AI agent for editors
Book Index Coverage Agent
A verified index draft.
What it does
Book indexes often miss key concepts or point to the wrong pages, especially after late layout changes. This agent runs when pages are set. It identifies candidate index entries from substantive discussion of a concept, not from how often a word appears. For each entry, it checks the page references point to where the concept is actually discussed, not a passing mention. After repagination, it updates every affected reference and checks again. It drafts the index following the publisher's style, and the production editor approves. Edge case: a concept discussed under two different names gets one main entry and a cross-reference, not two separate entries.
How it works
Follow the arrows from top to bottom. The orange dashed arrow is the loop: when a check fails, the agent goes back and tries again.
Read the steps as a list
- Pages set
- Identify candidate concepts
- Check page references
- Do references point to the substantive discussion?If not: update the location. Back to step 3.
- Draft the index
- Production editor approvesThe agent waits here for your OK.
- Verified index draft
How it decides
Substantive coverage over frequency.
- Entries come from substantive discussion, not word counts.
- References point to the main discussion.
- Synonyms get one entry with a cross-reference.
- All references are rechecked after repagination.
Make it yours
Every agent is a starting point. You choose these settings for your own situation.
- Index style guide
- Entry depth (default: two levels)
- Minimum discussion length for an entry (default one paragraph)
- Who approves (default: production editor)
- Output format
What keeps you in control
It always asks you first
- Final indexing
- Print approval
Hard limits
- Draft only.
It stops when
- Done: index verified.
Set it up
We guide you through the set-up, step by step
Members get the full set-up guide for this agent. No technical skills needed: you copy, paste and upload.
- One set of instructions to paste into your AI, with the clicks for ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Gemini and Grok
- The agent then walks you through connecting your own data, one source at a time
- A downloadable copy with the flow chart, the rules and the full guide