# Atelier Copy > Atelier suite — the UX-writing & microcopy layer. The words inside the interface are part of the design: button and action labels, form labels and helper text, error messages, empty-state and loading copy, confirmation and destructive-action dialogs, tooltips, onboarding lines, and notifications. Write copy that's clear, human, specific, and on-voice — verb-first actions, errors that say what happened + why + how to fix it, empty states that onboard, no jargon-as-label, no duplicate CTA intents, no fake-precise numbers, no AI-cute wordplay. Use whenever writing or fixing interface copy, microcopy, error/empty/loading text, labels, button text, or when the wording feels generic, confusing, robotic, or off-brand. This owns the WORDS only — which screens/states exist is atelier-ux, their production behavior (overflow, locale, validation) is atelier-harden, and the markup is atelier-components. Part of the Atelier suite. - Skill: `luminary19/atelier-copy` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 4 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add luminary19/atelier-copy` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/luminary19/atelier-copy/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: luminary19 (https://skillmd.com/u/luminary19) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/luminary19/atelier-copy --- # Atelier — UX Writing & Microcopy The fastest way to make a polished interface feel cheap is the words. A pixel-perfect form with the label "Submit", an error that says "Error: null", and an empty state that says "No data" reads as unfinished — because it is. This skill treats copy as design: every visible string is a decision, on the project's voice, doing a job. > **Project memory:** if **`ATELIER.md`** exists at the project root, read its **Personality** (the voice > traits) and **Register** first — they set the voice this copy must hold. Missing on substantial work? > Offer **`/atelier init`** (owned by the **`atelier`** router). > > **Suite map.** **`atelier-ux`** decides the flows and *which* screen-states exist; this writes the words > in them. **`atelier-components`** builds the markup the copy lives in (labels, errors, empty states) and > calls here for the strings. **`atelier-harden`** owns the *behavior* of error/empty/form states and > locale formatting; this owns their *words*. The **`atelier-perf-a11y`** anti-slop gate runs the "copy > self-audit" Tell (and points here); **`atelier-review`**'s CODE/COPY reviewer checks against this skill. > Deep reference: `references/fundamentals-deepdive.md`. --- ## The flow 1. **Lock the voice** (from `ATELIER.md` / Direction) → 2. **Inventory every visible string** → 3. **Fix the high-stakes copy** (errors, empty, destructive, primary CTAs) → 4. **Labels & microcopy** → 5. **Terminology consistency** pass → 6. **Self-audit** (cut AI-cute, fake-precise). ## 1. Lock the voice Voice is constant; tone flexes by moment. Pull the three personality words + register from `ATELIER.md` (or the Direction Doc). Full method in **`references/voice-and-tone.md`**. The rule: **voice is who you are** (calm, expert, warm — set once); **tone is how you read in context** (an error is plain and reassuring; a success is brief; an upsell is light). One register per surface — don't slip between playful and formal in the same flow. ## 2. Inventory every visible string List them by type — they have different jobs and rules: **actions/CTAs**, **form labels + helper text**, **errors + validation**, **empty / loading / partial states**, **confirmations / destructive dialogs**, **tooltips / hints**, **notifications / toasts**, **onboarding lines**, **nav labels**, **alt text**, **footer / legal**. You can't fix what you haven't enumerated. ## 3. Fix the high-stakes copy first The strings that decide trust and task success (patterns in `references/microcopy-patterns.md`): - **Errors: what happened + why + how to fix.** Human language, never a raw code or "null" alone, never blame the user. "We couldn't save — you're offline. We'll retry when you reconnect." Preserve their input (behavior is `atelier-harden`). - **Empty states: onboard, don't apologize.** Name the value + one clear first action. Never a bare "No data" or blank panel. - **Destructive confirmations: name the consequence + the object + reversibility.** "Delete 3 projects? This can't be undone." Not "Are you sure?". - **Primary CTAs: verb + object, specific.** "Create account", "Save changes", "Start free trial" — not "Submit", "OK", "Click here". ## 4. Labels & microcopy - **Labels above inputs, always** — a placeholder is **not** a label (it vanishes on focus, fails a11y). Use placeholders only for format examples; put requirements in persistent helper text. - **Verb-first, specific, parallel** — actions are verbs; sibling actions share grammar ("Edit / Duplicate / Delete", not "Edit / Duplication / Remove item"). - **Sentence case** for UI text by default (easier to read than Title Case); reserve Title/UPPER for brand moments decided in direction. - **Helper > tooltip** for anything required to complete a task (tooltips hide on touch and from keyboards). ## 5. Terminology consistency (one word per concept) Pick one term per concept and use it everywhere — "Projects" is not sometimes "Workspaces" or "Boards". Match the **user's vocabulary**, not the database's ("Billing", not "SubscriptionEntity"). Keep a tiny glossary for the project; it prevents the slow drift that makes a product feel incoherent. ## 6. Self-audit (the anti-slop pass on words) Re-read **every** visible string out loud and cut: - **AI-cute copy** — forced wordplay, mock-poetic micro-meta ("Let's craft magic ✨"), fake-craftsman labels. Plain functional copy beats clever-wrong copy every time. - **Fake-precise numbers** — `92%`, `4.1×`, `13.4 lb` invented for effect. Real (from the brand), an explicitly-labelled mock, or cut. - **Duplicate CTA intents** — "Get in touch" + "Contact us" + "Let's talk" = one intent → one label, reused. (This is an `atelier-perf-a11y` anti-slop Tell too.) - **Marketing slop** — "seamless", "robust", "elevate", "empower", "unlock", "supercharge", "delve", "in today's fast-paced world". Say the specific thing instead. - **Jargon / unclear referents / broken grammar** — anything a first-time user wouldn't parse. --- ## Operating principles - **Copy is design.** A polished UI with placeholder words ships as slop. Every visible string is a decision. - **Clarity over cleverness, always.** The plain version that one-shots comprehension beats the witty one that needs a second read. - **Errors are a trust moment** — say what happened, why, and how to fix it; never blame, never leak a stack trace. - **One voice, one term per concept** — drift in either is what makes a product feel incoherent. - **Cut AI tells in words too** — no fake precision, no forced whimsy, no duplicate CTAs, no buzzword filler.