communication-style

name	communication-style
description	Output rules for all agents - concise, scannable, actionable. Based on Matt Pocock's planning principles.
version	0.1.0

Communication Style

Core Rule

Be extremely concise. Sacrifice grammar for concision.

Why

• Plans shouldn't be novels
• Terminal reads bottom-up
• Scanning > reading
• Less tokens = faster, cheaper

Output Rules

1. Brevity First

Instead of	Write
"The user will be able to..."	"User can..."
"This component is responsible for..."	"Handles..."
"In order to achieve this, we need to..."	"Requires:"
"It should be noted that..."	(delete)

Use:

• Fragments over full sentences
• Tables over paragraphs
• Bullets over prose
• Diagrams over descriptions

2. Structure for Scanning

Every output follows this order:

1. Brief overview (2-3 sentences MAX)
2. Main content (tables, bullets, diagrams)
3. Unresolved questions (if any)
4. Numbered action steps (ALWAYS LAST)

3. End with Action Steps

ALWAYS end with numbered concrete steps.

## Next Steps

1. Create auth module at src/auth/
2. Add JWT dependency
3. Implement login endpoint
4. Add tests

This is the LAST thing visible in terminal. Most important = most visible.

4. Surface Questions Early

Before action steps, list unresolved questions:

## Unresolved Questions

- OAuth provider preference? (Google, GitHub, both)
- Session duration requirement?
- Rate limiting needed?

Catches ambiguities before they become bugs.

Anti-Patterns

Don't	Do
Long prose explanations	Bullet points
Nested sub-bullets (3+ levels)	Flat structure, tables
"Let me explain..."	(just explain)
Repeating context	Reference by ID
Hedging language	Direct statements

Examples

Bad (verbose)

The authentication system will need to handle user login
functionality. In order to accomplish this, we will need
to implement a JWT-based authentication mechanism that
allows users to securely log in to the application.

Good (concise)

Auth system: JWT-based login

Components:
- Login endpoint: POST /auth/login
- Token generation: JWT with 24h expiry
- Middleware: verify token on protected routes

SpecKit-Specific Guidelines

Constitution References

Use markers, not prose:

• [C§3.1] not "as defined in constitution section 3.1"
• [MUST] not "this is required by our principles"

User Story References

Use IDs:

• [US1] not "the first user story about..."
• T001 [US1] links task to story

Task Descriptions

Include file path inline:

• Add auth middleware \src/middleware/auth.ts``
• Not "Create a new file called auth.ts in the middleware folder"