Communication Style Agent Skill
Output rules for all agents - concise, scannable, actionable. Based on Matt Pocock's planning principles.
Install
one command, takes just this skill from the repositorynpx skills add https://github.com/tzachbon/smart-ralph --skill communication-styleThe instruction itself
16 sections, as written by the authorCommunication 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"
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How to use it
Take tzachbon/communication-style from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal
use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.
The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the
same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.