Getting started

Before you start#

You need Node.js 18 or newer and an agent that can access local files. You do not need LaTeX or Overleaf to begin.

1. Install the skill#

Run the npx installer once. It places the latest published release in $CODEX_HOME/skills, or ~/.codex/skills when CODEX_HOME is unset.

npx anything-to-journal@latest install

Update later

Use @latest to fetch the newest npm release. The updater verifies the installed skill, stages the replacement, and swaps it into place atomically.

npx anything-to-journal@latest update

For a repository-local installation, append --repo /absolute/path/to/repository. Run npx anything-to-journal@latest --help for explicit destination and dry-run options.

2. Create the workspace#

Create a fresh folder with a specific, stable project name. This folder is both the input boundary and the place where the agent will work.

mkdir coastal-risk-manuscript
cd coastal-risk-manuscript

3. Add source material#

Copy in everything that can support the paper. Keep original filenames when they carry meaning, and add a short README if the dataset or notation needs explanation.

my-research/
├── README.md
├── notes/
│   ├── research-question.md
│   └── methods-notes.docx
├── data/
│   ├── results.xlsx
│   └── analysis.csv
├── figures/
│   ├── figure-01.png
│   └── figure-02.pdf
├── sources/
│   ├── interviews.pdf
│   └── prior-draft.docx
├── references.bib
└── journal-template/          # optional

Incomplete material is allowed. The workflow should report evidence gaps rather than filling them with unsupported claims.

4. Open your agent#

Open your coding agent from inside the new folder. Then give it a direct instruction to invoke the skill and ask the required mode question before inspection.

Use the Anything-to-Journal skill in this folder.
Before opening any source content, ask me whether I want:
1. a flexible journal draft, or
2. a specific journal template.
After I answer, read and classify every source material.

5. Confirm the mode#

The agent must pause before opening source content and ask which of these two modes you want:

If you choose template mode, identify the target journal and place its official files inside journal-template/.

6. Review the output#

When generation finishes, review the report first, then use the local Manuscript Workspace or open the compiled PDF directly. Check unresolved evidence notes before spending time on typography.

journal-output/
├── manuscript/
│   ├── manuscript.tex
│   ├── references.bib
│   ├── traceability.csv
│   └── evidence-map.csv
├── reports/
│   ├── source-review.json
│   └── quality-report.md
└── submission/
    ├── overleaf-upload.zip     ← upload this
    ├── overleaf-upload/
    │   ├── main.tex            ← ZIP root
    │   ├── references.bib
    │   └── README_OVERLEAF.md
    ├── manuscript.pdf
    └── submission-package.zip

• Open reports/quality-report.md and read every warning.
• Use PDF Preview to scroll through the complete paper and check layout problems.
• Edit the actual manuscript/manuscript.tex file in the LaTeX tab or continue asking Codex for changes.
• Save to recompile and refresh the preview; run the existing final build and audit after the last edit.
• Confirm citations resolve and reference entries are complete.
• Upload submission/overleaf-upload.zip when you are ready to edit online.