rebuttal

---
name: rebuttal
description: "Workflow 4: Submission rebuttal pipeline. Parses external reviews, enforces coverage and grounding, drafts a safe text-only rebuttal under venue limits, and manages follow-up rounds. Use when user says \"rebuttal\", \"reply to reviewers\", \"ICML rebuttal\", \"OpenReview response\", or wants to answer external reviews safely."
argument-hint: [paper-path-or-review-bundle]
allowed-tools: Bash(*), Read, Grep, Glob, Write, Edit, Skill, mcp__codex__codex, mcp__codex__codex-reply, mcp__manual_review__review, mcp__manual_review__review_reply
---

# Workflow 4: Rebuttal

Prepare and maintain a grounded, venue-compliant rebuttal for: **$ARGUMENTS**

## Scope

This skill is optimized for:
- **text-only rebuttal** under strict character/word limits (e.g. ICML single-document)
- **per-reviewer thread responses** where each reviewer renders independently (e.g. OpenReview-style)
- **multiple reviewers** with shared and reviewer-specific concerns
- **follow-up rounds** after the initial rebuttal
- safe drafting with **no fabrication**, **no overpromise**, and **full issue coverage**

This skill does **not**:
- run new experiments automatically
- generate new theorem claims automatically
- edit or upload a revised PDF
- submit to OpenReview / CMT / HotCRP

If the user already has new results, derivations, or approved commitments, the skill can incorporate them as **user-confirmed evidence**.

## Lifecycle Position

```text
Workflow 1:   idea-discovery
Workflow 1.5: experiment-bridge
Workflow 2:   auto-review-loop (pre-submission)
Workflow 3:   paper-writing
Workflow 4:   rebuttal (post-submission external reviews)
```

## Constants

- **VENUE = `ICML`** — Default venue. Override if needed.
- **RESPONSE_MODE = `TEXT_ONLY`** — v1 default.
- **REVIEWER_MODEL = `gpt-5.5`** — Default model for the Codex backend. Used for internal stress-testing. Manual backend uses whatever model the user chooses.
- **REVIEWER_BACKEND = `codex`** — Default: Codex MCP (xhigh). Override with `— reviewer: oracle-pro` for Oracle MCP, or `— reviewer: manual` for Manual Review MCP. If manual-review MCP is unavailable, stop and print the install command; do not fall back to Codex. See `shared-references/reviewer-routing.md`.
- **MAX_INTERNAL_DRAFT_ROUNDS = 2** — draft → lint → revise.
- **VENUE_MODE = `single_document`** — `single_document` for one shared author response, or `per_reviewer_thread` when each reviewer thread renders independently. Confirm the venue/interface before drafting if unclear. Affects Phase 4/7 output shape.
- **STRESS_TEST_ROUNDS_BASE = 1** — One external reviewer critique round on the full response set. Add focused rounds for `reviewer_priority: pivotal` responses, terminating when the reviewer returns no new substantive issues. Hard cap at 5.
- **MAX_FOLLOWUP_ROUNDS = 3** — per reviewer thread.
- **AUTO_EXPERIMENT = false** — When `true`, automatically invoke `/experiment-bridge` to run supplementary experiments when the strategy plan identifies reviewer concerns that require new empirical evidence. When `false` (default), pause and present the evidence gap to the user for manual handling.
- **QUICK_MODE = false** — When `true`, only run Phase 0-3 (parse reviews, atomize concerns, build strategy). Outputs `ISSUE_BOARD.md` + `STRATEGY_PLAN.md` and stops — no drafting, no stress test. Useful for quickly understanding what reviewers want before deciding how to respond.
- **REBUTTAL_DIR = `rebuttal/`**
- **RENDER_HTML = true** — When `true` (default), auto-render `rebuttal/REBUTTAL_DRAFT_rich.md` (the detailed reviewer-facing draft) to HTML after Phase 6 / Phase 8 finalization. Uses **full Codex review gate** (final pre-submission deliverable — reviewer-facing content, render fidelity matters). The plain-text `PASTE_READY.txt` is NOT rendered (it's character-counted plain text by design). Set `false` to skip, or pass `— render html: false`.

> Override: `/rebuttal "paper/" — venue: NeurIPS, character limit: 5000`

## Reviewer Calling Convention

When calling the reviewer for stress-testing, branch on REVIEWER_BACKEND:

**If REVIEWER_BACKEND = `codex`:**
  Use `mcp__codex__codex` for new review threads.
  Use `mcp__codex__codex-reply` for follow-up rounds (reuse threadId).

**If REVIEWER_BACKEND = `manual`:**
  Use `mcp__manual_review__review` for new review threads with:
    prompt: [exact same prompt that would go to Codex]
    config: {"model_reasoning_effort": "xhigh"}
  Save the returned `threadId`.
  Use `mcp__manual_review__review_reply` for follow-up rounds with:
    threadId: [saved manual-review threadId]
    prompt: [follow-up prompt]
    config: {"model_reasoning_effort": "xhigh"}

Prompt fidelity: the manual prompt must be exactly the same text that Codex would receive.
Review tracing applies equally to both backends.

## Required Inputs

1. **Paper source** — PDF, LaTeX directory, or narrative summary
2. **Raw reviews** — pasted text, markdown, or PDF with reviewer IDs
3. **Venue rules** — venue name, character/word limit, text-only or revised PDF allowed, rendering mode (one shared response or independent reviewer threads)
4. **Current stage** — initial rebuttal or follow-up round

If venue rules, limit, or rendering mode are missing, **stop and ask** before drafting.

## Safety Model

Three hard gates — if any fails, do NOT finalize:

1. **Provenance gate** — every factual statement maps to: `paper`, `review`, `user_confirmed_result`, `user_confirmed_derivation`, or `future_work`. No source = blocked.
2. **Commitment gate** — every promise maps to: `already_done`, `approved_for_rebuttal`, or `future_work_only`. Not approved = blocked.
3. **Coverage gate** — every reviewer concern ends in: `answered`, `deferred_intentionally`, or `needs_user_input`. No issue disappears.

## Workflow

### Phase 0: Resume or Initialize

1. If `rebuttal/REBUTTAL_STATE.md` exists → resume from recorded phase
2. Otherwise → create `rebuttal/`, initialize all output documents
3. Load paper, reviews, venue rules, any user-confirmed evidence

### Phase 1: Validate Inputs and Normalize Reviews

1. Validate venue rules are explicit
2. Normalize all reviewer text into `rebuttal/REVIEWS_RAW.md` (verbatim)
3. Record metadata in `rebuttal/REBUTTAL_STATE.md`
4. If ambiguous, pause and ask

### Phase 2: Atomize and Classify Reviewer Concerns

Create `rebuttal/ISSUE_BOARD.md`.

For each atomic concern:
- `issue_id` (e.g., R1-C2)
- `reviewer`, `round`, `raw_anchor` (short quote)
- `issue_type`: assumptions / theorem_rigor / novelty / empirical_support / baseline_comparison / complexity / practical_significance / clarity / reproducibility / other
- `severity`: critical / major / minor
- `reviewer_stance`: positive / swing / negative / unknown
- `reviewer_priority`: standard / pivotal
  - `pivotal` — a reviewer whose response is likely to affect the decision if addressed well: low or borderline rating, addressable concerns, and enough confidence/influence to matter. Phase 3 allocates extra drafting and stress-test budget here.
- `response_mode`: direct_clarification / grounded_evidence / nearest_work_delta / assumption_hierarchy / narrow_concession / future_work_boundary / structural_distinction
  - `structural_distinction` — for "your method reduces to X / is just generic Y / is subsumed by Z" attacks. Pattern: agree on the local reduction; show the structural feature your parameterization preserves that X/Y/Z does not capture, backed by a concrete mechanism (theorem dependency, derivation step, or empirical consequence). Never use rhetorically without the supporting mechanism.
- `status`: open / answered / deferred / needs_user_input

### Phase 3: Build Strategy Plan

Create `rebuttal/STRATEGY_PLAN.md`.

1. Identify 2-4 **global themes** resolving shared concerns
2. Choose **response mode** per issue
3. Build **character budget** (10-15% opener, 75-80% per-reviewer, 5-10% closing) — applies in `single_document` mode; in `per_reviewer_thread` mode, set per-thread word/char targets instead
4. **Identify pivotal reviewer(s)** — reviewers whose vote or confidence shift would most affect the decision, especially when concerns are addressable rather than ideological. Mark them `reviewer_priority: pivotal` in `ISSUE_BOARD.md`. There may be more than one. Allocate disproportionate drafting + stress-test budget here.
5. Identify **blocked claims** (ungrounded or unapproved)
6. If unresolved blockers → pause and present to user

**QUICK_MODE exit**: If `QUICK_MODE = true`, stop here. Present `ISSUE_BOARD.md` + `STRATEGY_PLAN.md` to the user and summarize: how many issues per reviewer, shared vs unique concerns, recommended priorities, and evidence gaps. The user can then decide to continue with full rebuttal (`/rebuttal — quick mode: false`) or write manually.

### Phase 3.5: Evidence Sprint (when AUTO_EXPERIMENT = true)

**Skip entirely if `AUTO_EXPERIMENT` is `false` — instead, pause and present the evidence gaps to the user.**

If the strategy plan identifies issues that require new empirical evidence (tagged `response_mode: grounded_evidence` with `evidence_source: needs_experiment`):

1. Generate a mini experiment plan from the reviewer concerns:
   - What to run (ablation, baseline comparison, scale-up, condition check)
   - Success criterion (what result would satisfy the reviewer)
   - Estimated GPU-hours

2. Invoke `/experiment-bridge` with the mini plan:
   ```
   /experiment-bridge "rebuttal/REBUTTAL_EXPERIMENT_PLAN.md"
   ```

3. Wait for results, then update `ISSUE_BOARD.md`:
   - Tag completed experiments as `user_confirmed_result`
   - Update evidence source for relevant issue cards

4. If experiments fail or are inconclusive:
   - Switch response mode to `narrow_concession` or `future_work_boundary`
   - Do NOT fabricate positive results

5. Save experiment results to `rebuttal/REBUTTAL_EXPERIMENTS.md` for provenance tracking.

**Time guard**: If estimated GPU-hours exceed rebuttal deadline, skip and flag for manual handling.

### Phase 4: Draft Initial Rebuttal

Create the draft artifact(s) per `VENUE_MODE`:
- `single_document` mode → one `rebuttal/REBUTTAL_DRAFT_v1.md`
- `per_reviewer_thread` mode → one `rebuttal/Reviewer_<ID>_response.md` per reviewer (no top-level `REBUTTAL_DRAFT_v1.md`)

**Structure depends on `VENUE_MODE`:**

- `single_document` — one `REBUTTAL_DRAFT_v1.md`:
  1. Short opener — thank reviewers + 2-4 global resolutions
  2. Per-reviewer numbered responses — answer → evidence → implication
  3. Short closing — resolved / remaining / acceptance case

- `per_reviewer_thread` — one self-contained `Reviewer_<ID>_response.md` per reviewer:
  1. Brief acknowledgment of that reviewer's main thrust
  2. Numbered W#/Q# responses (answer → evidence → implication)
  3. Optional shared experimental-setup paragraph (see "Reusable setup block" below)
  - Each file must be readable standalone. No "see Reviewer X's response" references. No global opener.

Default reply pattern per issue:
- Sentence 1: direct answer
- Sentence 2-4: grounded evidence
- Last sentence: implication for the paper

**Reusable setup block (per_reviewer_thread mode).**
If multiple reviewer-thread responses need the same experimental setup or metric definitions, write a canonical `SETUP_METRICS_BLOCK.md`. Reuse it consistently in each reviewer file that needs it. Target ≤ 150 words; expand only with genuinely reviewer-specific additions inline. Change-once-update-everywhere prevents drift across threads.

Heuristics from successful rebuttals (content):
- Evidence > assertion
- Global narrative first, per-reviewer detail second (single_document mode only)
- Concrete numbers for counter-intuitive points
- Name closest prior work + exact delta for novelty disputes
- Concede narrowly when reviewer is right
- For theory: separate core vs technical assumptions
- Answer friendly reviewers too

**Reviewer-defensive moves:**
- **Minimum sufficient evidence per concern.** Usually one numerical anchor: the metric that maps directly to *that reviewer's* specific ask. Cut metrics other reviewers care about — bloat dilutes the answer.
- **Pre-registered calibration phrasing.** When a threshold or hold-out was fixed before generated samples were inspected, say so explicitly with a phrase like "set on hold-out before any generated sample was inspected." Defuses cherry-pick attacks at near-zero word cost. Only use when actually true.
- **Surface non-obvious design choices upfront.** If the experimental setup has a non-obvious caveat (compute-matched ≠ epoch-matched, atypical seed protocol, restricted parameter subset, etc.), name it concretely with numbers where they clarify the design choice. Pre-empts adversarial reverse engineering.
- **Structural distinction over denial.** When a reviewer claims your work reduces to / is subsumed by a generic framework, do not deny the reduction. Identify the structural feature your parameterization preserves that the generic framework does not — see `response_mode: structural_distinction`.
- **Concede without surrendering the claim.** When the reviewer is partly right, explicitly accept the local point, then state what remains true and why it still supports the paper's contribution. Pair the concession with the preserved theorem, mechanism, empirical result, or scope condition.

Hard rules:
- NEVER invent experiments, numbers, derivations, citations, or links
- NEVER promise what user hasn't approved
- If no strong evidence exists, say less not more

**`single_document` mode only**: also generate `rebuttal/PASTE_READY.txt` (plain text, exact character count for the OpenReview/CMT paste field). In `per_reviewer_thread` mode skip this artifact — each `Reviewer_<ID>_response.md` is itself the paste target for its thread.

Also generate `rebuttal/REVISION_PLAN.md` — the **overall revision checklist**.

This document is the single source of truth for every paper revision promised (explicitly or implicitly) in the rebuttal draft. It exists so the author can track follow-through after the rebuttal is submitted, and so the commitment gate in Phase 5 has a concrete artifact to validate against.

Structure:

1. **Header**
   - Paper title, venue, character limit, rebuttal round
   - Links back to `ISSUE_BOARD.md`, `STRATEGY_PLAN.md`, `REBUTTAL_DRAFT_v1.md`

2. **Overall checklist** — a single flat GitHub-style checklist covering **every** revision item, so the author can tick items off as they land in the camera-ready / revised PDF:

   ```markdown
   ## Overall Checklist

   - [ ] (R1-C2) Add assumption hierarchy table to Section 3.1 — commitment: `approved_for_rebuttal` — owner: author — status: pending
   - [ ] (R2-C1) Clarify novelty delta vs. Smith'24 in Section 2 related work — commitment: `already_done` — status: verify wording
   - [ ] (R3-C4) Add runtime breakdown figure to Appendix B — commitment: `future_work_only` — status: deferred, note in camera-ready
   - ...
   ```

   Checklist items must be **atomic** (one paper edit per line) and each must reference its `issue_id` so it maps back to `ISSUE_BOARD.md`.

3. **Grouped view** — the same items regrouped by (a) paper section/location and (b) severity, so the author can plan the revision pass efficiently.

4. **Commitment summary** — counts of `already_done` / `approved_for_rebuttal` / `future_work_only`, plus any `needs_user_input` items that are blocking.

5. **Out-of-scope log** — reviewer concerns that will **not** trigger a paper revision (e.g. `deferred_intentionally`, `narrow_concession` with no edit), with a one-line reason each. This keeps the checklist honest: nothing silently disappears.

Rules for `REVISION_PLAN.md`:
- Every checklist item must map to at least one `issue_id` from `ISSUE_BOARD.md`.
- Every promise in `REBUTTAL_DRAFT_v1.md` that implies a paper edit must appear as a checklist item — if it is not in the plan, it is a commitment-gate violation.
- Never add items that are not backed by the draft or by user-confirmed evidence.
- On rerun / follow-up rounds, update checkbox state in place rather than regenerating from scratch.

### Phase 5: Safety Validation

Run all lints:
1. **Coverage** — every issue maps to draft anchor
2. **Provenance** — every factual sentence has source
3. **Commitment** — promises are approved AND every paper-edit promise in the draft appears as a checklist item in `REVISION_PLAN.md` (and vice versa — no orphan items in the plan)
4. **Tone** — flag aggressive/submissive/evasive phrases
5. **Consistency** — no contradictions across reviewer replies
6. **Limit** — exact character count, compress if over (redundancy → friendly → opener → wording, never drop critical answers)
7. **Thread-local context** (`per_reviewer_thread` mode only) — each reviewer file must be intelligible without reading any other reviewer file. Flag any "see Reviewer X" references or undefined terms that rely on cross-thread context.
8. **Adversarial design-choice scan** — for each experimental claim, ask: "Could a hostile reviewer find a non-obvious design choice (compute-match, frozen subset, sampling protocol) that I haven't disclosed?" If yes, add a one-line caveat in the Setup paragraph. Narrower than provenance; focused on *design choices* not factual sources.

### Phase 6: External Reviewer Stress Test

Use the selected backend. *For codex:*

```
mcp__codex__codex:
  config: {"model_reasoning_effort": "xhigh"}
  prompt: |
    Stress-test this rebuttal draft:
    [raw reviews + issue board + draft + venue rules]

    1. Unanswered or weakly answered concerns?
    2. Unsupported factual statements?
    3. Risky or unapproved promises?
    4. Tone problems?
    5. Paragraph most likely to backfire with meta-reviewer?
    6. Minimal grounded fixes only. Do NOT invent evidence.

    Verdict: safe to submit / needs revision
```

*For manual:* use `mcp__manual_review__review` with the same prompt and `config: {"model_reasoning_effort": "xhigh"}`.

**Iterations.** Run the base round on the full draft. Then run focused follow-up rounds on each `reviewer_priority: pivotal` response, terminating when the reviewer returns no new substantive issues. Hard cap at 5 rounds total. Save each round to `rebuttal/MCP_STRESS_TEST_round<N>.md`; the highest round number represents the final state. If any hard safety blocker remains → revise before finalizing.

### Phase 7: Finalize

**Outputs depend on `VENUE_MODE`:**

**`single_document` mode** — produce two versions:

1. **`rebuttal/PASTE_READY.txt`** — strict version
   - Plain text, exact character count, fits venue limit
   - Ready to paste directly into the venue interface
   - No markdown formatting, no extras

2. **`rebuttal/REBUTTAL_DRAFT_rich.md`** — extended version
   - Same structure but with **more detail**: fuller explanations, additional evidence, optional paragraphs
   - Marked with `[OPTIONAL — cut if over limit]` for sections that exceed the strict version
   - Author can read this to understand the full reasoning, then manually decide what to keep/cut/rewrite
   - Useful for follow-up rounds — the extra material is pre-written

**`per_reviewer_thread` mode** — produce one file per reviewer:

1. **`rebuttal/Reviewer_<ID>_response.md`** — one self-contained file per reviewer, ready to paste into the corresponding reviewer thread
2. **`rebuttal/SETUP_METRICS_BLOCK.md`** — optional canonical setup/metrics text when reused across reviewer files
3. **`rebuttal/SUPPLEMENTARY_FIG_PDF/`** (optional) — when the venue does not allow PDF revision but allows anonymous figure links, generate a venue-compliant supplementary PDF. Do not hard-code an anonymous-hosting platform or typesetting style; choose what the target venue accepts.

**Both modes:**

4. Update `rebuttal/REBUTTAL_STATE.md`
5. Refresh `rebuttal/REVISION_PLAN.md` so the overall checklist matches the final draft (add items, mark `already_done` as checked, carry forward any `pending` items)
6. Present to user:
   - For `single_document`: `PASTE_READY.txt` character count vs venue limit; `REBUTTAL_DRAFT_rich.md` for review
   - For `per_reviewer_thread`: list of per-reviewer files with word counts; `SETUP_METRICS_BLOCK.md` if used; supplementary PDF if generated
   - `REVISION_PLAN.md` checklist — counts of pending / approved / deferred
   - Remaining risks + lines needing manual approval

### Phase 8: Follow-Up Rounds

When new reviewer comments arrive:

1. Append verbatim to `rebuttal/FOLLOWUP_LOG.md`
2. Link to existing issues or create new ones
3. Draft **delta reply only** (not full rewrite)
4. Update `rebuttal/REVISION_PLAN.md` in place — add any new checklist items introduced by the follow-up, tick off items the author has already completed, and keep existing items' status current
5. Re-run safety lints
6. Use the appropriate reply tool for continuity if useful (per Reviewer Calling Convention)
7. Rules: escalate technically not rhetorically; concede if reviewer is correct; stop arguing if reviewer is immovable and no new evidence exists

### Phase 9: Render HTML view (auto, when `RENDER_HTML = true`, default)

After Phase 6 (initial rebuttal) or Phase 8 (follow-up rounds) finalize `rebuttal/REBUTTAL_DRAFT_rich.md`, invoke `/render-html` on the detailed draft:

```
/render-html "rebuttal/REBUTTAL_DRAFT_rich.md"
```

Uses **full Codex review gate** (reviewer-facing pre-submission deliverable — render fidelity matters; the rich draft contains author-controlled formatting that the reviewer should see exactly as intended). Output: `rebuttal/REBUTTAL_DRAFT_rich.html` with embedded source SHA256 and `.review.json` sidecar.

Do NOT render `rebuttal/PASTE_READY.txt` — it's exact-character-count plain text by design, not a structural artifact.

**Non-blocking**: if `/render-html` fails (helper missing, Codex MCP unavailable, file write error), log the failure and treat the rebuttal phase as complete — the `PASTE_READY.txt` and `REBUTTAL_DRAFT_rich.md` are the canonical outputs.

Skip if `RENDER_HTML = false`.

## Key Rules

- **Large file handling**: If Write fails, retry with Bash heredoc silently.
- **Never fabricate.** No invented evidence, numbers, derivations, citations, or links.
- **Never overpromise.** Only promise what user explicitly approved.
- **Full coverage.** Every reviewer concern tracked and accounted for.
- **Preserve raw records.** Reviews and MCP outputs stored verbatim.
- **Structure follows `VENUE_MODE`.** `single_document` → global opener with shared concerns + per-reviewer numbered detail. `per_reviewer_thread` → no global opener; each reviewer file is self-contained.
- **Answer friendly reviewers too.** Reinforce supportive framing.
- **Meta-reviewer closing.** Summarize resolved/remaining/why accept.
- **Evidence > rhetoric.** Derivations and numbers over prose.
- **Concede selectively.** Narrow honest concessions > broad denials.
- **Don't waste space on unwinnable arguments.** Answer once, move on.
- **Respect the limit.** Character budget is a hard constraint.
- **Resume cleanly.** Continue from REBUTTAL_STATE.md on rerun.
- **Anti-hallucination citations.** Any reference added must go through DBLP → CrossRef → [VERIFY].

## Review Tracing

After each reviewer call (`mcp__codex__codex`, `mcp__codex__codex-reply`, `mcp__manual_review__review`, or `mcp__manual_review__review_reply`), save the trace following `shared-references/review-tracing.md` (Policy C — forensic; never silently skip). Use `save_trace.sh` (resolved per the chain in `shared-references/integration-contract.md` §2) or write files directly to `.aris/traces/<skill>/<date>_run<NN>/`. Respect the `--- trace:` parameter (default: `full`).