How do I install the Prose skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add davidbaines/prose in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Prose safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Prose?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Prose free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

davidbaines (@davidbaines) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Prose by davidbaines — Agent Skill

Name: Prose
Author: davidbaines

Prose

Review and tighten prose or marketing content so it reads clearer and more natural, free of clichés and the tells that mark text as machine-written, in British English. Use when writing or editing any prose, or when asked to check, review, tighten, or improve a document. Invoke with /prose.

davidbaines 8943c59 2.6 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Apply this whenever you write or edit prose, or when the user asks you to check, review, tighten, or improve a document.

Aim

Make the writing read the way a thoughtful person would actually write it: clear intent, accurate claims, a steady voice, no wasted words. Improve towards that, and leave alone anything that already reaches it.

Cut or fix

Clichés, stock phrases, purple prose, and stacked metaphors. Keep at most one image, and only where it earns its place.
Padding and throat-clearing ("It's important to note...", "When it comes to...").
Empty intensifiers ("very", "really", "truly") and weak adverbs. Prefer a stronger verb.
Hedging, over-qualifying, restated points, and passive voice where the active is clearer.
Em-dashes (—): replace every one. Use a full stop and a new sentence, a colon and a space, or a comma and a space, whichever fits the join. If none of those reads right, rephrase the sentence in plain English and spell the meaning out.
The self-describing words "genuine", "real", and "honest". These qualities are assumed of everything written, so the word states nothing new: drop it, or recast the phrase so the point stands on its own.
Rhetorical contrast framing: "It's not X, it's Y", "It's not about A, it's about B", "not just... but...". State the point directly rather than setting up a foil to knock down.
AI tells: a rule-of-three in every sentence, "let's dive in", "whether you're A or B", words like "elevate", "unlock", "leverage", "delve", "robust", and "seamless", moralising sign-off sentences, and heavy bold or emoji.

Protect (never change)

Facts, figures, names, dates, prices, URLs, and email addresses.
[PLACEHOLDERS], links, code blocks, and document structure: headings, lists, tables, and frontmatter.
The author's voice and intended tone.
British English spelling and conventions.

How to run

Given a file, read it and edit it in place. Make the smallest changes that fix real problems. Do not rewrite wholesale or change meaning.
Writing something new, hold to the same standard as you draft.
Where a change might alter meaning or fact, leave it and flag it.
Finish with a short note of what you changed and why, and anything left for the author to decide.

---name: prosedescription: Review and tighten prose or marketing content so it reads clearer and more natural, free of clichés and the tells that mark text as machine-written, in British English. Use when writing or editing any prose, or when asked to check, review, tighten, or improve a document. Invoke with /prose.---Apply this whenever you write or edit prose, or when the user asks you to check,review, tighten, or improve a document.## AimMake the writing read the way a thoughtful person would actually write it: clearintent, accurate claims, a steady voice, no wasted words. Improve towards that,and leave alone anything that already reaches it.## Cut or fix- Clichés, stock phrases, purple prose, and stacked metaphors. Keep at most one image, and only where it earns its place.- Padding and throat-clearing ("It's important to note...", "When it comes to...").- Empty intensifiers ("very", "really", "truly") and weak adverbs. Prefer a stronger verb.- Hedging, over-qualifying, restated points, and passive voice where the active is clearer.- Em-dashes (—): replace every one. Use a full stop and a new sentence, a colon and a space, or a comma and a space, whichever fits the join. If none of those reads right, rephrase the sentence in plain English and spell the meaning out.- The self-describing words "genuine", "real", and "honest". These qualities are assumed of everything written, so the word states nothing new: drop it, or recast the phrase so the point stands on its own.- Rhetorical contrast framing: "It's not X, it's Y", "It's not about A, it's about B", "not just... but...". State the point directly rather than setting up a foil to knock down.- AI tells: a rule-of-three in every sentence, "let's dive in", "whether you're A or B", words like "elevate", "unlock", "leverage", "delve", "robust", and "seamless", moralising sign-off sentences, and heavy bold or emoji.## Protect (never change)- Facts, figures, names, dates, prices, URLs, and email addresses.- `[PLACEHOLDERS]`, links, code blocks, and document structure: headings, lists, tables, and frontmatter.- The author's voice and intended tone.- British English spelling and conventions.## How to run- Given a file, read it and edit it in place. Make the smallest changes that fix real problems. Do not rewrite wholesale or change meaning.- Writing something new, hold to the same standard as you draft.- Where a change might alter meaning or fact, leave it and flag it.- Finish with a short note of what you changed and why, and anything left for the author to decide.

Frequently asked questions