Specification Writing Agent Skill

Specification Writing: Section-by-Section Patent Description

Write the patent specification based on: $ARGUMENTS

Adapted from /paper-write for patent specifications. The specification supports the claims -- it is not a paper.

Constants

• REVIEWER_MODEL = gpt-5.6-sol — External reviewer for specification quality
• JURISDICTION = "auto" — Inherit from pipeline or detect from args; CN, US, EP, ALL
• OUTPUT_FORMAT = "markdown" — Markdown drafts; converted to filing format by /jurisdiction-format
• OUTPUT_DIR = "patent/" — Base output directory
• LANGUAGE = "auto" — Auto from jurisdiction: CN->Chinese, US/EP->English

Inputs

• patent/CLAIMS.md — the drafted claims (primary source)
• patent/INVENTION_DISCLOSURE.md — invention decomposition
• patent/PRIOR_ART_REPORT.md — for background section
• User-provided figures (if any)

Shared References

Load ../shared-references/patent-writing-principles.md for specification writing rules, language guidelines, and reference numeral conventions.

Load ../shared-references/patent-format-cn.md or patent-format-us.md or patent-format-ep.md based on jurisdiction.

Workflow

Step 1: Initialize Specification Structure

Create the output directory and section files:

patent/specification/
├── title.md
├── technical_field.md
├── background.md
├── summary.md
├── drawings_description.md
├── detailed_description.md
└── abstract.md

Step 2: Write Title (发明名称)

• Must match the broadest claim scope
• No trademarks, no "improved" or "new" or "novel"
• CN format: "一种[领域]的[技术主题]" or "[领域]的[技术主题]装置"
• US/EP format: "[Technical topic] for [purpose]" or "[Technical topic] and method thereof"
• Keep concise (CN: typically under 25 characters; US: under 500 characters)

Step 3: Write Technical Field (技术领域)

1-2 paragraphs identifying the technical domain:

• "The present invention relates to [broad field], and more particularly to [specific area]."
• CN: "本发明涉及[技术领域]，具体涉及[具体领域]。"

Step 4: Write Background (背景技术)

This is NOT a literature review. It directly sets up the problem.

Structure:

• Describe the closest prior art approaches (2-3 paragraphs)
• Identify specific technical deficiencies of each approach
• The deficiencies must be technical, not commercial or social
• DO NOT admit the prior art is "superior" or "better"
• DO NOT cite specific patent numbers unless they are known prior art (citations go in IDS for US, or Background section for CN)

CN format: "背景技术" section describing existing technology and its shortcomings.

Step 5: Write Summary (发明内容)

Three parts, directly mirroring INVENTION_DISCLOSURE.md:

Technical Problem (要解决的技术问题):

• State the problem derived from background deficiencies
• CN: "本发明要解决的技术问题是..."

Technical Solution (技术方案):

• Describe how the invention solves the problem
• Must provide support for ALL claim elements
• Start from the broadest claim and describe the core inventive concept
• CN: "为解决上述技术问题，本发明采用的技术方案是：..."
• NO formulas, NO mathematical derivations, NO circuit models — these belong in 具体实施方式, not 发明内容

Advantages (有益效果):

• Benefits derived from the structural/technical features (qualitative reasoning)
• CN: "本发明的有益效果是：..."
• NO specific numerical results (e.g., "detection limit 70μm", "response time 105ms") — these are experimental findings, not invention properties
• Frame advantages structurally: "由于采用了...结构，因此具有...效果"

Step 6: Write Brief Description of Drawings (附图说明)

Invoke /figure-description as a sub-skill if user has provided figures:

/figure-description "patent/figures/"

If no user figures, describe what figures should exist based on the claims.

Format:

• CN: "图1是...的示意图；图2是...的流程图；"
• US: "FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing...; FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating..."

Step 7: Write Detailed Description (具体实施方式)

Invoke /embodiment-description as a sub-skill:

/embodiment-description "patent/CLAIMS.md"

This section must:

• Describe at least one complete embodiment with reference numerals
• Enable a POSITA to make and use the invention
• Support every claim element with explicit description
• Include variations and alternatives for broader claim interpretation

Step 8: Write Abstract (摘要)

Jurisdiction-specific word limits:

| Jurisdiction | Word Limit | Notes |

|-------------|-----------|-------|

| CN | 300 words (Chinese characters) | Include most representative claim reference |

| US | 150 words (2500 characters) | Enable efficient searching, no legal phrases |

| EP | ~150 words | No statements on merits or value |

The abstract summarizes:

• The technical field
• The problem being solved
• The technical solution (core features)
• Key advantages

Step 9: Claim Support Verification

Verify every claim element finds support in the specification:

| Claim | Element | Specification Section | Paragraph(s) | Reference Numeral |

|-------|---------|----------------------|-------------|-------------------|

| 1 | step a | detailed_description | ¶3 | 202 |

| 1 | step b | detailed_description | ¶4 | 204 |

| X | component A | detailed_description | ¶2 | 102 |

If any element lacks support, add the necessary description before proceeding.

Step 10: Fresh-Agent Review (same-family provisional by default)

Call REVIEWER_MODEL via a dedicated Codex reviewer agent at xhigh reasoning:

spawn_agent:
  model: gpt-5.6-sol
  reasoning_effort: xhigh
  message: |
    You are a patent examiner reviewing a specification for completeness.
    CLAIMS: [all claims]
    SPECIFICATION: [all specification sections]

    Check for:
    1. Written description support: Does every claim element have explicit or inherent support?
    2. Enablement: Can a POSITA practice the invention from this specification?
    3. Consistency: Do reference numerals match across figures and specification?
    4. Language quality: Any subjective terms, relative terms without definition, or result-to-be-achieved language?
    5. Missing embodiments: Are there claim features that need additional embodiments?
    6. Background deficiencies: Are they technical and specific enough?

Step 11: Output

All specification sections are in patent/specification/.

Summary file: patent/specification/SPECIFICATION_INDEX.md with:

## Patent Specification

### Sections
| Section | File | Word Count | Status |
|---------|------|-----------|--------|
| Title | title.md | | Complete |
| Technical Field | technical_field.md | | Complete |
| Background | background.md | | Complete |
| Summary | summary.md | | Complete |
| Drawings Description | drawings_description.md | | Complete |
| Detailed Description | detailed_description.md | | Complete |
| Abstract | abstract.md | | Complete |

### Claim Support Status
| Claim | Elements Supported | Elements Missing |
|-------|-------------------|-----------------|
| 1 | All | None |
| X | All | None |

Key Rules

• The specification supports the claims, not the other way around. Every claim element must have support.
• Use consistent terminology -- same word for the same concept throughout.
• DO NOT include experimental results, accuracy metrics, or empirical evaluations.
• DO NOT use subjective language ("excellent", "surprising", "superior").
• Reference numerals must be consistent: same component, same numeral, everywhere.
• Background section describes specific deficiencies, not general "need for improvement."
• Multiple embodiments strengthen the specification but are not always required.
• Large file handling: if a Write operation fails, retry with Bash cat <<'EOF' heredoc.
• If reviewer delegation is unavailable in the current Codex host, stop and ask the user to enable Codex agent support before continuing.