# Engineering Writing

> Use for drafting or condensing software-engineering artefacts such as requirements/specs, READMEs, commits, PRs, runbooks, errors, design notes, and thesis or paper LaTeX invariants. Not for general, academic-prose, or Australian legal writing; use natural-writing or legal-writing.

- Skill: `mblauberg/engineering-writing` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 12 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mblauberg/engineering-writing`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mblauberg/engineering-writing/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: mblauberg (https://skillmd.com/u/mblauberg)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mblauberg/engineering-writing

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# Engineering writing

Write clear, brief, accurate and useful engineering prose in Australian English.
Cut first. Add only what serves the reader's job and belongs in this document.

This skill is a specialization of the `natural-writing` hub: it owns
codebase/README/commit/PR artefact types and links to the hub for the
Australian English default, the anti-AI taxonomy and the condense pass. See
`references/process.md`, `references/style-standard.md` and
`references/engineer-voice.md` for where each hub link applies.

It owns thesis and paper LaTeX command and layout invariants. Academic prose,
chapter structure, research voice, citation discipline, claim wording and
thesis AI tells stay with the hub's academic prose reference.

## Workflow

1. Name the audience, prior knowledge, required action or decision, and format
   constraint. If the reader's job is unclear, flag it before drafting.
2. Choose one relevant pattern: [document patterns](references/document-patterns.md)
   for codebase/short-form prose, [requirements and planning](references/requirements-and-planning.md)
   for already-decided pre-build content, [architecture and communication](references/architecture-and-presentations.md)
   for approved designs, ADRs, presentations and briefs, or
   [academic artefacts](references/academic-artefacts.md) for thesis and paper
   LaTeX command and layout invariants. Do not load more than one.
3. Structure before sentences: front-load the point, use decision-oriented
   headings and one idea or requirement per unit, then move wrong-home material.
4. Lock facts, logic, stance, evidence, obligations, behaviour, identifiers,
   paths, commands, flags, parameters, keys, error codes, numbers, units, dates,
   citations and quoted terms.
5. Revise in separate structure, accuracy, clarity/concision, voice and
   Australian-English passes. Load only the needed section from
   [process](references/process.md), [style standard](references/style-standard.md),
   [engineer voice](references/engineer-voice.md) or the `natural-writing`
   skill's Australian English default;
   use [sentence mechanics](references/strunk-mechanics.md) or
   [sources](references/sources.md) only for a specific problem. Load the hub
   anti-AI taxonomy and condense pass from the `natural-writing` skill
   alongside `engineer-voice.md` and `process.md` respectively.
6. Optional, reader-facing prose only: consider a final voice pass by the model
   under human-facing final polish in the advisory model dossier. Never
   required; the chair owns substance, so diff the return for changed facts.

Preserve technical meaning and evidence altitude. Distinguish observation from
interpretation; attach numbers to comparatives. Verify every package, API,
version, flag and URL against code or documentation, otherwise mark
`[FLAG: verify]`. Never invent facts to fill a document. Keep genuine caveats
and honest negatives while cutting padding, marketing language, AI tells,
instruction-leaking absence tombstones and internal process language from
reader-facing prose. Match existing repository conventions without copying
signature phrases.

For condensation, follow the reference stop and integrity checks and report the
before/after word delta. Review mode returns severity, evidence, impact and fix;
rewrite mode returns text first; final scrub makes defect fixes only.

Flag unverifiable support, audience dependence, domain-required terms, or a cut
that would drop an obligation. Use `[FLAG: verify source]`,
`[FLAG: define audience]`, `[FLAG: preserve exact term]` or
`[FLAG: shortening drops obligation]` where applicable. Do not smooth
uncertainty away.