# Structure Prose

> Reshape one prose block into a labeled list or table when it fuses several independent rules — form only, content verbatim. TRIGGER when: user says 'break this up', 'wall of text', 'should this be a list/bullets', 'structure this paragraph'; a dense block buries rules a reader needs to jump to.

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

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# Structure Prose

Primitive: **FUSED-BLOCK** — does the block state several independent rules, or one connected chain of reasoning?

## Steps

1. **Count the block's distinct claims** — rules, facts, or cases that stand alone. 1–2 claims, or a block that already scans in one line → prose is fine; stop.
2. **Apply the fused-block test.** Independent — the items parse in any order, none leans on the previous sentence → structure them. One chain — each sentence sets up the next (a narrative, a causal argument, an explanation that builds) → keep prose; stop.
3. **Pick the shape:** labeled bullets (default) · numbered list when order is the content · table when the items share 2+ fields.
4. **Reshape, content verbatim.** Give each item a label naming its rule — a bold lead-in, or the table's first column. Move words, don't rewrite them; shrinking or clarifying a line is `tighten-instruction`'s job, a separate pass.
5. **Test:** can a reader jump straight to the one rule they need without reading the whole block? If not, the labels name topics, not rules — rename them.
6. **Score and gate the edit.** Score confidence `0.00–1.00` that the claims remain verbatim and the new shape scans better. If a caller owns a file-level gate, return the score and proposal without editing. Otherwise, apply at `c ≥ 0.75`; below that, keep the prose block and report the proposal as held.