---
title: "Update Outline"
method: POST
path: "/api/mcp/update_outline"
tags: ["mcp"]
---

# Update Outline

`POST /api/mcp/update_outline`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://writer.swapp1990.org` (the document declares no server; this is the origin it was published from)
- URL: `https://writer.swapp1990.org/api/mcp/update_outline`
- Auth: none declared

Low-level direct replacement of the plan. Caller sends the full
plan dict; this endpoint does not merge or diff — it replaces.

Prefer refine_outline(apply=true) for conversational edits: it
builds the new plan from the running chat and commits atomically.
Reach for update_outline only when you already have a fully-formed
plan dict (e.g. programmatic transforms, reapplying a saved plan).

Valid after planning has produced a plan, including post-write and
cancelled stories. Written chapter rows remain frozen unless an
outline-review client explicitly sets allow_written_outline_edits.

## Request body

- UpdateOutlineInput
  - `job_id` string, required: The story job ID.
  - `plan` object, required: Full replacement plan. Same shape as output_artifacts.plan.
  - `allow_written_outline_edits` boolean: Allow outline rows for already-written chapters to change while leaving chapter prose untouched. Defaults to false to preserve the legacy prose/outline consistency guard.
  - `target_words_per_chapter` integer, nullable: Optional length override. Updates the writer's per-chapter target. Omit to leave unchanged — there is no other way to edit target length mid-review.

## Response `200`

Successful Response

- GenericToolResponse: Fallback for tools whose payload is still being tightened.
  - `story_url` string, nullable
  - `article_url` string, nullable
  - `job_id` string, nullable
  - `status` string, nullable
  - `is_terminal` boolean, nullable

## Other responses

- `422`: Validation Error

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/swapp1990/apis/writeforyou-mcp-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/swapp1990/apis/writeforyou-mcp-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/swapp1990/apis/writeforyou-mcp-api/revisions/ce5e2a89ab4d?raw)