Write Like Me Bootstrap
jxnl/personal-monorepo-template
Bootstrap a durable "write like me" skill from the user's own Slack and email writing.
Give a workplace message an expert second read before you send it.
Install Sharpen
$ npx skills add hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter --skill sharpen -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter sharpen --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/sharpen .claude/skills/sharpen && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "sharpen" agent skill from https://github.com/hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter/tree/main/.claude/skills/sharpen into .claude/skills/sharpen/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "sharpen", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter/tree/main/.claude/skills/sharpenType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter --skill sharpen -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter sharpen --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/sharpen .agents/skills/sharpen && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "sharpen" agent skill from https://github.com/hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter/tree/main/.claude/skills/sharpen into .agents/skills/sharpen/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "sharpen", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter --skill sharpen -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter sharpen --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/sharpen .cursor/skills/sharpen && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "sharpen" agent skill from https://github.com/hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter/tree/main/.claude/skills/sharpen into .cursor/skills/sharpen/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "sharpen", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter.git --path .claude/skills/sharpen--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter --skill sharpen -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter sharpen --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/sharpen .gemini/skills/sharpen && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "sharpen" agent skill from https://github.com/hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter/tree/main/.claude/skills/sharpen into .gemini/skills/sharpen/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "sharpen", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter sharpenInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter --skill sharpen -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/sharpen .github/skills/sharpen && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "sharpen" agent skill from https://github.com/hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter/tree/main/.claude/skills/sharpen into .github/skills/sharpen/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "sharpen", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter --skill sharpen -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter sharpen --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/sharpen .opencode/skills/sharpen && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "sharpen" agent skill from https://github.com/hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter/tree/main/.claude/skills/sharpen into .opencode/skills/sharpen/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "sharpen", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
sharpen- GitHub stars
- 145
- Token cost
- ~1k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 618 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 29
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Give a workplace message an expert second read before you send it.
- Works in 2 steps: "Paste the draft — email, Slack message,… → "Who's reading it, and what do you want…
- The user wants feedback on a draft message
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
- Asks to make something clearer
What it does
Sharpen is an agent skill from hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter. Give a workplace message an expert second read before you send it. Paste a draft email, Slack message, or exec update — get a signal-strength rating, a critique of exactly what's weak and why, and a ready-to-send rewrite. Use when the user wants feedback on a draft message, or asks to make something clearer, sharper, or more likely to get a yes.
Its SKILL.md is about 1k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
It sits in Writing & Content, covering Email writing. It works with Slack. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- The user wants feedback on a draft message
- Asks to make something clearer
- More likely to get a yes
Example prompts
- “/sharpen”
Workflow steps
2 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- "Paste the draft — email, Slack message, exec update, anything you're about to send."
- "Who's reading it, and what do you want them to do after reading?"
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 172c531. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Sharpen loads about 1k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 89 tokens; SKILL.md has 618 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter at commit 172c531, republished under its MIT licence (© hamzafarooq). 618 words, ~1,019 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/sharpen/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- sharpen
- description
- Give a workplace message an expert second read before you send it. Paste a draft email, Slack message, or exec update — get a signal-strength rating, a critique of exactly what's weak and why, and a ready-to-send rewrite. Use when the user wants feedback on a draft message, or asks to make something clearer, sharper, or more likely to get a yes.
Ask the user:
- "Paste the draft — email, Slack message, exec update, anything you're about to send."
- "Who's reading it, and what do you want them to do after reading?"
If the draft came in with the command, don't ask for it again. Only ask question 2 if the reader and the goal aren't obvious from the draft itself.
Before writing anything, run the draft through the six checks. Answer each one honestly.
The six checks:
- Lead — Is the most important sentence first? Or is it buried under warm-up, apology, and background?
- Ask — Is there one clear request the reader can say yes or no to in a single reply? Is it near the top?
- Context — Can the reader act without sending a follow-up question? And is there background they already know that's just taking up space?
- Hedges — Count them: "just", "I think", "maybe", "might", "sort of", "if possible", "no worries if not", "I could be wrong but", "quick question". Each one tells the reader you're not sure you should be asking.
- Objections — What's the first thing the reader will push back on? Does the draft answer it, or leave it hanging?
- Length — Could this be half as long and lose nothing? Every sentence has to earn its place.
Then produce:
Sharpen
Signal strength: 🔴 Weak / 🟡 Mixed / 🟢 Strong
One sentence on why. E.g. "The ask is clear, but it's the last line of a 200-word email and most readers won't get there."
What's weak, and why
Go check by check. Only list the checks that flagged something. For each one, quote the exact words from the draft, then say what they cost the reader.
- Buried ask — "[quoted line]" → This is the whole point of the message and it's in paragraph 4. The reader has to dig to find out what you want.
- Hedge words — "[just wanted to]", "[I think maybe]" → Three hedges in two sentences. It reads like you expect a no.
- Missing context — The reader doesn't know [X], so they can't answer without asking you first.
- Unaddressed objection — The first thing [reader] will think is "[objection]". The draft doesn't answer it.
- Weak lead — "[opening line]" → Warm-up. The real message starts three sentences later.
- Too long — [N] words to make one point. The reader skims and misses the ask.
Show full SKILL.md (233 more words)Show less
What's working
One or two things to keep. Be specific — "the second paragraph gives the exact number they need" beats "good tone."
Rewrite
[The ready-to-send version. Same voice, same facts, no invented details.]
Rules for the rewrite:
- First sentence is the point or the ask
- The ask is explicit, with a deadline if one exists
- Zero hedge words
- The likely objection is answered in one line
- Roughly half the length of the original, unless the original was already tight
- Match the channel — Slack gets no greeting or sign-off, email gets a one-line opener
What changed
3 bullets max: what moved, what got cut, what got added. The goal is that the user learns the pattern, not just gets this one fix.
Rules:
- Never add facts, numbers, names, or commitments that weren't in the draft. If context is missing, flag it in the critique and put a [placeholder] in the rewrite.
- Keep the user's voice. Sharper, not different. If they write casually, the rewrite is casual.
- Don't over-format. A Slack message is not a memo — no headers, no bullets unless the original had them.
- If the draft is already strong, say so and make small edits only. Don't manufacture problems to seem useful.
- Rate honestly. Most first drafts are 🟡. A 🟢 should be earned, not handed out.
Ask: "Want a shorter version, or one aimed at a different reader — your manager vs. the whole team?"
© hamzafarooq, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in .claude/skills/sharpen of hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 172c531
Compare with similar skills
Sharpen next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpen this skillhamzafarooq/claude-code-starter | 145 | — | ~1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Write Like Me Bootstrapjxnl/personal-monorepo-template | 563 | — | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Professional Email Draftingaiming-lab/MetaClaw | 3.5k | — | ~236 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Exportai-analyst-lab/ai-analyst | 304 | — | ~3.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Changelog Social RecapFlorianBruniaux/claude-code-ultimate-guide | 6.1k | — | ~1.8k | Automated safety check: Notes | CC-BY-SA-4.0 | |
| End-of-Life Announcement Writergetcrew44/crew44 | 356 | — | ~3.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Export analysis results in different formats for different audiences — email summaries, Slack updates, decision briefs, Google Docs with embedded charts, Word documents, slide decks, or raw data CSVs.
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Works with
Categories
Questions about Sharpen
What does Sharpen do?
Give a workplace message an expert second read before you send it. Sharpen is an agent skill from hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter. Give a workplace message an expert second read before you send it.
When should I use Sharpen?
Sharpen fits situations like: the user wants feedback on a draft message; asks to make something clearer; more likely to get a yes.
How do I install Sharpen in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter --skill sharpen -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.claude/skills/sharpen in hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter) into .claude/skills/sharpen in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Sharpen in Codex?
Run `npx skills add hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter --skill sharpen -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.claude/skills/sharpen in hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter) into .agents/skills/sharpen in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Sharpen in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter --skill sharpen -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/sharpen, .gemini/skills/sharpen, .github/skills/sharpen and .opencode/skills/sharpen in your project.
What does Sharpen need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Sharpen is instructions for the agent only.
Does Sharpen access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Sharpen safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Sharpen use?
Sharpen is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Sharpen use?
About 1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.1k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Sharpen?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Sharpen: Write Like Me Bootstrap (jxnl/personal-monorepo-template, 563 stars), Professional Email Drafting (aiming-lab/MetaClaw, 3.5k stars), Export (ai-analyst-lab/ai-analyst, 304 stars) and Changelog Social Recap (FlorianBruniaux/claude-code-ultimate-guide, 6.1k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Sharpen?
hamzafarooq (a GitHub user) maintains it in hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter, which has 145 GitHub stars. The repository holds 29 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 13, 2026.
Source: hamzafarooq/claude-code-starter on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.