govuk-style

name	govuk-style
description	Write and edit in GOV.UK / GDS house style: plain English, active voice, front-loaded content, sentence case, and no bold or italics for emphasis. Use when the user asks for GOV.UK or GDS style, or when writing reports, research write-ups, or guidance for external readers. Not for repo docs, UI strings, commit messages, or code comments; those follow writing-voice.
user-invokable	true
args	[{"name":"target","description":"The document or text to write or rewrite in GOV.UK style (optional)","required":false}]

Open the content up so anyone can understand it the first time they read it — without losing any of the substance, nuance or precision. The goal is to open up, not to dumb down. This skill applies the GOV.UK style guide and the Government Digital Service (GDS) content design principles. It is based on the GOV.UK A to Z style guide and writing guidelines (guidance.publishing.service.gov.uk).

Apply it to reports, research write-ups and guidance written for external readers. When you write a report, default to this style. When you brief a research agent, pass this skill so its report follows the same style. Repo documentation, UI strings, commit messages and code comments follow writing-voice instead.

Content design principles

• Start from the user need. Write what the reader needs to know to do or decide something, not what you want to say.
• Front-load everything. Put the most important point first — in the document, each section, each paragraph and each sentence. Use the inverted pyramid: conclusion first, then detail, then background.
• One idea per sentence. One topic per paragraph. If a sentence has more than one idea, split it.