Add guidance to avoid prescriptive language in skill descriptions#1747
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nathanjmcdougall merged 3 commits intomainfrom Apr 1, 2026
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Add "Don't be prescriptive" guidance to the skill creation and modification skills so agents write neutral descriptions like "How to..." instead of commanding "ALWAYS use when...". Resolves #1744 Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/usethis-python/usethis-python/sessions/f017ab67-faf9-477b-ad50-95d4018eca8a Co-authored-by: nathanjmcdougall <18602289+nathanjmcdougall@users.noreply.github.com>
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[WIP] Fix agent config to avoid prescriptive skill descriptions
Add guidance to avoid prescriptive language in skill descriptions
Apr 1, 2026
nathanjmcdougall
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Apr 1, 2026
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Agents writing or updating skill descriptions tend toward commanding language like
"ALWAYS use when modifying any SKILL.md file...". Descriptions should neutrally state what the skill covers, not instruct agents when to invoke it.usethis-skills-create(v1.8): Added "Don't be prescriptive" guidance with examples to the "Writing the description" section; added corresponding quality checklist itemusethis-skills-modify(v1.3): Added prescriptiveness check as first bullet in content quality guidelines, cross-referencingusethis-skills-createfor detailsExample: