when refs exist:

```yaml
references:
  - ref_id: 01
    filename: 01-ref-scene.png
    usage: direct
```

**At generation time**:
- Verify each referenced file exists on disk
- If `usage: direct` AND the chosen backend accepts multiple reference images → pass both the character sheet (Step 7.2) and the user refs via the backend's ref parameter; compress images first per Step 7.1's guidance to avoid payload failures
- If the backend accepts only one ref → prefer the character sheet for pages with recurring characters; embed user-ref traits in the prompt body instead
- For `style`/`palette` usage → embed extracted traits in every page's prompt text (applies regardless of backend capability)

## Options

### Visual Dimensions

| Option | Values | Description |
|--------|--------|-------------|
| `--art` | ligne-claire (default), manga, realistic, ink-brush, chalk, minimalist | Art style / rendering technique |
| `--tone` | neutral (default), warm, dramatic, romantic, energetic, vintage, action | Mood / atmosphere |
| `--layout` | standard (default), cinematic, dense, splash, mixed, webtoon, four-panel | Panel arrangement |
| `--aspect` | 3:4 (default, portrait), 4:3 (landscape), 16:9 (widescreen) | Page aspect ratio |
| `--lang` | auto (default), zh, en, ja, etc. | Output language |
| `--ref <files...>` | File paths | Reference images applied to every page for style / palette / scene guidance. See [Reference Images](#reference-images) above. |
| `--batch-size <n>` | 1-8 | Temporary page generation batch size for this run. Default: `generation_batch_size` from EXTEND.md, otherwise 4. |

### Partial Workflow Options

| Option | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| `--storyboard-only` | Generate storyboard only, skip prompts and images |
| `--prompts-only` | Generate storyboard + prompts, skip images |
| `--images-only` | Generate images from existing prompts directory |
| `--regenerate N` | Regenerate specific page(s) only (e.g., `3` or `2,5,8`) |

Details: [references/partial-workflows.md](references/partial-workflows.md)

### Art, Tone & Preset Catalogue

- **Art styles** (6): `ligne-claire`, `manga`, `realistic`, `ink-brush`, `chalk`, `minimalist`. Full definitions at `references/art-styles/<style>.md`.
- **Tones** (7): `neutral`, `warm`, `dramatic`, `romantic`, `energetic`, `vintage`, `action`. Full definitions at `references/tones/<tone>.md`.
- **Presets** (5) with special rules beyond plain art+tone:

  | Preset | Equivalent | Hook |
  |--------|-----------|------|
  | `ohmsha` | manga + neutral | Visual metaphors, no talking heads, gadget reveals |
  | `wuxia` | ink-brush + action | Qi effects, combat visuals, atmospheric |
  | `shoujo` | manga + romantic | Decorative elements, eye details, romantic beats |
  | `concept-story` | manga + warm | Visual symbol system, growth arc, dialogue+action balance |
  | `four-panel` | minimalist + neutral + four-panel layout | 起承转合 structure, B&W + spot color, stick-figure characters |

  Full rules at `references/presets/<preset>.md` — load the file when a preset is picked.

- **Compatibility matrix** and **content-signal → preset** table live in [references/auto-selection.md](references/auto-selection.md). Read it before recommending combinations in Step 2.

## Script Directory

**Important**: All scripts are located in the `scripts/` subdirectory of this skill.

**Agent Execution Instructions**:
1. Determine this SKILL.md file's directory path as `{baseDir}`
2. Script path = `{baseDir}/scripts/<script-name>.ts`
3. Replace all `{baseDir}` in this document with the actual path
4. Resolve `${BUN_X}` runtime: if `bun` installed → `bun`; if `npx` available → `npx -y bun`; else suggest installing bun

**Script Reference**:
| Script | Purpose |
|--------|---------|
| `scripts/merge-to-pdf.ts` | Merge comic pages into PDF |

## File Structure

Output directory: `comic/{topic-slug}/`
- Slug: 2-4 words kebab-case from topic (e.g., `alan-turing-bio`)
- Conflict: append timestamp (e.g., `turing-story-20260118-143052`)

**Contents**:
| File | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `source-{slug}.{ext}` | Source files |
| `analysis.md` | Content analysis |
| `storyboard.md` | Storyboard with panel breakdown |
| `characters/characters.md` | Character definitions |
| `characters/characters.png` | Character reference sheet |
| `prompts/NN-{cover\|page}-[slug].md` | Generation prompts |
| `NN-{cover\|page}-[slug].png` | Generated images |
| `{topic-slug}.pdf` | Final merged PDF |

## Language Handling

**Detection Priority**:
1. `--lang` flag (explicit)
2. EXTEND.md `language` setting
3. User's conversation language
4. Source content language

**Rule**: Use user's input language or saved language preference for ALL interactions:
- Storyboard outlines and scene descriptions
- Image generation prompts
- User selection options and confirmations
- Progress updates, questions, errors, summaries

Technical terms remain in English.

## Workflow

### Progress Checklist

```
Comic Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Setup & Analyze
  - [ ] 1.1 Preferences (EXTEND.md) ⛔ BLOCKING
    - [ ] Found → load preferences → continue
    - [ ] Not found → run first-time setup → MUST complete before other steps
  - [ ] 1.2 Analyze, 1.3 Check existing
- [ ] Step 2: Confirmation - Style & options ⚠️ REQUIRED
- [ ] Step 3: Generate storyboard + characters
- [ ] Step 4: Review outline (conditional)
- [ ] Step 5: Generate prompts
- [ ] Step 6: Review prompts (conditional)
- [ ] Step 7: Generate images
  - [ ] 7.1 Generate character sheet (if needed) → characters/characters.png
  - [ ] 7.2 Generate pages (with --ref if character sheet exists)
- [ ] Step 8: Merge to PDF
- [ ] Step 9: Completion report
```

### Flow

```
Input → [Preferences] ─┬─ Found → Continue
                       │
                       └─ Not found → First-Time Setup ⛔ BLOCKING
                                      │
                                      └─ Complete setup → Save EXTEND.md → Continue
                                                                              │
        ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
        ↓
Analyze → [Check Existing?] → [Confirm: Style + Reviews] → Storyboard → [Review?] → Prompts → [Review?] → Images → PDF → Complete
```

### Step Summary

| Step | Action | Key Output |
|------|--------|------------|
| 1.1 | Load EXTEND.md preferences ⛔ BLOCKING if not found | Config loaded |
| 1.2 | Analyze content | `analysis.md` |
| 1.3 | Check existing directory | Handle conflicts |
| 2 | Confirm style, focus, audience, reviews | User preferences |
| 3 | Generate storyboard + characters | `storyboard.md`, `characters/` |
| 4 | Review outline (if requested) | User approval |
| 5 | Generate prompts | `prompts/*.md` |
| 6 | Review prompts (if requested) | User approval |
| 7.1 | Generate character sheet (if needed) | `characters/characters.png` |
| 7.2 | Generate pages (with character ref if available) | `*.png` files |
| 8 | Merge to PDF | `{slug}.pdf` |
| 9 | Completion report | Summary |

### Step 7: Image Generation

**Pick a backend once per session** using the `## Image Generation Tools` rule at the top. If the backend is a repo skill (e.g., `baoyu-image-gen`), read its `SKILL.md` and use its documented interface rather than its scripts.

**`codex-imagegen` invocation**: when the rule resolves to `codex-imagegen`, see [references/codex-imagegen.md](references/codex-imagegen.md) for the invocation contract (preferred `baoyu-image-gen --provider codex-cli` path, runtime wrapper discovery, parameter notes, stdout schema, batch semantics — n=1 per call so page batches must dispatch one wrapper call per page).

**7.1 Character sheet** — generate it (to `characters/characters.png`, aspect `4:3`) when the comic is multi-page with recurring characters. Skip for simple presets (e.g., four-panel minimalist) or single-page comics. Compress to JPEG before use-as-`--ref` (`sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions 80 …` on macOS, `pngquant --quality=65-80 …` elsewhere) to avoid payload failures. The prompt file at `characters/characters.md` must exist before invoking the backend.

**7.2 Pages** — each page's prompt MUST already be at `prompts/NN-{cover|page}-[slug].md` before invoking the backend; the file is the reproducibility record. Strategy depends on the character sheet:

| Character sheet | Backend `--ref` | Strategy |
|-----------------|-----------------|----------|
| Exists | Supported | Pass sheet as `--ref` on every page |
| Exists | Not supported | Prepend character descriptions to every prompt file |
| Skipped | — | All descriptions inline in prompt |

**Execution strategy**: Generate the character sheet first when needed. Then build the selected page task list from saved prompt files and dispatch pages in batches per the `## Batch Generation Policy`: backend native batch first, runtime parallel tool calls second, sequential only as fallback. `--regenerate N` and `--images-only` apply the same batching rules to the selected existing prompts.

**Backup rule**: existing `prompts/…md` and `…png` files → rename with `-backup-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS` suffix before regenerating. Aspect ratio from storyboard (default `3:4`; preset may override).

**`--ref` failure recovery**: compress sheet → retry → still fails → drop `--ref` and embed character descriptions in the prompt text.

Full step-by-step workflow (analysis, storyboard, review gates, regeneration variants): [references/workflow.md](references/workflow.md).

### EXTEND.md Paths ⛔ BLOCKING

If EXTEND.md is not found, first-time setup is **blocking** — complete it before any content analysis or style/tone questions.

| Priority | Path | Scope |
|----------|------|-------|
| 1 | `.baoyu-skills/baoyu-comic/EXTEND.md` | Project |
| 2 | `$HOME/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-comic/EXTEND.md` | User home |

| Result | Action |
|--------|--------|
| Found | Read, parse, display summary → continue |
| Not found | ⛔ Run first-time setup ([references/config/first-time-setup.md](references/config/first-time-setup.md)) → save EXTEND.md → continue |

**EXTEND.md supports**: watermark, preferred art/tone/layout, custom style definitions, character presets, language preference, preferred image backend, generation batch size. Schema: [references/config/preferences-schema.md](references/config/preferences-schema.md).

## References

**Core Templates**:
- [analysis-framework.md](references/analysis-framework.md) - Deep content analysis
- [character-template.md](references/character-template.md) - Character definition format
- [storyboard-template.md](references/storyboard-template.md) - Storyboard structure
- [ohmsha-guide.md](references/ohmsha-guide.md) - Ohmsha manga specifics

**Style Definitions**:
- `references/art-styles/` - Art styles (ligne-claire, manga, realistic, ink-brush, chalk, minimalist)
- `references/tones/` - Tones (neutral, warm, dramatic, romantic, energetic, vintage, action)
- `references/presets/` - Presets with special rules (ohmsha, wuxia, shoujo, concept-story, four-panel)
- `references/layouts/` - Layouts (standard, cinematic, dense, splash, mixed, webtoon, four-panel)

**Workflow**:
- [workflow.md](references/workflow.md) - Full workflow details
- [auto-selection.md](references/auto-selection.md) - Content signal analysis
- [partial-workflows.md](references/partial-workflows.md) - Partial workflow options

**Config**:
- [config/preferences-schema.md](references/config/preferences-schema.md) - EXTEND.md schema
- [config/first-time-setup.md](references/config/first-time-setup.md) - First-time setup
- [config/watermark-guide.md](references/config/watermark-guide.md) - Watermark configuration

## Page Modification

| Action | Steps |
|--------|-------|
| **Edit** | **Update prompt file FIRST** → `--regenerate N` → Regenerate PDF |
| **Add** | Create prompt at position → Generate with character ref → Renumber subsequent → Update storyboard → Regenerate PDF |
| **Delete** | Remove files → Renumber subsequent → Update storyboard → Regenerate PDF |

**IMPORTANT**: When updating pages, ALWAYS update the prompt file (`prompts/NN-{cover|page}-[slug].md`) FIRST before regenerating. This ensures changes are documented and reproducible.

Text correction policy:

- If dialogue, sound effects, panel labels, or any other rendered text is misspelled, garbled, hard to read, or visually weak, do not patch the bitmap with code.
- For text-correction regenerations, write a new prompt file and a new output path so the flawed candidate is preserved for comparison.
- Post-processing is limited to crop, resize, compression, or format conversion that does not alter text or the main composition.

## Notes

- Image generation: 10-30 seconds per page
- Auto-retry once on generation failure
- Use stylized alternatives for sensitive public figures
- Maintain style consistency via session ID
- **Step 2 confirmation required** - do not skip
- **Steps 4/6 conditional** - only if user requested in Step 2
- **Step 7.1 character sheet** - recommended for multi-page comics, optional for simple presets
- **Step 7.2 character reference** - use `--ref` if sheet exists; compress/convert on failure; fall back to prompt-only
- Watermark/language configured once in EXTEND.md

## Changing Preferences

EXTEND.md lives at `.baoyu-skills/baoyu-comic/EXTEND.md` (project) or `~/.baoyu-skills/baoyu-comic/EXTEND.md` (user). Three ways to change it:

- **Edit directly** — open EXTEND.md and change fields. Full schema: `references/config/preferences-schema.md`.
- **Reconfigure interactively** — delete EXTEND.md (or ask "reconfigure baoyu-comic preferences" / "重新配置"). The next run re-triggers first-time setup.
- **Common one-line edits**:
  - `preferred_image_backend: auto` — default; runtime-native tool wins, falls back to the only installed backend, asks only if multiple non-native are present.
  - `preferred_image_backend: codex-imagegen` — pin to Codex's built-in.
  - `preferred_image_backend: baoyu-image-gen` — pin to the baoyu-image-gen skill.
  - `preferred_image_backend: ask` — confirm backend every run.
  - `generation_batch_size: 4` — default number of page images to render concurrently when the backend/runtime supports batch or parallel generation.
  - `watermark.enabled: true`, `preferred_art`, `preferred_tone`, `preferred_layout`, `language` — shift the auto-selection defaults and cosmetic choices.