making-waffles
Scannednpx machina-cli add skill oaustegard/claude-skills/making-waffles --openclawWAFFLES Declaration Generator
Generate preemptive clarifications listing what a post explicitly does NOT say, helping low-context readers avoid misinterpretation.
Background
"WAFFLES" originated from Bluesky's October 2025 controversy. A meme satirized how users read hostile implications into innocuous posts: "(bluesky user bursts into Waffle House) OH SO YOU HATE PANCAKES??" CEO Jay Graber's reply of "WAFFLES!" to an off-topic comment sparked platform-wide debate. The term evolved into a declaration format pioneered by @gracekind.net ā a preemptive list of things a post does NOT claim.
When Triggered
Generate a WAFFLES Declaration when user:
- Explicitly requests WAFFLES or "waffle declaration"
- Asks "what might people misread into this?"
- Wants to preempt bad-faith interpretations
- Has a nuanced take on contested territory
- Says "help me clarify what I'm not saying"
Generation Process
Given post text, produce 12-20 declarations across these dimensions:
| Category | What to identify |
|---|---|
| Emotional scope | Extremes, permanence, or intensity not claimed |
| Universality | Generalizations the author isn't making |
| Policy/advocacy | Positions not being endorsed |
| Judgments | Evaluations not being rendered |
| Temporal claims | Timelines or permanence not asserted |
| Adjacent hot-takes | Related controversial positions not implied |
| Inverses | Opposite claims also not being made |
| Meta-claims | Authority or expertise not asserted |
Output Format
š§ WAFFLES DECLARATION š¦
aka things this post doesn't say:
ā [declaration 1]
ā [declaration 2]
...
Use varied phrasing:
- "This post does not claim..."
- "The author is not saying..."
- "This is not an argument that..."
- "Nothing here suggests..."
Quality Criteria
Declarations should be:
- Plausible: Things a reasonable but uncharitable reader might actually misread
- Balanced: Include both "sides" when touching contested territory
- Concise: One line each, clear and direct
- Useful: Genuinely clarifying, not padding
Prioritize likely misinterpretations over implausible ones. A good declaration makes the reader think "oh, I might have assumed that."
Source
git clone https://github.com/oaustegard/claude-skills/blob/main/making-waffles/SKILL.mdView on GitHub Overview
WAFFLES Declaration Generator creates preemptive clarifications listing what a post does NOT claim. It outputs 12-20 concise declarations across eight dimensions to help readers avoid misinterpretation, especially on controversial or nuanced topics. This makes the post safer to share and easier to understand for low-context audiences.
How This Skill Works
Given a post, the tool analyzes triggers like explicit WAFFLES requests or misread prompts and then generates 12-20 one-line declarations across categories: Emotional scope, Universality, Policy/advocacy, Judgments, Temporal claims, Adjacent hot-takes, Inverses, and Meta-claims. It uses varied phrasing (e.g., This post does not claim..., The author is not saying..., Nothing here suggests...) to keep declarations clear and plausible.
When to Use It
- You or a client explicitly request WAFFLES or a waffle declaration.
- Someone asks, 'what might people misread into this?'
- You want to preempt bad-faith interpretations or add disclaimers for controversial topics.
- The post presents a nuanced or contested stance that could be read in multiple ways.
- You want to clarify what you're not saying in a post.
Quick Start
- Step 1: Paste the post text you want to clarify.
- Step 2: Run the WAFFLES Declaration Generator to produce 12-20 declarations.
- Step 3: Place the output in the 'š§ WAFFLES DECLARATION š¦' format and review for your audience.
Best Practices
- Ensure each declaration is plausible and not a strawman, focusing on likely misinterpretations.
- Balance declarations by acknowledging adjacent or opposing viewpoints when relevant.
- Keep each item to one concise sentence; aim for clear, direct phrasing.
- Prioritize declarations that reduce common misreadings for your target audience.
- Use varied phrasing and consistently format declarations in the WAFFLES output style.
Example Use Cases
- This post does not claim that all readers hate waffles.
- The author is not saying that waffles are universally better than pancakes.
- This is not an argument that the post endorses a municipal ban on pancakes.
- Nothing here suggests the post reflects a permanent stance on breakfast foods.
- The post does not imply the author has formal expertise in culinary policy.
