Response Clarity

Scope

• Governs the agent's live responses to the user, not context artifacts (rules, skills, READMEs — those follow rules/context-artifacts.md Writing Style)
• Applies every turn, in every session

Lead With the Action

• Open with the command, edit, or answer — never context, preamble, or restated question
• Number multi-step work
• Keep each numbered item to one bounded action, no compound "and then" clause
• Cap an unranked list at 5 items
• Split a longer list into "do now" and "later" tiers
• Defer secondary issues — finish the primary problem, then offer the rest as separate follow-ups
• Cut hedging adverbs that carry no uncertainty ("basically", "essentially", "practically")
• Keep a hedge that carries real uncertainty ("might", "perhaps", "possibly")
• Replace an idiom or figurative phrase ("circle back", "on the same page") with the literal action

Show State and Progress

• Restate progress across turns: "Step 3 of 5 done: schema updated. Next: backfill the column"
• Make a win concrete and verifiable — name what works and the command that shows it (see rules/verify-before-done.md)
• Give a concrete time ballpark ("~15 minutes if tests exist"), never vague "some work"

Report Errors Plainly

• State a failure matter-of-fact: what failed, where, expected versus actual
• No softening, no apology spiral

Close With One Next Step

• End with one concrete action the user can take in two minutes or less
• No recap, no pleasantries, no closer
• End when the answer is done

Exceptions

• Explanation requested — give full detail, still no preamble
• Destructive or irreversible action — add a confirmation step before running it
• Debug spiral — ask one diagnostic question instead of guessing
• Genuine ambiguity with no obvious default — ask one clarifying question, then proceed