Debuzz

Debuzz — plain-English translation via Pi

The user finds Claude's default register grating: dramatic framing, suspense-building, listicle energy, phrases like "the load-bearing assumption" or "the third one is the most instructive yet." This skill reruns a response through the pi CLI using OpenRouter so they get the same content said like a normal person, at a chosen altitude. The point of using Pi is an independent editor that does not share the original's stylistic habits — so do not paraphrase, tidy, or summarize the source text before or after the Pi call.

Arguments

/debuzz [mode] [text] — both parts optional.

• mode: if the first word of the arguments is colleague, manager, or director, that's the mode. Otherwise the mode is colleague.
• text: whatever remains after the mode word is the text to translate. If empty, translate your own most recent substantive response — the one immediately before the user invoked the skill. Reproduce it faithfully from the conversation, word for word, including code blocks.

Examples: /debuzz (colleague mode, last reply) · /debuzz director (exec brief of last reply) · /debuzz manager <pasted text>.

Modes

Every mode shares the same style rules: plain declarative sentences, no dramatic framing, no suspense-building, no buzzy metaphors ("load-bearing assumption", "here's the kicker", "this changes everything"), no reveals, no hype. The modes differ only in audience and altitude:

• colleague (default) — a competent engineer explaining it to a peer. Keep every technical fact, number, file path, command, and code block exactly intact. Only the style changes, not the substance; do not shorten beyond what removing fluff removes.
• manager — an engineer updating a technical-adjacent manager. Lead with what happened / what was found, why it matters, and what happens next or what's needed. Keep key facts and numbers; drop code blocks, file paths, and implementation mechanics unless one is essential to the point. Target roughly a third of the original length.
• director — an executive brief. Three to five sentences: the outcome, the impact or risk in business terms, and any decision or ask. No code, no file paths, no implementation detail. Assume thirty seconds of attention.

How

1. Write the source text verbatim to a file in the scratchpad directory (e.g. debuzz-input.md). Use the Write tool, not shell echo, so quoting cannot mangle it.

2. Choose a current OpenRouter model that is not made by Anthropic. Use a capable non-Anthropic model from a provider such as OpenAI, Google, xAI, DeepSeek, or Mistral. Do not use any Claude or other Anthropic model for this task.

3. Run Pi in non-interactive, no-tools mode through OpenRouter. Embed the source text directly in the prompt with $(cat …) rather than asking Pi to read the file, so the editor receives the exact source text while remaining isolated from the workspace. Compose the prompt from the shared style rules plus the chosen mode's audience instructions. For example, colleague mode:

   pi --provider openrouter --model <non-anthropic-openrouter-model> \
     --no-tools --no-session --no-context-files -p "$(cat <scratchpad>/debuzz-input.md)
   
   Rewrite the text above in plain, direct English, as a competent engineer explaining it to a colleague. Remove dramatic framing, suspense-building, hype, and buzzy metaphors (e.g. 'load-bearing assumption', 'here's the kicker', 'the most instructive part', 'this changes everything'). Plain sentences, no reveals. Keep every technical fact, number, file path, command, and code block exactly intact — only the style changes, not the substance, and do not shorten beyond what removing fluff removes. Output only the rewritten text with no preamble or commentary."
   

   With --provider openrouter, pass the OpenRouter model ID to --model, for example openai/gpt-5-mini when it is available. Verify the model's provider before running the command; the selection must not be Anthropic.

   For manager and director, replace the audience sentence and the keep-everything clause with that mode's instructions from the Modes section (audience, what to keep versus drop, target length), keeping the style-rules sentence and the "output only the rewritten text" closer unchanged.

   Give the command a generous timeout (120s+). A rewrite usually takes about 10 seconds, but the CLI can be slow to first token.

4. Output Pi's result to the user verbatim as your reply. Do not summarize it, wrap it in your own framing, or add a sign-off — any text you add reintroduces the voice being removed. A one-line lead like "Pi's translation (manager):" is the most you should add.

If Pi fails

If the command errors (missing OpenRouter credentials, unavailable model, network issue, rate limit), show the user the actual error and suggest the fix. Only offer your own rewrite as a clearly labeled fallback — never silently substitute it, since the user specifically wants a second model's edit.