uygnoey Report proofreader
"Build a proofreading skill first. The proofreading skill checks that every number Claude puts in a report traces back to a verified source."
This is the first skill to build in a reporting workflow, and it is deliberately narrow: it verifies, it does not write. Keeping it separate from the skill that assembles the report is what makes the check meaningful — the same pass that produced a number is a poor judge of whether that number is right.
Instructions
1. Extract every figure in the draft
Work through the draft and list every number, including the ones that are easy to skip past:
- Metric values in tables.
- Numbers inside narrative prose ("up roughly a third").
- Deltas and percentages, including ones derived from two other figures.
- Numbers on the leadership slide.
- Dates and counts used as claims ("three launches this quarter").
Derived figures get two checks: the inputs, and the arithmetic.
2. Trace each figure to a source
For each figure, identify where it came from and how strong that source is. Use the ladder in references/source-ladder.md.
A source is only a source if you can point at it: a query, a dashboard view, a specific message, a timestamped transcript segment. "It was in the numbers folder" is not a source.
3. Classify, do not fix
Mark each figure as one of:
| Status | Meaning | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Verified | Traced to a verified source, value matches | Ships |
| Unverified | No source found, or the only source is informal | Ships only if flagged inline as unverified, or is removed |
| Mismatched | Two sources disagree | Does not ship as a single number; reported as a question |
| Stale | Source is real but from the wrong period | Re-pull or mark the period explicitly |
| Arithmetic error | Inputs are verified, derived value is wrong | Report the correct value and the inputs used |
Never reconcile a mismatch on your own. Report both figures, name the source of each, and say what differs — a definition, a grouping, a date range, a regional structure. The resolution is a decision for a person, and it belongs back in the reporting skill once made.
4. Report as a checklist, not prose
Output the result in the shape given by templates/proofread-report.md so the writer can act on it line by line.
5. Stay out of the writing
Do not rewrite sentences, improve framing, or suggest a different headline. A proofreader that also edits will eventually justify a number it likes. If the prose overstates what the figure supports, say so as a finding — do not fix it.
Examples
A verified figure. "Enterprise trials up 12% week over week." The warehouse query returns the same two weekly values; the delta arithmetic checks out. Marked verified, with the query named.
An unverified figure. "Roughly 40 attendees came from the partner list." The only trace is a Slack message from the partner team. Marked unverified with the message linked; the writer decides whether to ship it labelled as an estimate or cut it.
A mismatch. Regional pipeline shows one total in the marketing dashboard and a different one in the sales team's reporting after their reorg. Both figures are reported with their sources, the differing grouping is named, and the question goes to a person. Nothing is averaged.
A stale figure. The dashboard number is real but was last refreshed before the week closed. Marked stale; the fix is a re-pull, not a footnote.
An arithmetic error. Two verified inputs, but the stated delta is 18% when the inputs give 13%. Reported with both inputs and the correct value.
Source
How Anthropic's marketing operations team uses Claude Cowork to automate reporting and campaign builds — Ian Chan and Annabel Custer, July 8, 2026