Chapter Set Planning

Order at least two locked chapters, find bridge tracks between them, refine any internal sequences, and optionally export the approved full plan for Rekordbox.

Start here

Plan a long set from several crates.

Safety: Read only until export

Time: Scope-dependent; driven by chapter count, bridge searches, and refinement.
You'll get: An approved chapter-and-bridge set plan, with an optional playlist XML file for Rekordbox.

Planning is read-only. Optional playlist export can also write and clear unrelated metadata that is already staged; review staged changes before exporting.

Export creates a backup and an XML file. Keep the XML until you have imported it and verified the result in Rekordbox.

Plan a set from my locked chapters.

What happens next

Define the chapters. Start from playlists already built and validated with Pool Building, and mark each one as fixed sequence or unordered improvisation.
Shape the night. Compare chapter orders against the intended overall energy arc and choose boundary tracks where needed.
Find and judge bridges. Review one to three connecting tracks for each boundary, then refine any chapter sequence that makes the transition weak.
Approve and export. Confirm chapter order, bridges, internal sequences, and unrelated staged metadata before creating optional playlist XML.

Decisions and approval checkpoints

A chapter is a locked pool you have validated. A bridge is a short run that connects one chapter’s boundary to the next. The set plan combines chapter order, bridges, and the overall energy arc.
At least two chapter playlists and a sequenced/unordered decision for each are hard requirements. Missing BPM, key, genre, or optional analysis weakens the relevant scoring axis rather than blocking the plan.
Stratum can contribute BPM/key evidence; Essentia improves energy, brightness, rhythm, and timbral evidence but remains optional.
Approve every bridge and any proposed internal reordering before the plan is treated as complete.

Use Set Building for one fixed sequence and Pool Building when you only need a compatible unordered crate.

What changes and how to recover

The plan lives in the conversation. Chapter playlists persist, but ordering and bridge choices must be reconstructed after a restart. Change the chapter order, boundary tracks, or scoring preferences and revisit only the affected bridge when a transition fails. Saved scoring information may remain available.

Playlist export also writes and clears unrelated staged metadata, so inspect all prepared changes first and complete their separate metadata handoff when needed. Export fails closed unless the built-in database backup succeeds or the configured custom backup script exits zero. A failed export restores staged metadata for retry.

Finish in Rekordbox

Keep every exported XML and follow the playlist XML import steps. Verify each imported playlist’s name, count, and order—including chapter boundaries—before cleanup. Use the separate All Tracks flow for any included staged metadata.

Technical details

Before playlist export: export also writes any metadata already staged by another workflow and clears it from memory. Review staged changes first and complete the separate metadata XML handoff when needed.

Technical details, safety, and recovery

Complete reference

Workflow contract

Collection read-only

Order locked chapters, find bridge tracks, refine internal sequences, and optionally export the full plan.

Best for: DJs planning a longer performance from multiple approved pools or chapters.
Network: No networkChapter, bridge, and sequence scoring use Rekordbox metadata plus local cached analysis.
Scope: The selected chapters, every boundary between them, and optional internal sequencing.
Time: Scope-dependent; driven by chapter count, bridge searches, and refinement.
Resuming: The plan lives in the conversation, not a durable workflow cursor. Chapter playlists persist, but ordering and bridge choices must be reconstructed after restart.
Result: An approved chapter-and-bridge set plan, with an optional playlist XML file for Rekordbox.

What can change

Staged metadata: This workflow does not create staged metadata.
Direct user files: None.
Local state: Timbral normalization statistics When needed — Pool or bridge scoring has enough Essentia vectors and the derived statistics need to be created, refreshed, or cleared.
Saved scoring preset Optional — The user chooses to save custom pool or transition weights.
Files created: Rekordbox database backup On export — XML export proceeds only after the built-in backup succeeds or the configured custom script exits zero
Playlist XML file On export — The user approves the complete set plan for export.

Existing staged changes: playlist export also writes any metadata already staged by another workflow and clears it from memory. Run preview_changes before export and complete the separate metadata XML handoff when needed.

Before you start

At least two locked chapter playlists.
A sequenced or unordered choice for every chapter.
Valid bridge candidates and pool/set parameters; missing scoring axes degrade rather than block.

Approval checkpoints

Approve chapter order, bridge choices, and any proposed internal sequences.
Approve the complete plan and any optional per-chapter exports.
Preview unrelated staged metadata, then confirm the Rekordbox playlist import.

Recovery

Change chapter order, boundary tracks, or scoring parameters and re-run the affected bridge search.
If export fails, retry; staged metadata taken for the export is restored on failure.
Keep the XML until every imported playlist’s name, count, and order are verified.

Rekordbox handoff

Playlist XML file On export — The approved full plan or optional chapter playlists are exported.
Metadata XML file When needed — The playlist export also includes unrelated metadata that was already staged.

Next steps

Pool Building — create or refine a chapter
Set Building — build a single fixed sequence
Agent SOP: Chapter Set Planning — advanced, model-facing operational instructions