---

name: paper-illustration description: "Generate publication-quality AI illustrations for academic papers using Gemini image generation. Creates architecture diagrams, method illustrations with Claude-supervised iterative refinement loop. Use when user says "生成图表", "画架构图", "AI绘图", "paper illustration", "generate diagram", or needs visual figures for papers." argument-hint: "[description-or-method-file] [— style-ref: <source>]" allowed-tools: Bash(*), Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, mcp__codex__codex, mcp__codex__codex-reply, WebSearch

Paper Illustration: Multi-Stage Claude-Supervised Figure Generation

Generate publication-quality illustrations using a multi-stage workflow with Claude as the STRICT supervisor/reviewer.

Core Design Philosophy

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    MULTI-STAGE ITERATIVE WORKFLOW                        │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                          │
│   User Request                                                           │
│       │                                                                  │
│       ▼                                                                  │
│   ┌─────────────┐                                                        │
│   │   Claude    │ ◄─── Step 1: Parse request, create initial prompt     │
│   │  (Planner)  │                                                        │
│   └──────┬──────┘                                                        │
│          │                                                               │
│          ▼                                                               │
│   ┌─────────────┐                                                        │
│   │   Gemini    │ ◄─── Step 2: Optimize layout description               │
│   │ (gemini-3-pro)│      - Refine component positioning                    │
│   │  Layout     │      - Optimize spacing and grouping                   │
│   └──────┬──────┘                                                        │
│          │                                                               │
│          ▼                                                               │
│   ┌─────────────┐                                                        │
│   │   Gemini    │ ◄─── Step 3: CVPR/NeurIPS style verification          │
│   │ (gemini-3-pro)│      - Check color palette compliance                  │
│   │  Style      │      - Verify arrow and font standards                 │
│   └──────┬──────┘                                                        │
│          │                                                               │
│          ▼                                                               │
│   ┌─────────────┐                                                        │
│   │ Paperbanana │ ◄─── Step 4: Render final image                       │
│   │ (gemini-3-  │      - High-quality image generation                   │
│   │ pro-image)  │      - Internal codename: Nano Banana Pro              │
│   └──────┬──────┘                                                        │
│          │                                                               │
│          ▼                                                               │
│   ┌─────────────┐                                                        │
│   │   Claude    │ ◄─── Step 5: STRICT visual review + SCORE (1-10)      │
│   │  (Reviewer) │      - Verify EVERY arrow direction                    │
│   │   STRICT!   │      - Verify EVERY block content                      │
│   └──────┬──────┘      - Verify aesthetics & visual appeal               │
│          │                                                               │
│          ▼                                                               │
│   Score ≥ 9? ──YES──► Accept & Output                                    │
│          │                                                               │
│          NO                                                              │
│          │                                                               │
│          ▼                                                               │
│   Generate SPECIFIC improvement feedback ──► Loop back to Step 2        │
│                                                                          │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Constants

• IMAGE_MODEL = gemini-3-pro-image-preview — Paperbanana (Nano Banana Pro) for image rendering
• REASONING_MODEL = gemini-3-pro-preview — Gemini for layout optimization and style checking
• MAX_ITERATIONS = 5 — Maximum refinement rounds
• TARGET_SCORE = 9 — Minimum acceptable score (1-10) — RAISED FOR QUALITY
• OUTPUT_DIR = figures/ai_generated/ — Output directory
• API_KEY_ENV = GEMINI_API_KEY — Environment variable

Optional: Style reference (— style-ref: <source>, opt-in)

Lets the user steer structural figure conventions (caption length, panel-count distribution, figure-to-table ratio in the parent paper) toward a reference paper. Default OFF — when the user does not pass — style-ref, do nothing differently from before.

Only when — style-ref: <source> appears in $ARGUMENTS, run the helper FIRST, before generating prompts:

# Resolve $STYLE_HELPER via the canonical strict-safe chain (see
# shared-references/integration-contract.md §2). Policy A — gate:
# unresolved helper means --style-ref cannot be satisfied, so abort.
cd "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)" || exit 1
if [ -z "${ARIS_REPO:-}" ] && [ -f .aris/installed-skills.txt ]; then
    ARIS_REPO=$(awk -F'\t' '$1=="repo_root"{print $2; exit}' .aris/installed-skills.txt 2>/dev/null) || true
fi
if [ -z "${ARIS_REPO:-}" ] && [ -f "$HOME/.aris/repo" ]; then
    ARIS_REPO=$(cat "$HOME/.aris/repo" 2>/dev/null) || true
fi
STYLE_HELPER=".aris/tools/extract_paper_style.py"
[ -f "$STYLE_HELPER" ] || STYLE_HELPER="tools/extract_paper_style.py"
[ -f "$STYLE_HELPER" ] || { [ -n "${ARIS_REPO:-}" ] && STYLE_HELPER="$ARIS_REPO/tools/extract_paper_style.py"; }
[ -f "$STYLE_HELPER" ] || {
  echo "ERROR: extract_paper_style.py not resolved at .aris/tools/, tools/, \$ARIS_REPO/tools/, or via ~/.aris/repo." >&2
  echo "       Fix: rerun bash tools/install_aris.sh or smart_update.sh (refreshes ~/.aris/repo), export ARIS_REPO, or copy the helper to tools/." >&2
  echo "       --style-ref cannot be satisfied; aborting." >&2
  exit 1
}
STYLE_STATUS=0
CACHE=$(python3 "$STYLE_HELPER" --source "<source>") || STYLE_STATUS=$?
case "$STYLE_STATUS" in
  0) ;;                                       # use $CACHE/style_profile.md as structural guidance
  2) echo "warning: style-ref skipped (missing optional dep)" >&2 ;;
  3) echo "error: --style-ref source failed; aborting illustration" >&2 ; exit 1 ;;
  *) echo "error: helper failed unexpectedly; aborting illustration" >&2 ; exit 1 ;;
esac

Sources accepted: local TeX dir / file, local PDF, arXiv id, http(s) URL. Overleaf URLs/IDs are rejected — clone via /overleaf-sync setup <id> first and pass the local clone path.

Strict rules (full contract in tools/extract_paper_style.py docstring):

• Use style_profile.md to align caption length and figure density with the reference paper. The CVPR/ICLR/NeurIPS visual standards above still take precedence — --style-ref only refines length-and-density tendencies, never image content.
• Never copy figure content, color palettes, or specific design elements from anything reachable through the cache. The visual design comes from the user's prompt, not the reference.
• Never pass — style-ref (or the cache contents) to the Claude vision-checker / Gemini reasoning-checker sub-agents when they score the generated image — the image must be judged on its own merits.

CVPR/ICLR/NeurIPS Top-Tier Conference Style Guide

What "CVPR Style" Actually Means:

Visual Standards

• Clean white background — No decorative patterns or gradients (unless subtle)
• Sans-serif fonts — Arial, Helvetica, or Computer Modern; minimum 14pt
• Subtle color palette — Not rainbow colors; use 3-5 coordinated colors
• Print-friendly — Must be readable in grayscale (many reviewers print papers)
• Professional borders — Thin (2-3px), solid colors, not flashy

Layout Standards

• Horizontal flow — Left-to-right is the standard for pipelines
• Clear grouping — Use subtle background boxes to group related modules
• Consistent sizing — Similar components should have similar sizes
• Balanced whitespace — Not cramped, not sparse

Arrow Standards (MOST CRITICAL)

• Thick strokes — 4-6px minimum (thin arrows disappear when printed)
• Clear arrowheads — Large, filled triangular heads
• Dark colors — Black or dark gray (#333333); avoid colored arrows
• Labeled — Every arrow should indicate what data flows through it
• No crossings — Reorganize layout to avoid arrow crossings
• CORRECT DIRECTION — Arrows must point to the RIGHT target!

Visual Appeal (科研风格 - Professional Academic Style)

目标：既不保守也不花哨，找到平衡点

✅ 应该有的视觉元素：

• Subtle gradient fills — 淡雅的渐变填充（同色系从浅到深），不是炫彩
• Rounded corners — 圆角矩形（6-10px radius），现代感但不夸张
• Clear visual hierarchy — 通过大小、颜色深浅区分层次
• Consistent color coding — 统一的配色方案（3-4种主色）
• Internal structure — 大模块内部显示子组件（如Encoder内部的layer结构）
• Professional typography — 清晰的标签，适当的字号层次

✅ 配色建议（学术专业）：

• Inputs: 柔和的绿色系 (#10B981 / #34D399)
• Encoders: 专业的蓝色系 (#2563EB / #3B82F6)
• Fusion: 优雅的紫色系 (#7C3AED / #8B5CF6)
• Outputs: 温暖的橙色系 (#EA580C / #F97316)
• Arrows: 黑色或深灰 (#333333 / #1F2937)
• Background: 纯白 (#FFFFFF)，不要花纹

❌ 要避免的过度装饰：

• ❌ Rainbow color schemes (彩虹配色)
• ❌ Heavy drop shadows (重阴影效果)
• ❌ 3D effects / perspective (3D透视)
• ❌ Excessive gradients (夸张的多色渐变)
• ❌ Clip art / cartoon icons (卡通图标)
• ❌ Decorative patterns in background (背景花纹)
• ❌ Glowing effects (发光效果)
• ❌ Too many small icons (过多小图标)

✓ 理想的视觉效果：

• 一眼看上去专业、清晰
• 有适度的视觉吸引力，但不抢眼
• 符合CVPR/NeurIPS论文的审美标准
• 打印友好（灰度模式下也能清晰辨认）
• 像精心设计的学术图表，而不是PPT模板

What to AVOID (CRITICAL)

• ❌ Rainbow color schemes (too many colors)
• ❌ Thin, hairline arrows (arrows must be THICK)
• ❌ Unlabeled connections
• ❌ Plain boring rectangles (add some visual interest)
• ❌ Over-decorated with shadows/glows/icons (too flashy)
• ❌ Small text that's unreadable when printed
• ❌ WRONG arrow directions — This is UNACCEPTABLE!

Scope

| Figure Type | Quality | Examples | |-------------|---------|----------| | Architecture diagrams | Excellent | Model architecture, pipeline, encoder-decoder | | Method illustrations | Excellent | Conceptual diagrams, algorithm flowcharts | | Conceptual figures | Good | Comparison diagrams, taxonomy trees |

Not for: Statistical plots (use /paper-figure), photo-realistic images

Workflow: MUST EXECUTE ALL STEPS

Step 0: Pre-flight Check

# Check API key
if [ -z "$GEMINI_API_KEY" ]; then
    echo "ERROR: GEMINI_API_KEY not set"
    echo "Get your key from: https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey"
    echo "Set it: export GEMINI_API_KEY='your-key'"
    exit 1
fi

# Create output directory
mkdir -p figures/ai_generated

Step 1: Claude Plans the Figure (YOU ARE HERE)

CRITICAL: Claude must first analyze the user's request and create a detailed prompt.

Parse the input: $ARGUMENTS

Claude's task:

1. Understand what figure the user wants
2. Identify all components, connections, data flow
3. Create a detailed, structured prompt for Gemini
4. Include style requirements AND visual appeal requirements

Prompt Template for Claude to generate:

Create a PROFESSIONAL, VISUALLY APPEALING publication-quality academic diagram follow