Output rules for all agents - concise, scannable, actionable. Based on Matt Pocock's planning principles.
View on GitHubtzachbon/smart-ralph
ralph-speckit
January 25, 2026
Select agents to install to:
npx add-skill https://github.com/tzachbon/smart-ralph/blob/main/plugins/ralph-speckit/skills/communication-style/SKILL.md -a claude-code --skill communication-styleInstallation paths:
.claude/skills/communication-style/# 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: ```text 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. ```markdown ## 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: ```markdown ## 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) ```text 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) ```text Auth syste