| name | skilless.ai-writing |
| description | Help produce written content by researching topics and gathering references. Use when user needs to write articles, emails, documentation, reports, or any content requiring research. Triggers: write, draft, compose, create content, report, article, blog, documentation, summarize, brief, memo. |
Writing Skill
Produce professional, research-backed written content.
Use when user needs to: write reports, articles, emails, documentation, briefs, memos, or any content that requires research and structured presentation.
When to Use
- User asks to "write", "draft", "compose", "create content"
- User needs a report, analysis, or documentation
- User wants an article, blog post, brief, or memo
- Any writing task that benefits from research-backed data and citations
Core Principle
Every piece of writing produced by this skill must be research-first, evidence-based, and professionally structured. Do not write from general knowledge alone — always gather real data, verify claims, and cite sources.
Writing Process
Step 1 — Understand the Brief
Before writing anything, clarify:
- What type of content? Report, article, email, documentation, memo, etc.
- Who is the audience? Executive, technical, general public, etc.
- What tone? Formal, conversational, technical, persuasive, etc.
- What is the desired length? Brief (1-2 pages), standard (3-5 pages), comprehensive (5+ pages)
- Are there specific points or questions to address?
If any of the above is unclear, use the question tool to batch-ask the user before proceeding.
Step 2 — Research (Invoke Research Skill)
Always research before writing. Invoke skilless.ai-research to gather data:
-
Determine research depth based on the writing task:
- Quick email or short summary → L1 (1-2 searches)
- Standard article or comparison → L2 (3-5 searches, 2-4 page reads)
- Full report or deep analysis → L3 (5+ searches, 5+ page reads, cross-source fact-check)
-
Let the research skill handle tool selection — it owns all CLI tools (search, web reader, video transcript extractor, media converter) and will choose the right ones based on the task.
-
Fact-check all key claims following the research skill's fact-check protocol:
- Cross-verify key data from 2-3 independent sources
- Note contradictions and resolve or flag them
- Mark unverified claims explicitly
-
Collect citation data for every fact, statistic, and claim:
- Source title, URL, publication date
- Specific data points with original phrasing
- Author/organization credibility
Step 3 — Outline
Before writing prose, create a structured outline:
- Start with the conclusion / key finding
- Organize supporting sections logically
- Identify where each data point and citation will go
- Ensure every major claim has a source assigned
Step 4 — Write
Follow the report structure defined below. Write clearly, concisely, and professionally.
Step 5 — Review
Before delivering:
- Verify every citation is real and correctly referenced
- Check that the executive summary accurately reflects the full content
- Ensure no unsupported claims remain
- Confirm the output follows the format rules
Report Structure
All reports and substantial writing follow this structure. Adjust section depth based on content length.
1. Executive Summary
Always lead with this. A self-contained summary that a busy reader can use without reading the full report.
Must include:
- Key finding or recommendation — the single most important takeaway, in 1-2 sentences
- Critical data points — the 3-5 most important numbers or facts, with citations
- Context — why this matters, in 1-2 sentences
- Recommended action (if applicable) — what the reader should do
Length: 150-300 words for standard reports, 50-100 words for short briefs.
2. Background / Context
- Why this research was conducted
- Scope and limitations
- Key definitions or assumptions
3. Findings / Analysis
The detailed body of the report. Organize by theme, question, or comparison dimension.
Requirements:
- Every claim backed by specific data — not vague statements like "many users prefer X", but "67% of surveyed users preferred X [3]"
- Concrete numbers — prices, percentages, dates, version numbers, performance metrics
- Source citations on every data point — inline
[1], [2], etc.
- Comparisons use tables when data fits single-line cells
- Contradictions addressed explicitly — "Source A reports X [1], while Source B reports Y [2]. The discrepancy likely stems from [reason]. Source A is considered more reliable because [reason]."
4. Conclusion / Recommendations
- Summarize findings (not a copy of the executive summary — this is more detailed)
- Provide actionable recommendations with rationale
- Note limitations and areas needing further investigation
5. Sources
Full citation list at the end:
## Sources
[1] [Title](URL) — Key data point used
[2] [Title](URL) — Key data point used
[3] [Title](URL) — Key data point used
Writing Standards
Data Quality
- Use specific numbers, not vague language. Instead of "significant growth", write "42% year-over-year growth [2]"
- Include dates and versions. Instead of "the latest version supports X", write "v3.2 (released March 2025) supports X [4]"
- Attribute opinions. Instead of "X is considered the best", write "Gartner ranked X as the market leader in their 2025 report [5]"
- Flag uncertainty. If data is limited, write "Based on available data (single source), X appears to be Y — further verification recommended"
Tone Matching
Adapt tone to the user's request and audience:
| Audience | Tone | Example phrasing |
|---|
| Executive / decision-maker | Formal, concise, action-oriented | "We recommend adopting X based on 35% cost reduction [1]" |
| Technical team | Precise, detailed, specification-focused | "Latency reduced from 120ms to 45ms (p99) under 10K concurrent connections [3]" |
| General public | Clear, accessible, jargon-free | "This means your battery will last about twice as long as the previous model" |
| Internal memo | Direct, brief, bullet-point heavy | "Action needed: approve budget by Friday" |
If the user does not specify tone, default to professional/formal for reports and analysis.
Length Calibration
- Do not pad with filler — every sentence should carry information
- Do not over-compress to the point of losing important nuance
- If the user asks for a "brief" or "summary", aim for 300-500 words
- If the user asks for a "full report" or "detailed analysis", aim for 1000-3000 words
- When in doubt, use the question tool to ask about desired depth
Handling Different Content Types
| Content type | Research depth | Structure | Key focus |
|---|
| Full report / analysis | L3 | Full report structure (exec summary through sources) | Data depth, cross-verification, actionable recommendations |
| Article / blog post | L2-L3 | Hook, body sections, conclusion, sources | Engaging narrative, supported claims, clear takeaways |
| Documentation / guide | L2 | Overview, steps/sections, examples, references | Accuracy, completeness, practical examples |
| Email / memo | L1-L2 | Key point first, supporting details, action items | Brevity, clarity, specific asks |
| Comparison / evaluation | L2-L3 | Exec summary, comparison table, detailed analysis, recommendation | Fair representation, concrete metrics, clear winner/tradeoffs |
Asking the User
Use your environment's built-in question/ask tool when needed. Batch related questions into a single call.
| Situation | Example question(s) |
|---|
| Content type or audience unclear | "To write this effectively: 1) Who is the target audience? 2) What tone — formal report or casual article? 3) Desired length?" |
| Scope too broad to cover well | "This topic is quite broad. Would you like me to: 1) Cover all aspects at a high level 2) Focus deeply on [specific area] 3) Something else?" |
| Research found contradictory data | "My research found conflicting data on [topic]: Source A says X, Source B says Y. How should I handle this in the report? 1) Present both with analysis 2) Go with the more credible source 3) Flag for further investigation" |
| Missing critical information | "I could not find reliable data on [specific point]. Should I: 1) Proceed without it and note the gap 2) Try alternative search approaches 3) Adjust the scope?" |
| Draft complete — follow-up | After delivering the content: "What would you like me to do next? 1) Expand a specific section 2) Adjust tone or format 3) Research additional aspects 4) Create a shorter summary version 5) Something else" |
Output Format
Strict portable Markdown only. Must render correctly in any Markdown editor (GitHub, Obsidian, Typora, VS Code, etc.).
Rules
- No HTML tags — no
<br>, <div>, <table>, <sub>, <sup>, or any HTML whatsoever
- Table cells must be single-line plain text — no line breaks, no nested lists, no multi-line content
- If content does not fit single-line table cells, use a list instead of a table
- Blank lines before and after headings, tables, code blocks, and block quotes
- Fenced code blocks only (triple backticks) — no indented code blocks
- No trailing spaces for line breaks — use separate paragraphs instead
Formatting Toolkit
| Element | Usage |
|---|
| Bold | Key conclusions, important numbers, recommendations |
Lists (- or 1.) | Pros/cons, steps, supporting points |
✅ ❌ ⚠️ | Supported / not supported / caution |
> quote block | Direct quotes from sources |
`inline code` | Technical terms, tool names, commands |
Source Citations
Inline: [1], [2], etc. — placed immediately after the data point they support.
At the end of every document:
## Sources
[1] [Title](URL) — Key data point used
[2] [Title](URL) — Key data point used
Cross-References
- Research & data gathering → Invoke
skilless.ai-research for all search, web reading, video transcript extraction, and media operations. The research skill owns all CLI tools (search, web, youtube, ffmpeg) and defines research depth levels (L1–L3)
- Brief unclear? → Invoke
skilless.ai-brainstorming to clarify scope, audience, and direction before starting the writing process
