tighten-instruction

name	tighten-instruction
description	Make an instruction line read cold: clarify it into plain words, then tighten it to one positive line. TRIGGER when: user says 'tighten/clarify this rule/fact', 'make this leaner/simpler/clearer', 'de-jargon this' in a skill, CLAUDE.md, agent prompt, or rule file.

Tighten Instruction

Two passes in order: clarify the line into plain words, then tighten it to one line — clarity first, so tightening never compresses back into jargon.

Steps

1. State the goal in one sentence: what should the reader do or know after reading it?

2. Clarify — make every phrase read cold (clear on its own). Decompose the line into phrases; name each phrase's intended meaning and fix any that won't land:

   • Jargon → plain word ("down-weight" → "rank lower").
   • Abstraction → concrete verb/noun ("optimize for" → "rank by").
   • Ambiguous referent → name it ("them" / "the better one" → the actual subject).
   • Mismatched verb → the true actor ("pick" when you only recommend → "favor").
   • Cryptic compression → unpack it ("not least effort" → "not the easiest option").

   Spend length here when it buys comprehension; preserve the meaning exactly.

3. Tighten — cut what the clear line doesn't need. Drop any line whose purpose is "restate the goal," "hedge," or "explain why"; collapse clauses the positive form already implies; rename a heading that misnames its content. Never trade a plain word back for jargon to save space.

   Before: "Run tests after edits. Don't skip even for small changes — small changes break things too." After: "Run tests after every edit."

4. Land on one positive line — in the shape the content wants:

   • Instruction → trigger + action: "When X, do Y." / "Use X for Y."
   • Fact → subject + the non-derivable part: "X is Y, not the expected Z." / "X — the constraint/reason." (gotchas, couplings, conventions, rationale all take this shape)
   • If it won't compress to one line: split — it's two.

5. Test it cold. Read the final line without surrounding context — every phrase obvious, the whole line actionable. If not, redo.