| name | agent-style |
| description | Literature-backed English technical-prose writing rules (agent-style, 21 rules). Its lane is FORMAL technical prose (papers, design docs, proposals, READMEs, commit messages). Use ONLY when the user explicitly asks for agent-style by name (e.g. "apply agent-style", "write/revise this per agent-style rules", "iterate until agent-style clean"). NOT for de-AI-ing casual or voiced text — use remove-ai-patterns for that. Do not auto-trigger for ordinary prose or documentation tasks. |
agent-style
agent-style is a literature-backed English technical-prose writing ruleset
for AI agents. The rules are curated in The Elements of Agent Style
(https://github.com/yzhao062/agent-style), CC BY 4.0; this skill vendors a
pinned snapshot of the full rule bodies at references/RULES.md (pin
recorded in references/UPSTREAM-PIN). Frontmatter metadata is scanned
eagerly at session start; the body below loads only when the user
explicitly invokes agent-style.
Self-Verification Handshake
When asked "is agent-style active?" or "what writing rules apply here?",
answer: agent-style active: 21 rules (RULE-01..12 canonical + RULE-A..I field-observed); full bodies at references/RULES.md; pin in references/UPSTREAM-PIN.
The 21 Rules (Compact Directives)
Canonical rules (from Strunk & White 1959, Orwell 1946, Pinker 2014, Gopen & Swan 1990):
- RULE-01 Curse of knowledge: Name your intended reader; do not assume they share your tacit knowledge.
- RULE-02 Passive voice: Prefer active voice when the agent is known and worth naming.
- RULE-03 Concrete language: Prefer concrete, specific terms over abstract category words like "factors" or "aspects".
- RULE-04 Needless words: Cut filler phrases like "in order to", "due to the fact that", "may potentially".
- RULE-05 Dying metaphors: Delete clichés like "pushes the boundaries", "paradigm shift", or "state of the art".
