Folken2 Rewriting selected passages
Rewriting is edit work, not authoring. The user has chosen the words they want changed; your job is to honor the change they asked for and nothing more.
The mandatory prelude
Before producing the rewrite, always:
recall_writing_style— load the voice rulebook. Voice is preserved even on a minimal edit.get_current_selection— read the actual selected text. Never rewrite from memory or paraphrase the user's selection.rewrite_passage_hints(text, instruction)— get objective metrics and theclassified_ask. The classified_ask is the contract for this turn.
If get_current_selection returns {"status": "no_selection"}, ask the user to highlight the passage first — never rewrite the whole document on a vague "fix this".
The rubric (apply in order)
(a) Match the exact ask
The classified_ask from rewrite_passage_hints tells you the shape of the edit:
| classified_ask | Allowed | NOT allowed |
|---|---|---|
minimal-fix |
Change only the broken token (typo, grammar slip). | Touching anything that wasn't wrong. |
shorten |
Cut up to ~30-45% of words. | Adding new ideas. |
expand |
Add detail or examples up to ~60% more. | Padding with hedges or filler. |
clarify |
Restructure or simplify sentences. | Changing the argument or claim. |
raise-register |
More formal word choice, fewer contractions. | Adding pomp the user wouldn't use. |
lower-register |
Looser, contractions, friendlier tone. | Slang the user has never used in style memory. |
rewrite-preserve-meaning |
Voice-match rewrite at same length. | Drifting on meaning to chase prettiness. |
unspecified / other |
Ask the user what they want. | Guessing. |
(b) Keep length within ±20% (unless the ask grows or shrinks it)
The hints tool returns target_word_count_low and target_word_count_high. The rewrite must land inside that window. If it doesn't, trim or expand before returning.
(c) Preserve quotes and citations verbatim
rewrite_passage_hints returns quoted_examples and a count of citation_markers. These are inviolable:
- Quoted spans (anything in double quotes ≥ 5 chars) must appear in the rewrite character-for-character.
- Citation markers ([1], (2024), "et al.") must remain in the same positions relative to the surrounding claim.
- If a quote is malformed in the source (e.g. a smart quote inside a typo), flag it to the user — don't silently fix or paraphrase it.
(d) Preserve technical terminology
If the surrounding document uses specific terminology (get_full_document reveals it), the rewrite must keep it:
- Don't swap "the rollout" → "the launch" for variety.
- Don't translate "p-value" → "probability".
- Don't capitalize what the user wrote lowercase, or vice versa.
The user's terminology is part of their voice.
How to deliver
- Return ONLY the rewritten passage. No preamble. No "Here's the rewrite:". No fences.
- The taskpane replaces the selection with what you return character-for-character.
- If you needed to leave a placeholder (e.g.
[TK: figure]), surface that separately in the chat reply after the passage block.
Failure modes to avoid
- Silently rewriting a paragraph when the user said "fix the typo". The classified_ask was
minimal-fix; honor it. - "Improving" the user's argument while rewriting. Rewriting changes form, not content.
- Inflating word count under
clarifyorraise-register. Stay within the window. - Dropping a citation because it "interrupts the flow". Citations are content.
- Treating a quoted span as paraphraseable. It isn't.