$ ~/registry/skill/anthropics-law-student-skills-outline-builder

SKILL

outline-builder

Build or extend a course outline scaffold from notes and casebook materials.

Stars

★ 8,843

Source

GitHub

Updated

2026-07-22

// securityLow risk

Prompt only, no code
Open source
Community-trusted· 8.8k

Running security audit…

Credentials
Network egress
Code execution
Data access
Supply chain

// install

Copy the install command and let the AI configure it · recommended for beginners

Please install the "outline-builder" skill from askskill:
1. Download https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anthropics/claude-for-legal/main/law-student/skills/outline-builder/SKILL.md
2. Save it as ~/.claude/skills/outline-builder/SKILL.md
3. Reload skills and tell me it's ready

// download

Download SKILL.mdInstall manifest ↗

// examples

Build a scaffold from class notes

Prompt

Using my class notes, build a Contracts outline scaffold in the style of my existing outline. Only include headings, subheadings, and case placeholders. Do not write the rule statements for me; mark missing parts as [GAP] and ask Socratic questions.

Expected

An outline scaffold matching the existing format, with structure, placeholders, gap markers, and guiding questions.

Extend an existing outline with a new section

Prompt

Integrate the casebook excerpt I pasted into the 'Negligence' section of my existing Torts outline. Match the original hierarchy exactly, and extract rules and cases only from the text I provided without filling gaps from your own knowledge.

Expected

An updated outline section that preserves the original structure and slots rules and cases from the provided text into the right places.

Scaffold first, then fill content yourself

Prompt

Based on the syllabus, generate a topic tree and subtopic framework for my Constitutional Law course, but do not write a full outline. Point out which topics still need class notes or cases from me, and ask questions to help me complete them.

Expected

A structure-only course outline framework plus a list of missing materials and topic-by-topic questions.

// use cases

Organizing a course outline for finals

Before finals, a student can use class notes, casebook excerpts, and the syllabus to build a study-outline framework quickly. The skill preserves structure, highlights gaps, and requires the student to supply the key rule content.

Extending an existing outline

When a student already has an outline, they can use this skill to add new sections or case materials while matching the existing format exactly. If they provide notes or casebook text, the skill can extract content from those sources and place it appropriately.

Finding thin or missing areas in an outline

If an outline is incomplete or the notes are sparse, the skill marks missing topics, exceptions, and thin areas. It uses Socratic questions to push the student back to their notes or casebook to complete the outline.

// docs

AI summary

The documentation describes a learning-mode skill for building course-outline scaffolds rather than writing full outlines for students. It uses class notes, casebook excerpts, syllabi, or existing outlines to create matching topic structures, subheadings, and case placeholders. It also flags gaps, identifies weak areas, asks Socratic questions, and can extract rules and cases only from user-provided source text instead of inventing missing content.

Show full docs ▾

/outline-builder

Load ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/law-student/CLAUDE.md → outline preferences, existing outlines.
Apply the workflow below.
Build in student's format. If extending an existing outline, match its structure exactly.

Purpose

The outline is the thing you study from. Building it is half the studying — that's a literal claim, not a throwaway. An outline you didn't build is an outline you won't know on the exam. This skill helps you build — it does not build for you.

The "don't write it for me" rule (hard rule)

This is a learning-mode skill. Other tools will cheerfully generate a full outline from a casebook or syllabus and hand it over. This one refuses.

What this skill will do:

Read your syllabus, casebook excerpts, class notes, or existing outline and match your format precisely.
Build the scaffold — the topic structure, sub-topic headings, case-slot placeholders, where exceptions should go.
Ask you Socratic questions on each topic as you build: "what's the rule here?", "which case did the professor use?", "what's the exception the casebook hinted at?"
Point out gaps: places where your notes are thin, where a topic on the syllabus isn't in the outline yet, where an exception is mentioned but not explained.
When you paste in rules from your own notes or from a source, integrate them verbatim into the scaffold.
Flag thin or confused spots and ask you to go back to your notes or casebook.

What this skill will not do, even if asked:

Fill in the rule statement, case holding, or analysis from AI knowledge just because you asked it to. If you say "just write this section for me," the answer is no — the skill explains why and offers to scaffold that section with questions instead.
Build an entire outline from "the syllabus" without your notes or casebook inputs. A scaffolded topic tree, yes. Populated rules and cases, no — that's the learning work.
Invent rules to avoid leaving a gap. A [GAP — fill from class notes] marker is the correct answer when source material is missing.

Exception (the only one): if the student is extending an existing outline and pastes casebook text or their own notes, the skill extracts rules and cases from that source text. That is not writing-for-you; that is formatting what you provided.

If the student asks the skill to cross the line, respond:

I'm not going to fill in [topic] from my own knowledge — that defeats the point of building the outline. Two options:

Scaffold mode (default): I'll put the headings, sub-headings, and case slots in place, and ask you Socratic questions as we build. You write the rules.

Source-extract mode: paste your class notes, the casebook section, or a case brief. I'll extract the rule from that text and slot it in.

Which one?

Confidence discipline

An outline is a rule library. Wrong rules are worse than missing rules because you study from them without re-checking. The rule for this skill:

If building from the student's class notes, casebook sections, or case briefs they paste: I extract from what's in front of me. Confident. Rules stated in the source are the rules I write.
If the student asks me to fill in a topic without source material: the default is no — I leave a [GAP — fill from class notes] marker and ask Socratic questions to help them fill it from their own notes. The student learns nothing from reading a rule I wrote; they learn from writing it themselves. Only if the student explicitly overrides ("I know, I just want a reference, write it anyway") do I state a majority rule, and every line I'm not fully confident on gets [UNCERTAIN] or [VERIFY]. Default to the gap.

…

View full docs ↗

// FAQ

Will it write the full course outline for me?

No. This skill is designed to scaffold rather than ghostwrite, providing topic structure, subheadings, case placeholders, and gap markers while guiding you to supply the rule content yourself.

When can it extract rule content?

When you are extending an existing outline and paste your own class notes, casebook excerpts, or case briefs, it can extract rules and cases from that text and place them into the outline format.

What happens if my materials are incomplete?

It will not invent missing content. Instead, it marks gaps such as [GAP — fill from class notes] and points out which topics or exceptions need to be filled from your notes or casebook.