core/utils.py:
- estimate_tokens: improved heuristic 4 chars/token → 3.5 chars/token (more accurate)
- truncate_to_tokens: added keep_head=True mode for head+tail truncation (better
context retention for story summaries that need both opening and recent content)
- load_json: explicit exception handling (json.JSONDecodeError, OSError) with log
instead of silent returns; added utf-8 encoding with error replacement
- log_image_attempt: replaced bare except with (json.JSONDecodeError, OSError);
added utf-8 encoding to output write
- log_usage: replaced bare except with AttributeError for token count extraction
story/bible_tracker.py:
- merge_selected_changes: wrapped all int() key casts (char idx, book num, beat idx)
in try/except with meaningful log warning instead of crashing on malformed keys
- harvest_metadata: replaced bare except:pass with except Exception as e + log message
cli/engine.py:
- Persona validation: added warning when all 3 attempts fail and substandard persona
is accepted — flags elevated voice-drift risk for the run
- Lore index updates: throttled from every chapter to every 3 chapters; lore is
stable after the first few chapters (~10% token saving per book)
- Mid-gen consistency check: now samples first 2 + last 8 chapters instead of passing
full manuscript — caps token cost regardless of book length
story/writer.py:
- Two-pass polish: added local filter-word density check (no API call); skips the
Pro polish if density < 1 per 83 words — saves ~8K tokens on already-clean drafts
- Polish prompt: added prev_context_block for continuity — polished chapter now
maintains seamless flow from the previous chapter's ending
marketing/fonts.py:
- Separated requests.exceptions.Timeout with specific log message vs generic failure
- Added explicit log message when Roboto fallback also fails (returns None)
marketing/blurb.py:
- Added word count trim: blurbs > 220 words trimmed to last sentence within 220 words
- Changed bare except to except Exception as e with log message
- Added utf-8 encoding to file writes; logs final word count
Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
- Each chapter card now has a footer with Prev/Next chapter anchor links
- First chapter shows only Next; last chapter shows 'End of Book'
- Back to Top link on every chapter footer
- Added get_chapter_neighbours() helper in story/bible_tracker.py for
programmatic chapter sequence navigation
Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
- writer.py: Dynamic character injection — only POV + beat-named characters
are sent to the writer prompt, eliminating token waste and hallucinations
from characters unrelated to the current scene.
- writer.py: Smart tail truncation — prev_content trimmed to last 1,000 tokens
(the actual chapter ending) instead of a blind 2,000-token head slice,
preserving the exact hand-off point for continuity.
- writer.py: Scene state injected into char_visuals — current_location,
time_of_day, and held_items now surfaced per relevant character in prompt.
- bible_tracker.py: update_tracking expanded to record current_location,
time_of_day, and held_items per character after each chapter.
- core/config.py: VERSION bumped 1.4.0 → 1.5.0.
- README.md: Story Generation section and tracking_characters.json schema
updated to document new context optimization features.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
