---
name: sc-documents
description: Create Small Council Word documents with the supplied Pandoc reference and PDF documents directly from Markdown with XeLaTeX.
---

# Small Council documents

This skill works independently. Use Pandoc 3.x for editable DOCX; direct PDF also needs XeLaTeX and its LaTeX packages. Install the bundled DejaVu Sans regular and bold desktop fonts. Code uses separately available DejaVu Sans Mono. Web CSS does not install desktop fonts.

## Brand and document decisions

Small Council is a workspace for conversations with AI advisors, council meetings, spaces, and shared memory. Write the name as **Small Council**. The primary line is **Many minds. Clearer thinking.** The promise is **Give every perspective a seat.** Use calm, specific language and make the reader's decision clear.

Identify AI advisors as AI. Separate facts, assumptions, recommendations, and dissent. A summary is not proof of consensus, and agreement is not proof of correctness. Label invented examples as fictional. Do not promise perfect recall, confidentiality, source verification, pricing, or product behavior without evidence.

The document reference uses A4 with 1-inch margins, DejaVu Sans 28pt title, 12pt subtitle, 16/13/11pt headings, 11pt body, and 9pt captions. Cobalt #3155D9 carries headings/links; ink #172229 carries body text; slate #52616B carries secondary text. The reference includes official symbol artwork, a title field in the later-page header, and page numbers. No unconditional Confidential label is added.

Organize around purpose, evidence, tradeoffs, and the next decision as useful. Keep tables narrow, figures captioned, and long technical detail out of the main argument. Use #, ##, and ### headings. The Word reference includes Callout paragraph and Label character styles; Word custom formatting does not automatically transfer into a XeLaTeX PDF.

## Resources

Use local `templates/`, `examples/`, and `brand/` from a checkout/toolkit root, or download the needed files. These absolute production links make the skill usable on its own; preview copies substitute the configured preview address.

- [Word reference](https://brand.small-council.com/downloads/templates/documents/sc-document-reference.docx)
- [PDF header](https://brand.small-council.com/downloads/templates/documents/sc-document.tex)
- [Example Markdown](https://brand.small-council.com/downloads/examples/report.md)
- [Example PNG](https://brand.small-council.com/downloads/examples/sc-workflow.png) and [SVG source](https://brand.small-council.com/downloads/examples/sc-workflow.svg)
- [DejaVu Sans regular](https://brand.small-council.com/brand/assets/fonts/DejaVuSans.ttf), [bold](https://brand.small-council.com/brand/assets/fonts/DejaVuSans-Bold.ttf), and [license](https://brand.small-council.com/brand/assets/fonts/LICENSE.txt)

Save the example PNG beside report.md. Use captioned PNG/JPEG artwork across Office and PDF. Pandoc does not render interactive charts or Mermaid automatically.

## Write Markdown

```markdown
---
title: Give every perspective a seat
subtitle: A council brief for a considered decision
author: Small Council
---

# Question

What do we need to learn before choosing a pilot format?

## Perspectives

| AI advisor | Question |
|:---|:---|
| Strategist | What decision will the pilot inform? |
| Critic | What evidence would change the plan? |

: Fictional example

::: {custom-style="Callout"}
**Decision needed.** Review the assumptions before choosing the next step.
:::
```

## Create DOCX

Download the reference beside brief.md, then run:

```sh
pandoc "brief.md" --from=markdown --standalone \
  --reference-doc="sc-document-reference.docx" --resource-path=. \
  --output="sc-brief.docx"
```

A reference supplies styles and page settings, not its sample body. Modify named styles in Word/Writer and refresh the TITLE field when needed.

## Create PDF directly

Download sc-document.tex beside brief.md. XeLaTeX and supporting packages must be installed; check local prerequisites before claiming a finished export.

```sh
pandoc "brief.md" --standalone --pdf-engine=xelatex \
  -V mainfont="DejaVu Sans" -V monofont="DejaVu Sans Mono" \
  -V fontsize=11pt -V papersize=a4 -V geometry:margin=1in \
  --include-in-header="sc-document.tex" --resource-path=. \
  --output="sc-brief.pdf"
```

This path does not use the DOCX reference. Word and XeLaTeX have independent layout and pagination. The checkout additionally provides `make document INPUT=brief.md OUTPUT=build/brief.pdf`: that convenience creates DOCX with Pandoc and renders it with LibreOffice. Do not describe the two PDF paths as identical.

## Inspect and deliver

Inspect every page for font substitution, heading placement, table wrapping, captions, notes, page numbers, clipping, and unsupported claims. Check the editable file in the intended Office application when available; ZIP/XML validation alone is not visual validation. PDF text and font checks do not establish accessibility conformance. Deliver the requested formats and useful sources; report missing tools or unavailable Microsoft Word validation plainly.