Section Break Check
Table of Contents
Related skills: Called by Editor in structural pass. Reads shared-context/style-guide.md for the break rule.
The two registers
From style-guide.md:
- Essays (<1500 words, reflective register): no H1/H2 in body; use
* * *between movements. - Essays (1500+ words):
* * *preferred; H2 only if structured as a how-to. - Methodology / technical posts: H2 is fine and often necessary.
- Never use H3 or H4.
How to detect register:
- Reflective: first-person throughout, confession or admission opener, narrative arc, no numbered steps, no code blocks, <2500 words.
- Methodology: numbered steps, code blocks, command invocations, technical diagrams, "how to X" or "building Y" framing.
- Hybrid (e.g., Architecture, Not Prompting): both analytical claim and how-to sections. H2 is acceptable here.
Workflow
Section-break check draft D:
- [ ] Step 1: Detect register: reflective | methodology | hybrid
- [ ] Step 2: Scan for section breaks: count H1s, H2s, H3+, asterisk dividers
- [ ] Step 3: Apply register-appropriate rules
- [ ] Step 4: Flag mismatches
Scoring matrix
| Register | Word count | H2 OK? | * * * OK? | Flag conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reflective | <1500 | No | Yes | H2 in body → tier-2 |
| Reflective | 1500–2500 | Avoid | Preferred | Frequent H2 → tier-2 |
| Hybrid | any | Yes | Yes | Mixing both in same section → tier-2 |
| Methodology | any | Yes | Rare | H3+ usage → tier-2 |
Worked example
Draft 1: A 1200-word reflective essay on pathology AI with H2s (## The Training Set, ## The Failure, ## What I Learned).
Flag: (Tier-2) H2s in a short reflective post break register. Essays under 1500 words use * * *. Rewrite: replace each ## Heading with * * * and fold the heading concept into the first sentence of the new movement.
Draft 2: A 3000-word methodology post on building an agent system with no H2s, only * * * dividers.
Flag: (Tier-2) Methodology register typically uses H2 for navigation. Consider H2 for each major step of the build. Not blocking, but worth the writer's attention.
Draft 3: A 1800-word essay mixing analysis with a concrete build walk-through, with both H2 and * * * (some sections have H2, some have asterisks).
Flag: (Tier-2) Mixing within one essay breaks register. Pick one. Rewrite suggestion: use H2 for the methodology sections and * * * for the analytical transitions — but be consistent within each register.
Guardrails
- Section-break issues are tier-2. Writer can publish anyway; it's a craft miss, not a voice violation.
- Don't flag H1 in the draft — H1 is the post title and belongs there.
- Don't flag section breaks in code blocks or quoted content.
- H3+ is always flagged (style-guide rule: "Never use H3 or H4").
- Series-log posts (frontmatter
series: {slug}) typically use* * *— if a series post uses H2, flag softly. - Don't propose a full restructure; suggest the one change (replace H2 with
* * *or vice versa) and let the writer execute.
Quick reference
- Detect register → apply rule.
- Two tolerated registers: reflective (asterisks) and methodology (H2).
- Mixed within one essay = tier-2 flag.