Terseness Check

Skill: /terseness-check

Model preference: #highcap (judgment-heavy; needs to distinguish operative from decorative prose accurately).

Evaluate every tracked file in the Terseness Contract Index against the seven terseness criteria defined there. Gitignored files get ADVISORY findings only.

Source of truth

Read these before evaluating anything:

1. $HORIZON_DOCS/terseness_contract_index.md — the canonical file list and all seven terseness criteria.
2. Each file in the Tracked table, in order.

Evaluation protocol

For each tracked file:

1. Read the file in full.
2. Apply all seven criteria from the index. For each violation found:
   • Cite file:line (or a line range).
   • Quote the offending content (one line or the opening phrase of a block).
   • State which criterion it violates (1–7).
   • Propose a concrete fix: cut, move to an on-demand doc with a pointer, or collapse to one line.
   • Criterion 5 exception: before flagging cross-file overlap, check the file's Special constraints column in the index for a C5-exempt annotation naming the other file. If the overlap is declared C5-exempt, classify it as NOTED (not FAIL) — it is load-bearing by design.
3. Classify: PASS (no violations) or FAIL (one or more violations with evidence). A file with only NOTED findings and no other violations classifies as PASS.

For each gitignored / user-controlled file (if it exists on disk):

1. Read it. If absent, skip — N/A (not present).
2. Apply the same criteria but classify findings as ADVISORY, not FAIL. Do not auto-fix advisory findings; surface them for the user.

Report format

# Terseness Check — <date>

Summary: <P> PASS · <F> FAIL · <A> ADVISORY · <NA> N/A

## FAIL findings
- [<file>:<line>] Criterion <N> — <one-line description>.
  Offending: "<quoted content>"
  Fix: <cut | move to <doc> with pointer | collapse to: "<replacement>">

## ADVISORY findings (gitignored / user-controlled)
- [<file>:<line>] Criterion <N> — <description>. Fix: <suggestion>.

## NOTED (C5-exempt intentional overlaps)
- [<file>] C5-exempt vs <other file> — <one-line description of overlap>.

## PASS
<file list>

## N/A (absent gitignored files)
<file list>

Keep the report tight: one finding block per violation, no commentary beyond the fix. If a file is clean, list it under PASS — do not write prose about it.

Auto-fix scope

Fix FAIL findings directly (Edit the file) only if all three are true:

1. The fix is a pure removal or collapse (no new content written).
2. The content being removed contains no operative instruction.
3. The fix does not change meaning for any other always-loaded file.

Surface for user confirmation before fixing if any of those conditions is uncertain. Never auto-fix ADVISORY findings.

When invoked by the consistency check

The /horizon_aios_dev_consistency_check skill delegates CC-T2 to this skill. When called that way, return the full terseness report and map each FAIL finding to CC-T2 FAIL. ADVISORY findings map to CC-T2 ADVISORY in the consistency pass report.