Run Auto-Pen on a post

Before you start

• The post must be in a collection. If not, the panel says Not in a collection and offers a link to fix that.
• The collection needs Auto-Pen set up with at least one step on. If not: Auto-Pen isn't set up yet → Configure in Collection Settings (KB-303).
• Your organization needs a writing kernel selected if the Write step is on: Settings → Writing Kernel (KB-702).
• Give the post a real headline, and put your notes in the headline rather than the body: more than about 50 characters of body text makes Auto-Pen skip Research and write from what's there.

Start it

1. Open the post. In the right-hand column, open Auto-Pen (under Writing Tools).
2. Optionally choose a template under Template: Inherit from collection is the default; No template · free-form prose opts out.
3. Look at the step list. It shows everything the collection has switched on: Research, Write, Brand mention (when the collection names your company), then any of the passes (Visuals, Internal links, External sources, Metadata). Each row has a switch. Turn one off to leave that step out of this run only; the collection's saved sequence doesn't change.
4. Press Start Auto-Pen.

The editor shows "Auto-Pen is orchestrating this post, the document is locked while the sequence runs. You can safely leave this page." Come back whenever; the stepper shows where it is.

While it runs

The stepper shows Research → Write, then Brand mention if it's on, then the passes, with a one-line status under the active step:

• Research: Planning research, Searching the web, Reading sources, Setting the direction, Drafting the outline, Fact-checking the outline.
• Write: Writing your post · 15–20 min.
• Brand mention: the mention pass, when the collection names your company.
• Then each pass the collection has on: Adding visuals…, Adding internal links…, Adding external sources…, Generating metadata…. A pass with nothing to do says so (Nothing to link) and moves on.

If the collection has the Direction check-in on, Research pauses at Waiting for you to pick the article's direction and you get an email. Open the Research panel, pick one of the angles (or write your own), and the run continues.

A small amber line under a step is a warning, not a failure: for example "3 accepted suggestions could not be applied" or "Research skipped" with the reason. The run still finishes. If a pass didn't do what you expected, re-run it from the post's Enhance panel.

When it finishes

The draft is in the editor, with every pass already applied.

To redo one pass on the finished post (fresh visuals after you edited a section, new links after you published more pages), use the buttons under Guaranteed passes in the Enhance panel: Run brand mention now, Run visuals now, Run internal links now, Run external sources now, Run metadata now. Each runs just that pass, on this post, right away.

Then publish from the Publish panel, or edit first.

Cancel

Press Cancel Auto-Pen in the panel and confirm "Cancel this Auto-Pen? The document will be unlocked." Whatever step was running stops; the draft keeps whatever had been written so far.

Run it again

Once a run has finished, failed, or been cancelled, the button reads Run Auto-Pen again. Sharpen the headline first if the first result missed. Because the post now has body text, Research will skip and the kernel will write from the existing draft; clear the body if you want fresh research.

If it fails

The failed step shows the reason in plain words. The common ones: