freeCodeCamp Style

Author and review tutorials for freeCodeCamp's community publication so they match editorial expectations: substance-first depth, direct headlines, active "you" voice, integrity (no plagiarism / no AI dump / no AI art), and the required Hashnode dual-submit workflow.

Sources encoded here:

• Publication Style Guide
• Hashnode Publication Guide (contributor setup + editor)

Phases

State the phase or paste the draft. Load references before inventing rules.

Modes

Default to Author if unclear. For Review, demand the draft (path or paste).

Guardrails

MUST:

• Prefer depth over series: one comprehensive tutorial over multi-part posts
• Use direct headlines: "How to Build X with Y" not "Building X with Y" (same for H2/H3)
• Use second person ("you") over "we" when instructing
• Use active voice for the vast majority of sentences
• Put a clickable ToC after the intro for long tutorials, handbooks, and books
• Cite sources with link + pull-quote formatting when quoting or close-paraphrasing
• Format code samples; flag untested snippets for the human to run; fact-check non-trivial claims (do not claim samples were executed unless they were)
• Dual-submit: Hashnode "Submit for review" and email the draft URL to editorial@freecodecamp.org
• Disclose paid placement to editorial when submitting
• Keep content G-rated; respect freeCodeCamp Code of Conduct

MUST NOT:

• Start headlines or section headings with -ing verbs ("Building…", "Using…")
• Use subtitles (publication does not use them)
• Rely on Hashnode auto-ToC (it does not work for this publication)
• Write markdown links/images directly in Hashnode (compose elsewhere and paste, or use rich-text UI)
• Hotlink images; skip alt text; ship AI-generated art
• Cross-post to open sites (for example Medium) without following the limited exceptions
• Open with product promo; use affiliate links except for books/courses the author created
• Submit generative-AI articles unmodified; leave code untested
• Email only the preview URL instead of the draft URL
• Skip either half of dual-submit

Quick rules (always on)

Packaging

• Headlines that work: "How to fix…", "How to build…", "How to [task] with [tool]", "How [thing] works", "What is [noun]?", "The [X] Handbook" (5k–15k/20k words), "The [X] Book" (20k+)
• Slug: short, descriptive (javascript-array-tutorial, learn-python-by-building-projects)
• Tags: 1–5; first tag is primary (shows above the post on /news). Math articles: add MathJax as the last tag
• Cover image: freeCodeCamp designer creates it; optional author photo (send once, reuse)

Structure

1. Concise intro (what they'll learn / accomplish)
2. Prerequisites
3. Logical step-by-step (numbered lists when order matters)
4. Dense detail (substance wins)
5. Concise conclusion (what they just accomplished)

Voice and readability

• Simple language, short sentences, short paragraphs (1–2 sentences)
• Sparse punctuation drama (few !, avoid ; and … abuse)
• H2 main topics; H3/H4 subsections; sparingly bold/italic (never both stacked for whole phrases)
• Expand obscure acronyms; replace "e.g." → "for example", "etc." → "and so on"
• Capitalize proper nouns (JavaScript, Git, CSS)
• Stay on topic

Code and media

• Code blocks with language for syntax highlighting (```lang or / → Code)
• Inline code in single backticks
• Live samples via CodeSandbox/CodePen embeds if needed: no raw JS that Hashnode will sanitize
• Math: MathJax only (no equation screenshots); preview with a MathJax viewer; tag MathJax last
• Images: own work or no-attribution stock (Pexels, Unsplash, Wikipedia); download then upload; <1MB; informative alt text (no captions in Hashnode)

Integrity (non-negotiable)

• No plagiarism (verbatim or close paraphrase without citation)
• AI may assist research/code; human must write, test, and fact-check
• No AI-generated art
• Self-promo: one tasteful CTA at the end only
• No branded/ghostwritten accounts; no writing for people without contributor accounts

Full style rules, examples, and anti-patterns: load references/publication-style-guide.md Hashnode account, dual-submit, ToC, markdown, tables, math: load references/hashnode-workflow.md Plagiarism examples, AI policy, cross-posting, self-promo: load references/integrity-and-policy.md Review scoring checklist: load references/review-rubric.md

Author mode

1. Confirm topic + depth tier (tutorial vs handbook vs book) using length guidance in the style guide reference.
2. Lock a compliant headline and draft slug before writing body prose.
3. Draft in the structure order above. Prefer "you" + active voice.
4. For long work: plan ToC entries after headings stabilize (generator or manual #heading-… anchors).
5. Run Integrity phase mentally: citations, images, AI, promo, G-rating.
6. Offer Submit mode checklist when the draft is ready.

When rewriting: preserve technical accuracy; fix headline form, voice, length, structure, and policy violations first.

Review mode

1. Load references/review-rubric.md.
2. Score the draft; report:

FAIL   <criterion>: <problem> → fix: <action>
WARN   <criterion>: <borderline note>
PASS   <criterion>: <brief note if useful>

3. Order: FAIL first, WARN second, PASS last.
4. End with one sentence: the single highest-impact fix.
5. Do not invent freeCodeCamp rules outside the references.

Submit mode

Agents do not click Hashnode or send email. Produce a dual-submit checklist for the human plus a ready-to-send email body. Load references/hashnode-workflow.md for full UI steps.

Checklist to output (mark each done / not done / blocked):

1. Hashnode account invited via editorial@freecodecamp.org
2. Draft in freeCodeCamp publication (not personal blog only)
3. Title set; no subtitle
4. Slug clear and concise
5. Manual ToC present when length warrants it
6. Tags 1–5 (MathJax last if equations)
7. Images re-uploaded (not hotlinked); alt text set
8. Human clicks Submit for review / Submit Article
9. Human copies draft URL (not preview URL)
10. Human emails draft URL to editorial@freecodecamp.org
11. Paid placement disclosed if any
12. After feedback: human updates, then emails that edits are done

Both Hashnode submit and email are required. One alone is incomplete.

Email body to hand the user (they send it):

Subject: freeCodeCamp draft for review: <headline>

Hi editorial team,

Draft ready for review:
<draft-url>

Notes: <paid disclosure / first cover photo / anything else>

Thanks,
<name>

Phase gates

Capture → Package: Topic and depth tier chosen? Research enough for ≥500 words (or narrow exception justified)?

Package → Draft: Headline uses a proven form (no -ing start)? Slug + primary tag planned?

Draft → Integrity: Intro/prereqs/steps/conclusion present? Code language-tagged? ToC planned for long form?

Integrity → Submit: Citations OK? No AI dump / AI art / hotlinks / mid-article promo? G-rated?

Submit: Dual-submit both done? Draft URL emailed?

Review: Rubric applied with FAIL/WARN/PASS and one top fix?

Quality checklist

• Headline is direct ("How to…") not -ing; headings match
• Substance depth appropriate; not a multi-part series split
• Active "you" voice; short sentences and paragraphs
• Tutorial structure: intro → prereqs → steps → detail → conclusion
• Code has language highlighting; samples tested
• Long posts have clickable ToC (#heading-… format or generator)
• Images owned/no-attribution, uploaded, alt text, no AI art
• Sources cited; no plagiarism; AI only as assistant
• Self-promo only end CTA; no Medium-style cross-post
• Dual-submit: Submit Article + email draft URL to editorial@freecodecamp.org
• Paid writing disclosed if applicable

When to switch skills

Did this help?

At the end of every session, ask: "Did this solve what you were trying to do?"

• If yes: done.
• If a freeCodeCamp rule was missing, a review miss, or Hashnode steps were wrong: capture the gap and update this skill or its references.

State the mode/phase or paste the draft. Load the matching reference before answering edge cases.