@soleur/opencode 0.0.0-stage → 1.0.0

package/skills/skill-creator/references/be-clear-and-direct.md

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+<golden_rule>
+Show your skill to someone with minimal context and ask them to follow the instructions. If they're confused, Claude will likely be too.
+</golden_rule>
+
+<overview>
+Clarity and directness are fundamental to effective skill authoring. Clear instructions reduce errors, improve execution quality, and minimize token waste.
+</overview>
+
+<guidelines>
+<contextual_information>
+Give Claude contextual information that frames the task:
+
+- What the task results will be used for
+- What audience the output is meant for
+- What workflow the task is part of
+- The end goal or what successful completion looks like
+
+Context helps Claude make better decisions and produce more appropriate outputs.
+
+<example>
+```markdown
+## Context
+
+This analysis will be presented to investors who value transparency and actionable insights. Focus on financial metrics and clear recommendations.
+
+```
+</example>
+</contextual_information>
+
+<specificity>
+Be specific about what you want Claude to do. If you want code only and nothing else, say so.
+
+**Vague**: "Help with the report"
+**Specific**: "Generate a markdown report with three sections: Executive Summary, Key Findings, Recommendations"
+
+**Vague**: "Process the data"
+**Specific**: "Extract customer names and email addresses from the CSV file, removing duplicates, and save to JSON format"
+
+Specificity eliminates ambiguity and reduces iteration cycles.
+</specificity>
+
+<sequential_steps>
+Provide instructions as sequential steps. Use numbered lists or bullet points.
+
+```markdown
+## Workflow
+
+1. Extract data from source file
+2. Transform to target format
+3. Validate transformation
+4. Save to output file
+5. Verify output correctness
+
+```
+
+Sequential steps create clear expectations and reduce the chance Claude skips important operations.
+</sequential_steps>
+</guidelines>
+
+<example_comparison>
+<unclear_example>
+
+```markdown
+## Quick Start
+
+Please remove all personally identifiable information from these customer feedback messages: {{FEEDBACK_DATA}}
+
+```
+
+**Problems**:
+
+- What counts as PII?
+- What should replace PII?
+- What format should the output be?
+- What if no PII is found?
+- Should product names be redacted?
+</unclear_example>
+
+<clear_example>
+
+```markdown
+## Objective
+
+Anonymize customer feedback for quarterly review presentation.
+
+## Quick Start
+
+### Instructions
+
+1. Replace all customer names with "CUSTOMER_[ID]" (e.g., "Jane Doe" → "CUSTOMER_001")
+2. Replace email addresses with "EMAIL_[ID]@example.com"
+3. Redact phone numbers as "PHONE_[ID]"
+4. If a message mentions a specific product (e.g., "AcmeCloud"), leave it intact
+5. If no PII is found, copy the message verbatim
+6. Output only the processed messages, separated by "---"
+
+Data to process: {{FEEDBACK_DATA}}
+
+## Success Criteria
+
+- All customer names replaced with IDs
+- All emails and phones redacted
+- Product names preserved
+- Output format matches specification
+
+```
+
+**Why this is better**:
+
+- States the purpose (quarterly review)
+- Provides explicit step-by-step rules
+- Defines output format clearly
+- Specifies edge cases (product names, no PII found)
+- Defines success criteria
+</clear_example>
+</example_comparison>
+
+<key_differences>
+The clear version:
+
+- States the purpose (quarterly review)
+- Provides explicit step-by-step rules
+- Defines output format
+- Specifies edge cases (product names, no PII found)
+- Includes success criteria
+
+The unclear version leaves all these decisions to Claude, increasing the chance of misalignment with expectations.
+</key_differences>
+
+<show_dont_just_tell>
+<principle>
+When format matters, show an example rather than just describing it.
+</principle>
+
+<telling_example>
+
+```markdown
+## Commit Messages
+
+Generate commit messages in conventional format with type, scope, and description.
+
+```
+
+</telling_example>
+
+<showing_example>
+
+```markdown
+## Commit Message Format
+
+Generate commit messages following these examples:
+
+<example number="1">
+<input>Added user authentication with JWT tokens</input>
+
+### Output
+
+```
+
+feat(auth): implement JWT-based authentication
+
+Add login endpoint and token validation middleware
+
+```
+</output>
+</example>
+
+<example number="2">
+<input>Fixed bug where dates displayed incorrectly in reports</input>
+<output>
+```
+
+fix(reports): correct date formatting in timezone conversion
+
+Use UTC timestamps consistently across report generation
+
+```
+</output>
+</example>
+
+Follow this style: type(scope): brief description, then detailed explanation.
+</commit_message_format>
+```
+
+</showing_example>
+
+<why_showing_works>
+Examples communicate nuances that text descriptions can't:
+
+- Exact formatting (spacing, capitalization, punctuation)
+- Tone and style
+- Level of detail
+- Pattern across multiple cases
+
+Claude learns patterns from examples more reliably than from descriptions.
+</why_showing_works>
+</show_dont_just_tell>
+
+<avoid_ambiguity>
+<principle>
+Eliminate words and phrases that create ambiguity or leave decisions open.
+</principle>
+
+<ambiguous_phrases>
+❌ **"Try to..."** - Implies optional
+✅ **"Always..."** or **"Never..."** - Clear requirement
+
+❌ **"Should probably..."** - Unclear obligation
+✅ **"Must..."** or **"May optionally..."** - Clear obligation level
+
+❌ **"Generally..."** - When are exceptions allowed?
+✅ **"Always... except when..."** - Clear rule with explicit exceptions
+
+❌ **"Consider..."** - Should Claude always do this or only sometimes?
+✅ **"If X, then Y"** or **"Always..."** - Clear conditions
+</ambiguous_phrases>
+
+<example>
+❌ **Ambiguous**:
+```markdown
+## Validation
+
+You should probably validate the output and try to fix any errors.
+
+```
+
+✅ **Clear**:
+
+```markdown
+## Validation
+
+Always validate output before proceeding:
+
+```bash
+python scripts/validate.py output_dir/
+```
+
+If validation fails, fix errors and re-validate. Only proceed when validation passes with zero errors.
+
+```
+</example>
+</avoid_ambiguity>
+
+<define_edge_cases>
+<principle>
+Anticipate edge cases and define how to handle them. Don't leave Claude guessing.
+</principle>
+
+<without_edge_cases>
+```markdown
+## Quick Start
+
+Extract email addresses from the text file and save to a JSON array.
+
+```
+
+**Questions left unanswered**:
+
+- What if no emails are found?
+- What if the same email appears multiple times?
+- What if emails are malformed?
+- What JSON format exactly?
+</without_edge_cases>
+
+<with_edge_cases>
+
+```markdown
+## Quick Start
+
+Extract email addresses from the text file and save to a JSON array.
+
+### Edge Cases
+
+- **No emails found**: Save empty array `[]`
+- **Duplicate emails**: Keep only unique emails
+- **Malformed emails**: Skip invalid formats, log to stderr
+- **Output format**: Array of strings, one email per element
+
+### Example Output
+
+```json
+[
+  "user1@example.com",
+  "user2@example.com"
+]
+```
+
+```
+</with_edge_cases>
+</define_edge_cases>
+
+<output_format_specification>
+<principle>
+When output format matters, specify it precisely. Show examples.
+</principle>
+
+<vague_format>
+```markdown
+## Output
+
+Generate a report with the analysis results.
+
+```
+
+</vague_format>
+
+<specific_format>
+
+```markdown
+## Output Format
+
+Generate a markdown report with this exact structure:
+
+```markdown
+# Analysis Report: [Title]
+
+## Executive Summary
+[1-2 paragraphs summarizing key findings]
+
+## Key Findings
+- Finding 1 with supporting data
+- Finding 2 with supporting data
+- Finding 3 with supporting data
+
+## Recommendations
+1. Specific actionable recommendation
+2. Specific actionable recommendation
+
+## Appendix
+[Raw data and detailed calculations]
+```
+
+**Requirements**:
+
+- Use exactly these section headings
+- Executive summary must be 1-2 paragraphs
+- List 3-5 key findings
+- Provide 2-4 recommendations
+- Include appendix with source data
+
+```
+</specific_format>
+</output_format_specification>
+
+<decision_criteria>
+<principle>
+When Claude must make decisions, provide clear criteria.
+</principle>
+
+<no_criteria>
+```markdown
+## Workflow
+
+Analyze the data and decide which visualization to use.
+
+```
+
+**Problem**: What factors should guide this decision?
+</no_criteria>
+
+<with_criteria>
+
+```markdown
+## Workflow
+
+Analyze the data and select appropriate visualization:
+
+### Decision Criteria
+
+**Use bar chart when**:
+- Comparing quantities across categories
+- Fewer than 10 categories
+- Exact values matter
+
+**Use line chart when**:
+- Showing trends over time
+- Continuous data
+- Pattern recognition matters more than exact values
+
+**Use scatter plot when**:
+- Showing relationship between two variables
+- Looking for correlations
+- Individual data points matter
+
+```
+
+**Benefits**: Claude has objective criteria for making the decision rather than guessing.
+</with_criteria>
+</decision_criteria>
+
+<constraints_and_requirements>
+<principle>
+Clearly separate "must do" from "nice to have" from "must not do".
+</principle>
+
+<unclear_requirements>
+
+```markdown
+## Requirements
+
+The report should include financial data, customer metrics, and market analysis. It would be good to have visualizations. Don't make it too long.
+
+```
+
+**Problems**:
+
+- Are all three content types required?
+- Are visualizations optional or required?
+- How long is "too long"?
+</unclear_requirements>
+
+<clear_requirements>
+
+```markdown
+## Requirements
+
+### Must Have
+
+- Financial data (revenue, costs, profit margins)
+- Customer metrics (acquisition, retention, lifetime value)
+- Market analysis (competition, trends, opportunities)
+- Maximum 5 pages
+
+### Nice To Have
+
+- Charts and visualizations
+- Industry benchmarks
+- Future projections
+
+### Must Not
+
+- Include confidential customer names
+- Exceed 5 pages
+- Use technical jargon without definitions
+
+```
+
+**Benefits**: Clear priorities and constraints prevent misalignment.
+</clear_requirements>
+</constraints_and_requirements>
+
+<success_criteria>
+<principle>
+Define what success looks like. How will Claude know it succeeded?
+</principle>
+
+<without_success_criteria>
+
+```markdown
+## Objective
+
+Process the CSV file and generate a report.
+
+```
+
+**Problem**: When is this task complete? What defines success?
+</without_success_criteria>
+
+<with_success_criteria>
+
+```markdown
+## Objective
+
+Process the CSV file and generate a summary report.
+
+## Success Criteria
+
+- All rows in CSV successfully parsed
+- No data validation errors
+- Report generated with all required sections
+- Report saved to output/report.md
+- Output file is valid markdown
+- Process completes without errors
+
+```
+
+**Benefits**: Clear completion criteria eliminate ambiguity about when the task is done.
+</with_success_criteria>
+</success_criteria>
+
+<testing_clarity>
+<principle>
+Test your instructions by asking: "Could I hand these instructions to a junior developer and expect correct results?"
+</principle>
+
+<testing_process>
+
+1. Read your skill instructions
+2. Remove context only you have (project knowledge, unstated assumptions)
+3. Identify ambiguous terms or vague requirements
+4. Add specificity where needed
+5. Test with someone who doesn't have your context
+6. Iterate based on their questions and confusion
+
+If a human with minimal context struggles, Claude will too.
+</testing_process>
+</testing_clarity>
+
+<practical_examples>
+<example domain="data_processing">
+❌ **Unclear**:
+
+```markdown
+## Quick Start
+
+Clean the data and remove bad entries.
+
+```
+
+✅ **Clear**:
+
+```markdown
+## Quick Start
+
+### Data Cleaning
+
+1. Remove rows where required fields (name, email, date) are empty
+2. Standardize date format to YYYY-MM-DD
+3. Remove duplicate entries based on email address
+4. Validate email format (must contain @ and domain)
+5. Save cleaned data to output/cleaned_data.csv
+
+### Success Criteria
+
+- No empty required fields
+- All dates in YYYY-MM-DD format
+- No duplicate emails
+- All emails valid format
+- Output file created successfully
+
+```
+
+</example>
+
+<example domain="code_generation">
+❌ **Unclear**:
+```markdown
+## Quick Start
+
+Write a function to process user input.
+
+```
+
+✅ **Clear**:
+
+```markdown
+## Quick Start
+
+### Function Specification
+
+Write a Python function with this signature:
+
+```python
+def process_user_input(raw_input: str) -> dict:
+    """
+    Validate and parse user input.
+
+    Args:
+        raw_input: Raw string from user (format: "name:email:age")
+
+    Returns:
+        dict with keys: name (str), email (str), age (int)
+
+    Raises:
+        ValueError: If input format is invalid
+    """
+```
+
+**Requirements**:
+
+- Split input on colon delimiter
+- Validate email contains @ and domain
+- Convert age to integer, raise ValueError if not numeric
+- Return dictionary with specified keys
+- Include docstring and type hints
+
+### Success Criteria
+
+- Function signature matches specification
+- All validation checks implemented
+- Proper error handling for invalid input
+- Type hints included
+- Docstring included
+
+```
+</example>
+</practical_examples>