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mcclowes/google-style-guide

Use when writing or reviewing technical documentation to follow Google's documentation style guide — enforce active voice and present tense, apply sentence case to headings, fix list and procedure formatting, mark code/UI elements correctly, flag non-inclusive terminology, and remove time-specific phrasing. Triggers on tasks involving technical writing, doc review, style consistency, inclusive language, or formatting standards.

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SKILL.md

name:
google-style-guide
description:
Use when writing or reviewing technical documentation to follow Google's documentation style guide — enforce active voice and present tense, apply sentence case to headings, fix list and procedure formatting, mark code/UI elements correctly, flag non-inclusive terminology, and remove time-specific phrasing. Triggers on tasks involving technical writing, doc review, style consistency, inclusive language, or formatting standards.
license:
CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
{"author":"mcclowes","version":"1.0.0","attribution":"Adapted from the Google developer documentation style guide (https://developers.google.com/style), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Modified and condensed into skill form."}

Google Style Guide

Attribution: This skill adapts material from the Google developer documentation style guide, © Google, licensed under CC BY 4.0. The content here has been condensed and restructured into skill form. As a derivative work it is distributed under the same CC BY 4.0 license — not MIT.

Quick Start

Apply Google's documentation style guide principles to technical writing:

  • Use active voice and present tense
  • Write clear, concise headings
  • Use numbered lists for procedures, bulleted lists for non-sequential items
  • Put conditional clauses before instructions

Core Principles

  • Clarity first: Write for software developers and technical practitioners
  • Consistency: Follow project-specific > Google > third-party style guides
  • Accessibility: Use inclusive language and consider global audiences
  • Timeless: Avoid time-specific references; use "currently" or "as of [date]"
  • Reader-focused: Prioritize user understanding over strict grammatical rules

Common Patterns

Voice and Tense

Use active voice and present tense. Example: "The API returns..." not "The API will return..."

Headings

Use sentence case for headings. Make them descriptive and actionable.

Lists and Procedures

  • Numbered lists: For sequential steps
  • Bulleted lists: For non-sequential items
  • Start each item with a capital letter

Code and UI Elements

  • Use code font for code elements, filenames, and UI elements
  • Use bold for UI elements users interact with
  • Use descriptive placeholder names like YOUR_PROJECT_ID

Worked Example

Several rules usually apply at once. Before/after for a typical doc sentence:

Before: "Once the Configuration File has been Edited by the user, the changes will be applied by the system and the build process will then be triggered."

After: "After you edit the config file, the system applies your changes and triggers the build."

What changed: passive → active voice; future → present tense; title case → sentence case; wordy clauses tightened; filename in code font.

Review Workflow

When reviewing a doc, make one focused pass per concern rather than reading once and hoping to catch everything:

  1. Voice & tense — rewrite passive/future-tense sentences as active present tense.
  2. Structure & headings — sentence-case headings; numbered lists for steps, bullets otherwise.
  3. Formatting — code font for code/filenames/UI, bold for interactive elements, descriptive placeholders.
  4. Inclusive & timeless language — flag biased terms and time-specific phrasing (see references).

Reference Files

For detailed documentation, see:

  • references/language-grammar.md - Voice, tense, pronouns
  • references/formatting.md - Dates, numbers, lists
  • references/inclusive-language.md - Accessibility guidelines

Notes

  • Official guide: https://developers.google.com/style
  • Third-party references: Merriam-Webster (spelling), Chicago Manual of Style
  • When in doubt: Choose clarity over strict rule adherence

README.md

SKILL.md

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