What is the main goal of this skill?

To enforce ultra-concise, scan-friendly output formatting for Ralph agents, using fragments, tables, bullets, and a fixed structure.

How are action steps presented?

Always numbered, last in the output, to ensure concrete follow-through.

communication-style

Scanned

npx machina-cli add skill tzachbon/smart-ralph/communication-style --openclaw

Files (1)

SKILL.md

2.7 KB

Communication Style

Be extremely concise. Sacrifice grammar for concision.

Rationale

Plans should not be novels
Terminal reads bottom-up
Scanning beats reading
Fewer 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

Karpathy Alignment

Simplicity First complements these conciseness rules:

Conciseness = fewer words. Simplicity = fewer concepts.
Both reject unnecessary complexity — in prose and in code.
If an explanation could be a table, use a table. If a feature could be skipped, skip it.

Source

git clone https://github.com/tzachbon/smart-ralph/blob/main/plugins/ralph-specum/skills/communication-style/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

Defines scan-friendly, ultra-short output rules for Ralph agents, focusing on brevity over grammar. It emphasizes fragments, tables, and bullets to speed comprehension and reduce token usage, inspired by Matt Pocock planning style.

How This Skill Works

Outputs follow a fixed structure: brief overview (2-3 sentences max), main content (tables, bullets, diagrams), unresolved questions, then numbered action steps. It enforces that the final visible content is the action steps and surfaces questions before them to avoid ambiguity.

When to Use It

When the user asks about output formatting, concise responses, or scannable output for Ralph agents.
When a concise response is required or token usage matters.
When following a planning style similar to Matt Pocock that prioritizes structure and scannability.
When you need output formatted as tables, bullets, or diagrams rather than long prose.
When you must end with concrete, numbered action steps for clear execution.

Quick Start

Step 1: Switch to brevity-first language (fragments, bullets, tables)
Step 2: Structure output as 1) brief overview, 2) main content, 3) unresolved questions, 4) numbered action steps
Step 3: End every response with clearly enumerated steps and surface questions early

Best Practices

Use fragments instead of full sentences to reduce token count.
Prefer tables and bullet lists over long paragraphs.
Structure every output as 1) brief overview, 2) main content, 3) unresolved questions, 4) numbered action steps.
End with numbered action steps that are concrete and actionable.
Surface unresolved questions before action steps to catch ambiguities early.

Example Use Cases

Auth system: JWT-based login Components: - Login endpoint: POST /auth/login - Token generation: JWT with 24h expiry - Middleware: verify token on protected routes
Feature plan: Add two-factor authentication (2FA) Components: - 2FA enrollment endpoint - SMS/Authenticator app integration - Middleware to require 2FA for sensitive routes
Error summary format Issue: API returns 500 on /payments Root cause: Database timeout Mitigation: Increase pool size, retry policy, add circuit breaker
Bug report outline Summary: Unexpected logout on session expiry Steps to reproduce: 1) Login 2) Invalidate session 3) Access protected route Expected: Re-prompt for login; Actual: 401 with vague message
Deployment checklist 1. Pull latest code 2. Run tests 3. Migrate DB 4. Deploy to prod 5. Smoke test

Frequently Asked Questions

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