writing-quality

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description: "Writing-quality guardrails for any prose the agent drafts or edits: pull request descriptions, issue comments, review reports, Linear replies. Use this skill whenever writing or revising content meant for humans to read, to keep the prose natural, plain, and free of AI-sounding phrasing. Not needed for code, queries, or tool plumbing."
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# Writing Quality

House-neutral rules for making drafted content read like a person wrote it. They apply to any prose surface. Layer project- or brand-specific voice guidance on top of them.

## Core Rules

1. Kill the AI tells: em-dash overuse, "delve", "leverage", "it's not just X, it's Y", rule-of-three padding, and the rest of the patterns in `references/ai-phrases-to-avoid.md`.
2. Prefer plain English. Swap bloated or vague wording for the shorter, concrete alternative. `references/plain-english-alternatives.md` is the lookup table.
3. Front-load the point. Lead sentences, paragraphs, and sections with the conclusion, because readers scan.
4. Concrete over abstract. Show an example before stating a principle, and cut hedges like "just", "simply", "very", and "really".
5. Match the user's voice, not a default. When editing existing content, keep its register and conventions. These rules trim the noise; they don't impose a personality.

## References

Review the reference files as well:

- `references/ai-phrases-to-avoid.md`: words, phrases, and punctuation patterns that mark text as AI-generated, with replacements. Load when drafting or editing any prose.
- `references/plain-english-alternatives.md`: plain-English swaps for corporate, padded, or vague wording. Load when drafting or editing any prose.