clearmode
CLEAR-100 v1.0.0. Four axes, 43 rules, one checker.
Aerospace built ASD-STE100 so a mechanic on a runway
could not misread a step. It works, and it reads like a machine wrote it, because it
was built for readers who cannot ask a follow-up question. CLEAR-100 keeps that
discipline and adds the two things STE never needed: a human voice, and a page shape
a person will actually scan.
| Axis |
What it asks |
Weight |
| Plain |
A reader outside your field understands it on the first pass, with no dictionary and no follow-up question. |
30% |
| Human |
It reads like a person who did the work, not like a model that read about the work. |
30% |
| Structured |
The shape of the page matches the shape of the information. Lists look like lists, steps look like steps. |
25% |
| Dense |
Every sentence carries information a reader could not have guessed. Delete it and the piece loses something. |
15% |
Before you write a sentence
Ask three things:
- Would someone outside my field understand this on the first pass?
- Would a person who did this work say it this way out loud?
- If I delete this sentence, does the reader lose anything?
A no to any of them means rewrite, not soften.
Hard rules, no exceptions
- H1 No slop vocabulary. Say the specific thing the word was standing in for. If nothing specific is behind it, delete the sentence.
- H2 No slop phrases. Delete. If the sentence dies without the phrase, the sentence was the phrase.
- H4 No em-dash, no en-dash used as one. Use a period and a new sentence, a comma, a spaced hyphen, or parentheses.
- H6 No negative parallelism. State the claim once, directly.
- H12 No assistant voice. Delete. Published text has no counterparty to be polite to.
- H14 No model self-reference. Delete the sentence and answer the question, or say the fact is unverified and why.
- D3 No throat-clearing opener. Lead with the number, the name, or the claim.
The rest of the rules
Load references/rules.md for all 43 rules with the reason, the fix, and a
before-and-after for each. Load references/lexicons.md for the word lists:
108 slop words, 68 slop phrases,
111 plain-word swaps, 79 jargon glosses.
Profiles
Pick the profile that matches the reader, then hold its limits.
| Setting |
general |
technical |
social |
agent |
| Sentence cap |
25 |
28 |
20 |
20 |
| Sentences per paragraph |
4 |
5 |
2 |
6 |
| Reading grade target |
9 |
11 |
8 |
9 |
| Reading grade hard cap |
13 |
15 |
11 |
12 |
The loop
- Write or read the draft.
- Run the checker:
python3 scripts/clearcheck.py FILE --profile <general|technical|social|agent>.
- Fix every
error. Fix warn unless you can say why the rule is wrong here.
- Re-run. Stop when the score clears the gate (80 by default) and no errors remain.
- Never argue with a rule in the draft. Either fix the line or suppress it with
clear: ignore <RULE> on that line and say why in the commit.
What this skill will not do
- It will not make a false claim readable. Wrong and clear is still wrong.
- It will not strip a technical term that is the subject of the sentence. It glosses it once.
- It will not ban contractions. Formal reads synthetic.
- It will not touch code, code blocks, quoted material, or someone else's words.
1---2name: clearmode3description: Write and edit so anyone can read it: plain words, human voice, real structure, no filler. Enforces the CLEAR-100 standard on four axes (Plain, Human, Structured, Dense) with a zero-dependency checker. Use this skill whenever you draft, rewrite, review, or edit any prose a person will read: posts, docs, READMEs, emails, newsletters, landing pages, release notes, PR descriptions, or instructions for another agent. Also use it when asked to deslop, humanize, simplify, or de-jargon existing text.4license: MIT5---67<!-- generated by scripts/compile_targets.py from rules/clear-100.json. do not hand-edit. -->89# clearmode1011CLEAR-100 v1.0.0. Four axes, 43 rules, one checker.1213Aerospace built [ASD-STE100](https://www.asd-ste100.org/) so a mechanic on a runway14could not misread a step. It works, and it reads like a machine wrote it, because it15was built for readers who cannot ask a follow-up question. CLEAR-100 keeps that16discipline and adds the two things STE never needed: a human voice, and a page shape17a person will actually scan.1819| Axis | What it asks | Weight |20|---|---|---|21| Plain | A reader outside your field understands it on the first pass, with no dictionary and no follow-up question. | 30% |22| Human | It reads like a person who did the work, not like a model that read about the work. | 30% |23| Structured | The shape of the page matches the shape of the information. Lists look like lists, steps look like steps. | 25% |24| Dense | Every sentence carries information a reader could not have guessed. Delete it and the piece loses something. | 15% |2526## Before you write a sentence2728Ask three things:29301. Would someone outside my field understand this on the first pass?312. Would a person who did this work say it this way out loud?323. If I delete this sentence, does the reader lose anything?3334A no to any of them means rewrite, not soften.3536## Hard rules, no exceptions3738- **H1 No slop vocabulary.** Say the specific thing the word was standing in for. If nothing specific is behind it, delete the sentence.39- **H2 No slop phrases.** Delete. If the sentence dies without the phrase, the sentence was the phrase.40- **H4 No em-dash, no en-dash used as one.** Use a period and a new sentence, a comma, a spaced hyphen, or parentheses.41- **H6 No negative parallelism.** State the claim once, directly.42- **H12 No assistant voice.** Delete. Published text has no counterparty to be polite to.43- **H14 No model self-reference.** Delete the sentence and answer the question, or say the fact is unverified and why.44- **D3 No throat-clearing opener.** Lead with the number, the name, or the claim.4546## The rest of the rules4748Load `references/rules.md` for all 43 rules with the reason, the fix, and a49before-and-after for each. Load `references/lexicons.md` for the word lists:50108 slop words, 68 slop phrases,51111 plain-word swaps, 79 jargon glosses.5253## Profiles5455Pick the profile that matches the reader, then hold its limits.5657| Setting | general | technical | social | agent |58|---|---|---|---|---|59| Sentence cap | 25 | 28 | 20 | 20 |60| Sentences per paragraph | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 |61| Reading grade target | 9 | 11 | 8 | 9 |62| Reading grade hard cap | 13 | 15 | 11 | 12 |6364## The loop65661. Write or read the draft.672. Run the checker: `python3 scripts/clearcheck.py FILE --profile <general|technical|social|agent>`.683. Fix every `error`. Fix `warn` unless you can say why the rule is wrong here.694. Re-run. Stop when the score clears the gate (80 by default) and no errors remain.705. Never argue with a rule in the draft. Either fix the line or suppress it with `clear: ignore <RULE>` on that line and say why in the commit.7172## What this skill will not do7374- It will not make a false claim readable. Wrong and clear is still wrong.75- It will not strip a technical term that is the subject of the sentence. It glosses it once.76- It will not ban contractions. Formal reads synthetic.77- It will not touch code, code blocks, quoted material, or someone else's words.
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