# Enforce Scannable Density

> Edit a portfolio case study for high signal, compact hierarchy, and fast scanning without losing evidence. Use when a draft is fluffy, repetitive, slow to navigate, paragraph-heavy, full of generic process language, or needs concise headings, key-value blocks, comparison matrices, captions, and technical spec blocks.

- Skill: `jpoindexter/enforce-scannable-density` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add jpoindexter/enforce-scannable-density`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/jpoindexter/enforce-scannable-density/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: jpoindexter (https://skillmd.com/u/jpoindexter)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/jpoindexter/enforce-scannable-density

---


# Enforce Scannable Density

Make complexity easier to find, not merely shorter. Apply the reduction, organization, and time-to-understand passes in `references/density-pass.md`.

## Workflow

1. Write the reader’s five highest-value questions.
2. Measure whether the answer to each is visible in the title, summary, headings, captions, or first sentence of a section.
3. Remove throat-clearing, repeated context, passive constructions, generic process claims, and unsupported praise.
4. Group related evidence and give each section one job.
5. Move the outcome, constraint, and pivotal decision earlier.
6. Choose the lightest fitting form:
   - prose for causal explanation;
   - bullets for non-sequential factors;
   - key-value blocks for compact facts;
   - tables only for records with shared comparable fields;
   - monospace blocks only for commands, logs, or technical specifications.
7. Preserve quantitative data, caveats, ownership, attribution, and evidence labels.
8. Run a 30-second scan test and list any answer still difficult to locate.

Never manufacture density by shrinking type, stacking unrelated facts, turning prose into decorative tables, or deleting uncertainty.

## Output

Return the revised structure and copy, a cut/move/convert ledger, the five-question scan result, and any evidence weakened by the edit.

## Example

Input:

```text
We were very excited to embark on a comprehensive process that involved looking at
many different approaches before ultimately deciding on a new approvals experience.
```

Expected outcome:

```text
Decision — Replace blanket approvals with risk-based gates.
Evidence needed — alternatives considered, approval threshold, and measured effect.
```