paperlint 2.0.1 → 2.1.0

package/docs/rules.md

@@ -14,6 +14,13 @@ reads and when it fails. Errors fail `paperlint lint`; warnings print and do not
 | `tex/acm-frontmatter-override` | error | `paper.tex`                                   | an `acmart` build overrides ACM's front-matter commands and drops template elements from page 1                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
 | `review/findings-cause`        | error | `reviews/*.md`                                | a review lists at least `minFindings` (default 3) findings and no cell introduces a cause with the marker (default `Cause:`)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
 | `doc/fields`                   | warn  | `reviews/*.md`                                | a front-matter field is missing or holds a value outside the list you configured. Off entirely unless you configure `docFields`                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
+| `pdf/fresh`                    | error | `paper.tex` → `_build/paper.facts.json`       | the paper names a venue and the facts cannot be judged: not JSON, a schema other than 2, or they describe a PDF that is gone or differs from the one on disk (its SHA-256)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
+| `pdf/profile`                  | error | `paper.tex` → `paperlint.json`                | `paperlint.json` is not JSON or has an unknown key, only a pre-2.1.0 `venue.json` is there (`npx paperlint init` moves it), its `extends` does not resolve (not found, a cycle, a chain longer than four, a preset that fails the schema, an npm name), it names no `kind` while the preset has kinds, or names a kind the preset does not have                                                                                                                 |
+| `pdf/fonts`                    | error | `paper.tex` → `_build/paper.facts.json`       | a font the pages draw is Type 3 or not embedded, or no font starts with the family the venue preset names for body text (`fonts_text`) or headings (`fonts_title`)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
+| `pdf/geometry`                 | error | `paper.tex` → `_build/paper.facts.json`       | the page width or height is more than `dimTol` (default 0.05 in) off the preset's, or the column count differs                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
+| `pdf/limits`                   | error | `paper.tex` → `_build/paper.facts.json`       | body or reference pages exceed the limit of the paper's kind, or the reference font size is outside the preset's range widened by `body_pt_tol`                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
+| `pdf/body-size`                | warn  | `paper.tex` → `_build/paper.facts.json`       | the body font size is more than `body_pt_tol` off the preset's. A warning: banal measures the mode of the rendered text, not the declared size (9.30 pt measured at a declared 9)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
+| `pdf/measured`                 | warn  | `paper.tex` → `_build/paper.facts.json`       | the paper's `paperlint.json` names no venue preset yet; or it names one and there are no facts (it was not built), or the facts carry no page geometry (banal was not found) — so the checks above did not run                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
 
 Optional rules — off unless you turn them on in the `rules` setting, because only some venues need
 them — are on their own page: [`optional-rules.md`](optional-rules.md). Today there is one,
@@ -23,10 +30,132 @@ Besides these rules, `paperlint lint` reports a paper directory that is missing
 default `PIPELINE-STATUS.md`) as an error. Which files are required is configurable — see
 [`configuration.md`](configuration.md#required-files).
 
+## Checks against the venue
+
+A paper says where it is submitted in a `paperlint.json` beside `paper.tex`
+([`configuration.md`](configuration.md#three-levels-of-settings)):
+
+```json
+{ "extends": "paperlint:aisec", "kind": "research" }
+```
+
+`extends` names a **venue preset** — the way an ESLint config extends a shareable config. `kind`
+names the kind of paper, whose page limit applies. A preset holds the numbers from the venue's call
+for papers, each with the quote it came from, the TeX packages its template needs, and the rules
+the venue implies. A preset may itself extend another: the ACM venues extend the `acm-sigconf`
+family, which holds everything the ACM template decides.
+
+| preset                  | extends                 | template             | kinds                                                    | page limit checked | rules it turns on       |
+| ----------------------- | ----------------------- | -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------- |
+| `paperlint:acm-sigconf` | —                       | ACM `acmart` sigconf | none                                                     | no (no kinds)      | —                       |
+| `paperlint:agenticdev`  | `paperlint:acm-sigconf` | ACM `acmart` sigconf | `short` (5 + 2 refs), `full` (10 + 2), `demo` (5 + 2)    | yes                | `pdf/last-page-balance` |
+| `paperlint:aisec`       | `paperlint:acm-sigconf` | ACM `acmart` sigconf | `research`, `benchmark`, `position`, `sok` (10 + 2 each) | yes                | —                       |
+| `paperlint:realm`       | —                       | ACL                  | `long`, `short`                                          | no — see below     | —                       |
+
+That is all that ships today. There is no IEEE, NeurIPS, USENIX or Springer preset. A paper for an
+ACM venue nobody has profiled can extend `paperlint:acm-sigconf` directly: page size, columns and
+fonts are checked, and `pdf/profile` says the page limit is not. For anything else, write your own
+preset ([below](#writing-your-own-venue-preset)). REALM's preset sets no page limit on purpose:
+banal counts the Limitations and Ethics sections as body, ACL does not, and a limit on banal's
+number would fail a correct paper. AgenticDev's turns on `pdf/last-page-balance` because its
+proceedings are produced by Conference Publishing Consulting, which sends back an unbalanced last
+page; AISec's does not, because nothing in hand says who produces the AISec proceedings.
+
+**Build, then lint.** The rules judge what `paperlint build` measured and wrote to
+`_build/paper.facts.json` — page count, fonts, and, through banal, page size, columns, font sizes
+and the split into body and reference pages. They report on the paper's `paper.tex`, at the
+`\documentclass` line. What they say when there is nothing to judge, one rule per reason:
+
+| the paper                                                                                        | what you get                                                                                                                 |
+| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| has a `paperlint.json` that extends no preset (`"extends": null` is what `paperlint new` writes) | `pdf/measured` warning naming the file to set — no venue chosen yet                                                          |
+| has no `paperlint.json` at all (a paper made before 2.1.0)                                       | nothing                                                                                                                      |
+| extends a preset that does not resolve (a typo, a missing file)                                  | `pdf/profile` error, listing the shipped presets                                                                             |
+| has not been built (no facts file)                                                               | `pdf/measured` warning — it does not fail the run, because lint often runs where nothing is built (the CI action only lints) |
+| was built without banal                                                                          | `pdf/measured` warning; fonts are still checked, the rest is not                                                             |
+| has facts about another PDF than the one on disk                                                 | `pdf/fresh` error, and nothing else is judged                                                                                |
+| names no `kind`, or a kind the preset lacks                                                      | `pdf/profile` error; everything but the page limit is still checked                                                          |
+
+The venue comes from `paperlint.json`, not from the facts, so changing it needs no rebuild: the
+measurements do not depend on it. Messages name the venue by the preset's `name`, else by the file
+name of what the paper extends (`paperlint:agenticdev` → `agenticdev`).
+
+To skip a check for one paper — a finding you accept — set it to `"off"` in the paper's own
+`paperlint.json`:
+
+```json
+{
+  "extends": "paperlint:aisec",
+  "kind": "research",
+  "rules": { "pdf/body-size": "off" }
+}
+```
+
+### Writing your own venue preset
+
+A preset is a JSONC file (JSON with comments — keep the call-for-papers quote beside each number)
+of the same shape as the shipped ones, validated by
+[`venue-profile.schema.json`](../skills/submit-paper/references/venues/venue-profile.schema.json).
+Put it in your repository and extend it by a path relative to the file that names it:
+
+```
+package.json
+venues/
+  usenix-sec.jsonc
+papers/
+  usenix-2027/
+    paper.tex
+    paperlint.json        { "extends": "../../venues/usenix-sec.jsonc", "kind": "full" }
+```
+
+```jsonc
+// venues/usenix-sec.jsonc
+{
+  "name": "USENIX Security",
+  // a standalone preset needs its template's TeX packages; one that extends a family inherits them
+  "template": "article",
+  // TeX Live packages only, each with a file that proves it is installed. The USENIX style file
+  // itself is not in TeX Live: keep it beside paper.tex.
+  "tex": { "packages": { "psnfss": ["times.sty"] } },
+  "format": {
+    "page_size": "letter",
+    "page_w_in": 8.5,
+    "page_h_in": 11,
+    "columns": 2,
+    "body_pt": 10,
+    "body_pt_tol": 0.5,
+    // the page limit of each kind of paper, as the call for papers states it
+    "kinds": { "full": { "body_pages_max": 13 } },
+  },
+  // only if the proceedings' producer asks for a balanced last page
+  "rules": { "pdf/last-page-balance": "error" },
+}
+```
+
+The numbers and packages above illustrate the shape; take yours from the venue's own call for papers and template.
+
+| key        | what it is                                                                                          |
+| ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `extends`  | the preset this one builds on: `paperlint:<name>` or `./path` / `../path`, relative to this file    |
+| `name`     | how messages name the venue; the file name otherwise                                                |
+| `template` | the `\documentclass` the venue's template uses                                                      |
+| `format`   | page size, columns, fonts, font sizes, and `kinds` (page limits per kind of paper)                  |
+| `tex`      | TeX Live packages, each with the files that prove it is installed. Required unless `extends` is set |
+| `rules`    | rules the venue implies, rule id → severity or `[severity, options]`                                |
+
+How a chain merges, from the root preset to the paper: `tex` is the union — a child never removes a
+package; `format` keys are replaced one by one, and a child's kind replaces that kind whole;
+`rules` are replaced rule by rule, and the paper's own `rules` come last. A chain is at most four
+presets long, and a cycle is refused by name. `paperlint toolchain` installs the packages of every
+shipped preset and of every preset your papers extend.
+
+Presets from npm packages are not supported yet.
+
 ## The paper is LaTeX
 
-The paper body is `paper.tex`, and it gets four rules: `paper/research-question`,
-`paper/typography`, `tex/future-promise` and `tex/acm-frontmatter-override`. The scorecard and
+The paper body is `paper.tex`, and it gets four rules of its own: `paper/research-question`,
+`paper/typography`, `tex/future-promise` and `tex/acm-frontmatter-override` — plus the `pdf/`
+venue rules above, which run on it but judge the files beside it. The scorecard and
 the review notes are Markdown files, and the other five rules read those.
 
 A Markdown body (`paper.md`, or `draft.md`) is still read today and gets only the two `paper/`

package/eslint-rules/papers.mjs

@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ import {
   CONFIG_KEY,
   DEFAULT_PAPERS_ROOT,
   PAPERS_DIR_FIELD,
+  PAPER_SETTINGS_FILE,
   declaredSettings,
   renamedFieldMessage,
   settingsOf,
@@ -154,8 +155,11 @@ export function paperFiles(root) {
     tex: [`${root}/*/paper.tex`],
     /** The per-paper stage ledger. */
     status: [`${root}/*/PIPELINE-STATUS.md`],
-    /** The venue data card. */
-    venue: [`${root}/*/venue.json`],
+    /**
+     * The per-paper settings file, `paperlint.json` (`venue.json` before 2.1.0). The key keeps its
+     * old name so a consumer's config that lints these files keeps matching them.
+     */
+    venue: [`${root}/*/${PAPER_SETTINGS_FILE}`],
     /** Facts extracted from the built PDF. */
     pdfFacts: [`${root}/*/_build/paper.facts.json`],
     /** Facts extracted from the bibliography. */

package/eslint-rules/pdf-last-page-balance.mjs

@@ -29,12 +29,14 @@
  *
  * Silent, by design, where there is nothing to judge: a stub last page (a few lines) and a review
  * build (numbered lines in the margins make both columns measure full height). Loud where the input
- * is missing: no facts file, a foreign schema, facts about a PDF that is not on disk or changed
+ * is missing: no facts file (unless the paper extends a venue preset — then `pdf/measured` says it),
+ * a foreign schema, facts about a PDF that is not on disk or changed
  * since — a rule that is on and reads nothing must not look like a rule that passed.
  */
 import { createHash } from "node:crypto";
 import { existsSync, readFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { basename, dirname, isAbsolute, join } from "node:path";
+import { PAPER_SETTINGS_FILE } from "../lib/paper-config.mjs";
 
 /** The difference, in points, that two columns may end apart. See the harness for why 120. */
 export const DEFAULT_TOLERANCE_PT = 120;
@@ -133,11 +135,30 @@ function reportLine(file) {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Whether the paper extends a venue preset. Then the venue rules run on it too, and `pdf/measured`
+ * already says — once, as a warning — that a paper with no facts was not checked; this rule
+ * repeating it as an error would fail a lint-only CI for every paper of a venue whose preset turns
+ * this rule on.
+ */
+function extendsPreset(paperDir) {
+  try {
+    const s = JSON.parse(
+      readFileSync(join(paperDir, PAPER_SETTINGS_FILE), "utf8"),
+    );
+    return typeof s?.extends === "string" && s.extends !== "";
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
 /** Everything the rule decides for one paper, as a finding or null. */
 function verdict(paperDir, tolerancePt) {
   const factsFile = join(paperDir, FACTS_REL);
   if (!existsSync(factsFile))
-    return { messageId: "noFacts", data: { file: FACTS_REL } };
+    return extendsPreset(paperDir)
+      ? null
+      : { messageId: "noFacts", data: { file: FACTS_REL } };
   const facts = parseFacts(readFileSync(factsFile, "utf8"));
   if (!facts.ok) return { messageId: facts.messageId, data: facts.data };
   return staleness(paperDir, facts) ?? judgeColumns(facts.last, tolerancePt);

package/fixtures/build-e2e/acmart/paperlint.json

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{ "extends": "paperlint:agenticdev", "kind": "short" }

package/lib/paper-config.d.mts

@@ -32,3 +32,10 @@ export declare function renamedFieldMessage(
 
 /** Every key the settings object may hold, mapped to who reads it. */
 export declare const SETTINGS_KEYS: Readonly<Record<string, string>>;
+
+/** The per-paper settings file, `paperlint.json`, and its name before 2.1.0. */
+export declare const PAPER_SETTINGS_FILE: string;
+export declare const LEGACY_PAPER_SETTINGS_FILE: string;
+/** Every key `paperlint.json` may hold, mapped to who reads it. */
+export declare const PAPER_SETTINGS_KEYS: Readonly<Record<string, string>>;
+export declare const LEGACY_PAPER_SETTINGS_MESSAGE: string;

package/lib/paper-config.mjs

@@ -30,6 +30,37 @@ export const CONFIG_KEY = "paperlint";
  */
 export const LEGACY_CONFIG_KEY = "research-paper-pipeline";
 
+/**
+ * THE THREE LEVELS OF SETTINGS, each named after the tool:
+ *
+ *   package.json → "paperlint"     the project: where the papers are, what every paper gets
+ *   <paper>/paperlint.json         one paper: the venue preset it extends, its kind, its own rules
+ *   a venue preset                 one venue: its format, TeX packages and rules — shipped with
+ *                                  paperlint (`paperlint:<name>`) or the project's own (`./x.jsonc`)
+ *
+ * The per-paper file was `venue.json` before 2.1.0. It is NOT read any more — a fallback would keep
+ * it working forever — and `paperlint init` moves it.
+ */
+export const PAPER_SETTINGS_FILE = "paperlint.json";
+export const LEGACY_PAPER_SETTINGS_FILE = "venue.json";
+
+/**
+ * Every key `paperlint.json` may hold. Any other key is REFUSED with its name: a typo would
+ * otherwise read as "not set". `$comment` is JSON Schema's own keyword for a comment, the one way
+ * to leave a note in a JSON file; paperlint ignores its value.
+ */
+export const PAPER_SETTINGS_KEYS = Object.freeze({
+  extends:
+    "the venue preset: paperlint:<name> or ./path.jsonc — the pdf/ venue rules, paperlint build",
+  kind: "the kind of paper, whose page limit applies — pdf/limits",
+  pdf: "where the built PDF is, relative to the paper, when it is not paper.pdf — the facts",
+  rules: "rule overrides for this paper alone — paperlint lint",
+  $comment: "a note for humans; ignored",
+});
+
+/** What a leftover pre-2.1.0 file is told. */
+export const LEGACY_PAPER_SETTINGS_MESSAGE = `${LEGACY_PAPER_SETTINGS_FILE} is no longer read: it was renamed ${PAPER_SETTINGS_FILE} in paperlint 2.1.0. \`npx paperlint init\` moves it.`;
+
 /**
  * Where a parsed `package.json` keeps this package's settings — the new key, else the old one.
  *

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "paperlint",
-  "version": "2.0.1",
+  "version": "2.1.0",
   "description": "A linter for scientific papers written in LaTeX: catches mistakes before you submit to a conference or journal.",
   "type": "module",
   "license": "MIT",

package/skills/find-venue/SKILL.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ description: "Discover and rank real venues for a given paper, scored by authors
 allowed-tools: [Read, Write, Grep, Glob, WebSearch, WebFetch, Agent, Bash(node .claude/skills/paper-pipeline/scripts/announce.mjs:*), Bash(node .claude/skills/paper-pipeline/scripts/ledger.mjs:*)]
 ---
 
-<!-- vigiles:sha256:d1efcdc10319e6a3 compiled from skills/find-venue/SKILL.md.spec.ts -->
+<!-- vigiles:sha256:5efdcc0e1b178c1a compiled from skills/find-venue/SKILL.md.spec.ts -->
 
 # find-venue — rank real venues by what earns the credit, then keep or switch
 
@@ -113,6 +113,10 @@ dropped and why, and a verdict with no table behind it cannot be re-checked when
 ## Compose with
 - `research-ideate` (upstream) — consumes its candidate venue *types* and sharpest framing.
 - `plan-paper-timeline` — feed it the chosen deadline to back-plan the work.
+- once a venue is chosen, the paper declares it in `<paper>/paperlint.json`:
+  `{ "extends": "paperlint:<venue>", "kind": "<kind>" }` — a shipped preset, else a family
+  (`paperlint:acm-sigconf`) or the project's own `./venues/<name>.jsonc`; the `pdf/*` rules then
+  check the built PDF against its page limit and format.
 - `submit-paper` venue data cards (`submit-paper/references/venues/<venue>.md`, e.g. `agenticdev.md`,
   `aisec.md`) — the winner gets a venue-specific data card with its HotCRP quirks; save a new one per
   venue as plain data, not a new skill.

package/skills/find-venue/SKILL.md.spec.ts

@@ -129,6 +129,10 @@ dropped and why, and a verdict with no table behind it cannot be re-checked when
 ## Compose with
 - \`research-ideate\` (upstream) — consumes its candidate venue *types* and sharpest framing.
 - \`plan-paper-timeline\` — feed it the chosen deadline to back-plan the work.
+- once a venue is chosen, the paper declares it in \`<paper>/paperlint.json\`:
+  \`{ "extends": "paperlint:<venue>", "kind": "<kind>" }\` — a shipped preset, else a family
+  (\`paperlint:acm-sigconf\`) or the project's own \`./venues/<name>.jsonc\`; the \`pdf/*\` rules then
+  check the built PDF against its page limit and format.
 - \`submit-paper\` venue data cards (\`submit-paper/references/venues/<venue>.md\`, e.g. \`agenticdev.md\`,
   \`aisec.md\`) — the winner gets a venue-specific data card with its HotCRP quirks; save a new one per
   venue as plain data, not a new skill.

package/skills/paper-pipeline/PIPELINE-MAP.md

@@ -199,6 +199,14 @@ format.
 
 ## 3. Venue constants belong in a card, not in code
 
+> **Done (#79, 2.1.0), in a different shape than planned below.** The constants live in **venue
+> presets**, JSONC files in `submit-paper/references/venues/`: `acm-sigconf.jsonc` is the ACM
+> family (the `format` block — page size, columns, fonts, font sizes — plus the `tex` packages),
+> `agenticdev.jsonc` and `aisec.jsonc` extend it and add their `kinds` (page limits) and `rules`,
+> `realm.jsonc` stands alone. A paper picks one in `<paper>/paperlint.json`
+> (`{ "extends": "paperlint:<venue>", "kind": "…" }`); the `pdf/*` lint rules judge the built PDF
+> against it. The `.md` cards stay as prose. What follows is the plan as it was written.
+
 Right now `LinLibertine`, `LinBiolinum`, `acmart` are hardcoded into `check-render.sh`. This is
 **venue data**, and it belongs in
 `.claude/skills/submit-paper/references/venues/<venue>.md`:
@@ -292,7 +300,7 @@ imports, paths inside regexes).
 ## 2. One build entry point for all papers, not one per paper
 
 > **Done (#59, 2026-09-24).** `paperlint build <paper>` is the entry point, and `paperlint toolchain` installs
-> TeX Live with the packages the venue profiles declare; `ensure-toolchain.sh` and
+> TeX Live with the packages the venue presets declare; `ensure-toolchain.sh` and
 > `ci-install-texlive.sh` are deleted. What follows is the plan as it was written.
 
 **The hole:** `compile-rules` has `repro/build-submission.sh`, which calls `ensure-toolchain.sh`.
@@ -324,9 +332,11 @@ point. Nothing to check.
 | page limit           | **4**           | `venues/realm.md` 8 · `build-submission.sh` 8 · `PIPELINE-STATUS` "8/8" · the build prints **9**                                      |
 | the TeX package list | **5**           | `ensure-toolchain.sh` (executable) · `SKILL.md` · `render-paper.harness.mjs` (pins it ✅) · `build-submission.sh` · `PIPELINE-STATUS` |
 
-The canonical source is the venue card (`venues/<venue>.md`, the `<!-- venue-profile -->` block) for
-format, and — since 2026-09-24 — the `tex` block of `venues/<venue>.jsonc` (plus `tex-base.jsonc`)
-for packages; `ensure-toolchain.sh` held them until then. Everything else is a pointer.
+The canonical source is the venue preset (`venues/<name>.jsonc`, resolved through its `extends`
+chain): its `format` block for the numbers (page size, columns, fonts, font sizes, and `kinds` for
+page limits), its `tex` block (plus `tex-base.jsonc`) for packages — since 2026-09-24;
+`ensure-toolchain.sh` held them until then — and its `rules` block for the checks the venue
+implies. The `.md` card is prose about the venue. Everything else is a pointer.
 
 ## 3-ter. Drop the font gate from `check-render.sh` once the rules run in CI
 

package/skills/paper-pipeline/SKILL.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ description: The orchestrator for writing a research paper end-to-end, from idea
 allowed-tools: [Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, Bash, WebSearch, WebFetch, Agent, Skill]
 ---
 
-<!-- vigiles:sha256:6ec7cc1d25db0a0f compiled from skills/paper-pipeline/SKILL.md.spec.ts -->
+<!-- vigiles:sha256:291d2266e29874be compiled from skills/paper-pipeline/SKILL.md.spec.ts -->
 
 # paper-pipeline — the conductor for the whole organism
 
@@ -28,8 +28,9 @@ of that — who is filing what, and when — stays in the author's own private n
 - `references/acl-venue-rules.md` — what holds at **every** ACL-family venue and workshop: the
   page-limit map, the appendix rule and the trap inside it, Limitations/Ethics as free-but-restricted
   space, anonymity, OpenReview mechanics. Fetch once, not per paper. Venue-specific facts stay in
-  `submit-paper/references/venues/<venue>.md`. (No equivalent yet for ACM or IEEE — write one when
-  the next paper goes there.)
+  `submit-paper/references/venues/<venue>.md`. (No prose equivalent yet for ACM or IEEE — write one
+  when the next paper goes there. ACM's machine-checked format already exists: the
+  `paperlint:acm-sigconf` preset, `submit-paper/references/venues/acm-sigconf.jsonc`.)
 
 ## The readiness scorecard (which boxes are checked)
 Stages run in subagents and report into chat, which evaporates — so "did everything run?" becomes

package/skills/paper-pipeline/SKILL.md.spec.ts

@@ -45,8 +45,9 @@ of that — who is filing what, and when — stays in the author's own private n
 - \`references/acl-venue-rules.md\` — what holds at **every** ACL-family venue and workshop: the
   page-limit map, the appendix rule and the trap inside it, Limitations/Ethics as free-but-restricted
   space, anonymity, OpenReview mechanics. Fetch once, not per paper. Venue-specific facts stay in
-  \`submit-paper/references/venues/<venue>.md\`. (No equivalent yet for ACM or IEEE — write one when
-  the next paper goes there.)
+  \`submit-paper/references/venues/<venue>.md\`. (No prose equivalent yet for ACM or IEEE — write one
+  when the next paper goes there. ACM's machine-checked format already exists: the
+  \`paperlint:acm-sigconf\` preset, \`submit-paper/references/venues/acm-sigconf.jsonc\`.)
 
 ## The readiness scorecard (which boxes are checked)
 Stages run in subagents and report into chat, which evaporates — so "did everything run?" becomes

package/skills/render-paper/extract-pdf-facts.harness.mjs

@@ -59,8 +59,8 @@ try {
   mkdirSync(paper, { recursive: true });
   cpSync(join(FIX, "t3-mixed.pdf"), join(paper, "paper.pdf"));
   writeFileSync(
-    join(paper, "venue.json"),
-    JSON.stringify({ venue: "agenticdev", kind: "short" }),
+    join(paper, "paperlint.json"),
+    JSON.stringify({ extends: "paperlint:agenticdev", kind: "short" }),
   );
   const factsFile = join(paper, "_build", "paper.facts.json");
 
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ try {
   );
   const facts = JSON.parse(readFileSync(factsFile, "utf8"));
   check(
-    "the facts are schema 2, about paper.pdf, for the venue venue.json declares",
+    "the facts are schema 2, about paper.pdf, for the venue paperlint.json declares",
     facts.schema === 2 &&
       facts.pdf === "paper.pdf" &&
       facts.venue === "agenticdev" &&
@@ -148,8 +148,8 @@ try {
   );
 
   writeFileSync(
-    join(paper, "venue.json"),
-    JSON.stringify({ venue: "x", pdf: "build/other.pdf" }),
+    join(paper, "paperlint.json"),
+    JSON.stringify({ pdf: "build/other.pdf" }),
   );
   const missing = shim([paper, "--strict"], { BANAL: fake });
   check(

package/skills/render-paper/extract-pdf-facts.mjs

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
  * it compiles a paper. This file is a composition root: it reads the environment and builds the real
  * adapters (`dist/adapters/node/`), and it owns the `--strict` policy. This
  * script exists for two callers the build does not serve: a PDF paperlint did not build (a paper that
- * declares its artifact elsewhere in `venue.json`), and CI steps that name this script by path.
+ * declares its artifact elsewhere in `paperlint.json`), and CI steps that name this script by path.
  * It reaches the package's compiled code through `../../dist/`, resolved from this file's real
  * location, so it works the same from a checkout, from `node_modules` and through a symlink.
  *
@@ -48,14 +48,14 @@ import {
 import { whyNoGeometry } from "../../dist/domain/geometry.js";
 import { exitCodeFor } from "../../dist/exit-code.js";
 
-/** The paper's `venue.json`, read from disk. */
+/** The venue the paper's `paperlint.json` declares, read from disk. */
 export const declaredVenue = (paperDir) => declaredIn(nodeFiles, paperDir);
 
 const ROOT = process.env.CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR || process.cwd();
 
 /**
  * Accept either a path to a PDF or a PAPER DIRECTORY — and in the second case find the artifact on
- * its own: the path the paper declares in the `pdf` field of `venue.json`, else `paper.pdf` beside
+ * its own: the path the paper declares in the `pdf` field of `paperlint.json`, else `paper.pdf` beside
  * it. A paper written in markdown and built by its own script into `build/acl_latex.pdf` would
  * otherwise be skipped silently. The facts ALWAYS go into `<paper directory>/_build/`, not next to
  * the PDF, where neither a rule's glob nor a human looks.
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ if (isMain(import.meta.url)) {
     finish(
       "no-artifact",
       strict,
-      `🛑 no artifact ${pdf} — the paper declared it in venue.json, but it is not built`,
+      `🛑 no artifact ${pdf} — the paper declared it in paperlint.json, but it is not built`,
     );
   // The composition root: banal as the measurer, wired from this process's environment.
   const settings = parseBanalSettings(process.env, hostDirs());

package/skills/study-accepted-papers/SKILL.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ context: fork
 allowed-tools: [Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, Bash, WebSearch, WebFetch, Agent]
 ---
 
-<!-- vigiles:sha256:eb77acd927708132 compiled from skills/study-accepted-papers/SKILL.md.spec.ts -->
+<!-- vigiles:sha256:177ca8805990361e compiled from skills/study-accepted-papers/SKILL.md.spec.ts -->
 
 # study-accepted-papers — learn the venue's bar from its own accepted corpus, then lever your draft up
 
@@ -196,6 +196,7 @@ label on it.
 - `verify-citations` — consumes the Step-4 citation gaps.
 - `extend-paper` — the natural home for every EXPENSIVE lever this skill surfaces.
 - `submit-paper` venue data card (`submit-paper/references/venues/<venue>.md`) — save durable venue-bar findings there as data, not as a new skill per venue.
+- the paper's `<paper>/paperlint.json` (`{ "extends": "paperlint:<venue>", "kind": "<kind>" }`) — which venue preset the `pdf/*` rules check the built PDF against; a venue with no shipped preset extends a family (`paperlint:acm-sigconf`) or the project's own `./venues/<name>.jsonc`. Findings about the venue's page limit or format belong in that preset, with their source quote.
 
 ## Provenance
 Built from the **AISec 2026 @ ACM CCS** polish run (2026-07): the "Safety Theater in Agentic Coding /

package/skills/study-accepted-papers/SKILL.md.spec.ts

@@ -212,6 +212,7 @@ label on it.
 - \`verify-citations\` — consumes the Step-4 citation gaps.
 - \`extend-paper\` — the natural home for every EXPENSIVE lever this skill surfaces.
 - \`submit-paper\` venue data card (\`submit-paper/references/venues/<venue>.md\`) — save durable venue-bar findings there as data, not as a new skill per venue.
+- the paper's \`<paper>/paperlint.json\` (\`{ "extends": "paperlint:<venue>", "kind": "<kind>" }\`) — which venue preset the \`pdf/*\` rules check the built PDF against; a venue with no shipped preset extends a family (\`paperlint:acm-sigconf\`) or the project's own \`./venues/<name>.jsonc\`. Findings about the venue's page limit or format belong in that preset, with their source quote.
 
 ## Provenance
 Built from the **AISec 2026 @ ACM CCS** polish run (2026-07): the "Safety Theater in Agentic Coding /

package/skills/submit-paper/SKILL.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ description: End-to-end playbook for submitting a peer-reviewed paper to a doubl
 allowed-tools: [Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, Bash, WebSearch, WebFetch, Skill]
 ---
 
-<!-- vigiles:sha256:6befc6c0f3e910bd compiled from skills/submit-paper/SKILL.md.spec.ts -->
+<!-- vigiles:sha256:4a42424fd18098e5 compiled from skills/submit-paper/SKILL.md.spec.ts -->
 
 # submit-paper — get a reviewed paper from "done" to "ready for review"
 
@@ -36,6 +36,14 @@ skill with `name:`/`description:`). This preserves the "save the exact venue ins
 keeping the skill namespace from proliferating one card per venue. The *mechanics* stay here; the venue
 file is only the facts.
 
+**The card is prose; the machine-checked format is a PRESET beside it.** A paper declares its venue
+in `<paper>/paperlint.json`: `{ "extends": "paperlint:<venue>", "kind": "<kind>" }`, and the
+`pdf/*` lint rules judge the built PDF against that preset (page limit per kind, fonts, page size,
+columns, font sizes). A venue with no shipped preset extends a family — `paperlint:acm-sigconf`
+for an ACM venue — or a preset of the project's own, `./venues/<name>.jsonc` (paperlint's
+`docs/rules.md`, "Writing your own venue preset"). Put the page limits you fetched from the CFP in
+the preset's `format.kinds`, each with its quote.
+
 ## Publisher specifics — one level ABOVE the venue
 Camera-ready mechanics belong to the **publisher**, not the venue: ACM eRights, the submit-vs-final
 preamble swap, the copyright block, CCS 2012 codes and the mandatory Source-files upload are identical

package/skills/submit-paper/SKILL.md.spec.ts

@@ -52,6 +52,14 @@ skill with \`name:\`/\`description:\`). This preserves the "save the exact venue
 keeping the skill namespace from proliferating one card per venue. The *mechanics* stay here; the venue
 file is only the facts.
 
+**The card is prose; the machine-checked format is a PRESET beside it.** A paper declares its venue
+in \`<paper>/paperlint.json\`: \`{ "extends": "paperlint:<venue>", "kind": "<kind>" }\`, and the
+\`pdf/*\` lint rules judge the built PDF against that preset (page limit per kind, fonts, page size,
+columns, font sizes). A venue with no shipped preset extends a family — \`paperlint:acm-sigconf\`
+for an ACM venue — or a preset of the project's own, \`./venues/<name>.jsonc\` (paperlint's
+\`docs/rules.md\`, "Writing your own venue preset"). Put the page limits you fetched from the CFP in
+the preset's \`format.kinds\`, each with its quote.
+
 ## Publisher specifics — one level ABOVE the venue
 Camera-ready mechanics belong to the **publisher**, not the venue: ACM eRights, the submit-vs-final
 preamble swap, the copyright block, CCS 2012 codes and the mandatory Source-files upload are identical

package/skills/submit-paper/references/venues/acm-sigconf.jsonc

@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+// ACM `acmart` sigconf — the TEMPLATE FAMILY: everything the ACM template decides, whatever the
+// venue. A venue preset extends it ("extends": "paperlint:acm-sigconf") and adds what its call for
+// papers sets: the page limit of each kind of paper, and the rules its producer implies.
+//
+// The numbers were measured on acmart sigconf builds (banal + pdf.js, 2026-08-26) and quoted from
+// the Conference Publishing author instructions for ACM (2026-08-25), which state ACM's own
+// requirements. A paper may extend this family directly for an ACM venue nobody has profiled:
+// page size, columns and fonts are checked; with no kinds, the page limit is not.
+{
+  "template": "acmart",
+
+  // TeX Live packages the acmart template needs ON TOP OF tex-base.jsonc, each with the files that
+  // prove it is present (checked with kpsewhich after every install). Read by `paperlint toolchain` and
+  // `paperlint build`; the shape is venue-profile.schema.json.
+  //   libertine · inconsolata (zi4) · newtx — acmart.cls checks ALL THREE and, if ANY is missing,
+  //     silently falls back to Computer Modern: the PDF compiles, looks normal, is set in the wrong
+  //     font, and the other metric gives another pagination. A submitted paper went out that way.
+  //   kastrup (binhex.tex) — pulled in by newtx. Missing it is a HARD stop, so adding the fonts
+  //     without it breaks a build that worked.
+  //   fancyhdr — required by acmart itself; present on most images by accident, absent on a
+  //     minimal one ("File `fancyhdr.sty' not found", measured on TinyTeX, issue #37).
+  //   the rest — pulled in by acmart ITSELF, not by the paper, so reading \usepackage never finds
+  //     them. Found 2026-09-01 by the loop build → missing file → tlmgr search --file → install.
+  "tex": {
+    "packages": {
+      "acmart": ["acmart.cls"],
+      "amscls": ["amsart.cls"],
+      "libertine": ["libertine.sty"],
+      "inconsolata": ["zi4.sty"],
+      "newtx": ["newtxmath.sty"],
+      "kastrup": ["binhex.tex"],
+      "fancyhdr": ["fancyhdr.sty"],
+      "totpages": ["totpages.sty"],
+      "environ": ["environ.sty"],
+      "preprint": ["balance.sty"],
+      // acmart's `pbalance` option (the vendor's first fix for an unbalanced last page, which the
+      // optional rule `pdf/last-page-balance` recommends) loads pbalance, which needs filehook and
+      // zref. Measured 2026-09-25 on an acmart sigconf camera-ready: without them the option stops
+      // the build; with them the last page went from 639.6 / 224.1 to 424.4 / 439.2 pt, same page count.
+      "pbalance": ["pbalance.sty"],
+      "filehook": ["filehook.sty"],
+      "zref": ["zref-abspage.sty"],
+      "xstring": ["xstring.sty"],
+      "everyshi": ["everyshi.sty"],
+      "hyperxmp": ["hyperxmp.sty"],
+      "ncctools": ["manyfoot.sty"],
+      "cmap": ["cmap.sty"],
+      "float": ["float.sty"],
+      "comment": ["comment.sty"],
+      "upquote": ["upquote.sty"],
+      "doclicense": ["doclicense.sty"],
+      "textcase": ["textcase.sty"],
+    },
+  },
+
+  "format": {
+    // 8.5 x 11 in
+    "page_size": "letter",
+    "page_w_in": 8.5,
+    "page_h_in": 11.0,
+
+    // «text width must not exceed 18 cm»
+    "textblock_w_in": 7.087,
+    // «text height must not exceed 23.5 cm»
+    "textblock_h_in": 9.252,
+    // Last-page balance is NOT a format field: it is the optional rule pdf/last-page-balance, which
+    // a VENUE preset turns on in its `rules` when its producer asks (see agenticdev.jsonc).
+
+    "columns": 2,
+
+    // «font size is 9 pt for all body text»
+    "body_pt": 9,
+    // banal measures the MODE of the rendered text, not the declared size (measured 08-26: 9.30 at
+    // acmart's declared 9). Hence the tolerance — and hence why body size stays a nudge, not a gate.
+    "body_pt_tol": 0.5,
+
+    // «font size of the references can be from 7 pt to 9 pt»
+    "ref_pt_min": 7,
+    "ref_pt_max": 9,
+
+    // «text must be in serif font (Libertine)»
+    "fonts_text": "LinLibertine",
+    // «The title must be in sans-serif font (Biolinum)»
+    "fonts_title": "LinBiolinum",
+  },
+}