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Agent skill

Os Say Simple

by kharmanskyi in kharmanskyi/open-steps

ALWAYS invoke this skill when the user asks for simpler or shorter about something said or written - "say it simply", "what does this mean", "I don't understand your answer", "too long", "wait…

MITAuto-check passedWriting & Content

Install Os Say Simple

skills CLI
$ npx skills add kharmanskyi/open-steps --skill os-say-simple -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install kharmanskyi/open-steps os-say-simple --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kharmanskyi/open-steps.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/os-say-simple .claude/skills/os-say-simple && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Facts

Skill name
os-say-simple
GitHub stars
1.3k
Token cost
~1.3k tokens
SKILL.md length
740 words
Files
2 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
7
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

ALWAYS invoke this skill when the user asks for simpler or shorter about something said or written - "say it simply", "what does this mean", "I don't understand your answer", "too long", "wait…

  • Works in 2 steps: Whatever the user points at: pasted… → Nothing pointed at: your own last…
  • Asks for simpler
  • SKILL.md covers Language, When to use, What text to restate and The controlled-language rules, plus 3 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Os Say Simple is an agent skill from kharmanskyi/open-steps. ALWAYS invoke this skill when the user asks for simpler or shorter about something said or written - "say it simply", "what does this mean", "I don't understand your answer", "too long", "wait, what?", "bro" - in any language, about any text: your own answer, a report, a review comment, an error. "I don't understand what to DO" is os-step-by-step; this skill restates text. It restates for a reader who does not read code: leads with the point, keeps every number, warning and caveat - no facts added, no bad news…

Its SKILL.md is about 1.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files, including reference files (for example `references/01-wall-of-text.md`).

It sits in Writing & Content. The repository describes itself as: Plain-language agent skills for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI: honest session reports, straight verdicts, steps you can follow. MIT. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Asks for simpler
  • Shorter about something said
  • Written - say it simply
  • What does this mean

Example prompts

  • “say it simply”
  • “what does this mean”
  • “t understand your answer”
  • “/os-say-simple”

Requirements

  • Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): Read(~/.claude/open-steps/**)

Workflow steps

2 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Whatever the user points at: pasted text, a named file, a report in the
  2. Nothing pointed at: your own last substantial answer. A bare "wait, what?"

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 4fa744b. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves these tools, so the agent can use them without asking each time:

    • Read(~/.claude/open-steps/**)

    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

Os Say Simple loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs, and up to ~1.7k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 151 tokens; SKILL.md has 740 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~151
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.3k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~1.7k

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 kharmanskyi/open-steps at commit 4fa744b, republished under its MIT licence (© kharmanskyi). 740 words, ~1,301 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/os-say-simple/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
os-say-simple
description
ALWAYS invoke this skill when the user asks for simpler or shorter about something said or written - "say it simply", "what does this mean", "I don't understand your answer", "too long", "wait, what?", "bro" - in any language, about any text: your own answer, a report, a review comment, an error. "I don't understand what to DO" is os-step-by-step; this skill restates text. It restates for a reader who does not read code: leads with the point, keeps every number, warning and caveat - no facts added, no bad news dropped. A number returns exactly that many points, most important first.
allowed-tools
Read(~/.claude/open-steps/**)

os-say-simple

A text exists and the user cannot use it. This skill rewrites it into words they can act on - the pack's rescue skill: the others fire at moments of work, this one whenever any text, including your own, needs saying again properly. It changes only the words. Never the facts.

Language

Write in the language the user speaks in this session. Detect it from the conversation. Keep code, file names and identifiers in English.

When to use

  • The user asks for simpler or shorter, in any phrasing: "say it simply", "in plain words", "what does this mean", "I don't understand", "too long", "wait, what?", "bro".
  • The user pastes text and asks what it says.
  • The user gives the skill a number - they want exactly that many points.

Not this skill:

  • "Is this true?" is verification - os-check-work; a restatement stays exactly as true as its source.
  • "What do I do?" right after an answer that asked the user to act is a walkthrough - os-step-by-step. Asked about the road ahead, it is os-whats-next.

What text to restate

  1. Whatever the user points at: pasted text, a named file, a report in the reports folder. Read it if it is a file.
  2. Nothing pointed at: your own last substantial answer. A bare "wait, what?" always means the thing you just said.

The controlled-language rules

Drawn from the ideas behind ASD-STE100, the Simplified Technical English standard from aerospace manuals. This pack follows the ideas; it does not claim conformance to the standard.

  • One sentence, one idea. In instructions: one action per sentence.
  • Active voice. Name who does what - "the check refused the deploy", never "the deploy was refused".
  • Short sentences. A sentence that needs a breath in the middle is two.
  • One word, one meaning - and one meaning, one word. Never rotate synonyms for the same thing; the reader will assume the difference is meaningful.
  • Present tense unless the time itself is the fact.
  • Lists over dense paragraphs - but a list is not permission to drop the connections between items.

These rules shape every restatement - and when a term has to stay (rule 6), the sentences around it obey them with the term kept exact.

With a number

3 means exactly three points. Most important first, one sentence each.

  • Fewer real points than asked for: give the real ones and say the source holds no more. Never pad.
  • A warning or a risk is always one of the points. It outranks good news.
Show full SKILL.md (329 more words)Show less

Hard rules

  1. Add nothing, drop no bad news. Every warning, risk, number and caveat in the source survives the rewrite. A summary that loses the ⚠ line is a lie by omission. Security, data loss and anything hard to undo are spelled out in full, never shortened.
  2. Numbers stay exact. No rounding money, counts or dates. A ticket or pull request number that names an action stays.
  3. As true as the original, no truer. The source's claims stay claims: "the report says the tests pass", not "the tests pass" - unless this session verified it. Offer os-check-work when the user needs true.
  4. Unclear stays unclear. Where the source is ambiguous, say "the original does not say" - never resolve ambiguity by guessing.
  5. Lead with the point. No preamble, no "here is a simpler version" - the first line is already the answer.
  6. A term with no plain equivalent gets described by what the user would see or do, with the term once in brackets - same move as the whole pack.
  7. Code and commands are exact strings. Never paraphrase what someone would type or run; explain around it.
  8. Aim for half the length or less - except where rule 1 or an exact-N request forbids it.

Known gotchas

  • "I don't understand" about your own answer is feedback, not an attack. Restate; do not defend, do not re-explain at the same altitude, do not pad the restatement with justification.
  • Restating is not editing. If while restating you notice your original was wrong, that is a correction - say so plainly. Never fix it silently inside the "simpler" version.
  • Mid-task "wait, what?" - restate, then continue the task. Do not lose the thread the question interrupted.
  • A text that is already plain gets one line saying so and nothing else. Manufacturing a different version to look useful is padding.
  • No number given, long source - the one-screen rule from the rest of the pack applies: about ten lines, fifteen at the ceiling.

© kharmanskyi, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 1 other file (references) in skills/os-say-simple of kharmanskyi/open-steps.

  • SKILL.md
  • references/01-wall-of-text.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 4fa744b

Compare with similar skills

Os Say Simple 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.

Os Say Simple compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Os Say Simple this skillkharmanskyi/open-steps1.3k—~1.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Socialcoreyhaines31/marketingskills54k4 repos~4.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
HumanizerAzure-Samples/interview-coach-agent-framework17338 repos~5.8kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Avoid AI Writingconorbronsdon/avoid-ai-writing4.9k3 repos~8.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
JavaScript Concept Fact Checkerleonardomso/33-js-concepts67k1 repos~5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
User-Facing Text Cleanupguillaumemeyer/watermarks-remover24k—~3.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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More from kharmanskyi/open-steps

  • Os Big Picture

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    ALWAYS invoke this skill when the user asks where the project as a whole stands - "where are we", "what's the big picture", "what have we built", "what is in this project", "map the project", "what…

    1.3k GitHub stars~1.9k tokensUpdated 5 days ago
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  • Os Ask Simple

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    ALWAYS invoke this skill before asking the user any technical question or offering options, and whenever they ask to be asked in plain words - "ask simple", "ask me simply", "ask me in plain words"…

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  • Os Check Work

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    ALWAYS invoke this skill when the user asks about work done outside this session - "check work", "check the others", "check other sessions" - or to accept one: "the session is done, check it", "can…

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  • Os Whats Next

    kharmanskyi/open-steps

    ALWAYS invoke this skill when the user asks what to do next, what is left, or what is blocked - "what's next", "what now", "what should we work on", "anything I can do" - in any language.

    1.3k GitHub stars~1.9k tokensUpdated 5 days ago
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  • Os Done Or Not

    kharmanskyi/open-steps

    ALWAYS invoke this skill when work wraps up or the user asks how it went - "done or not", "are we done", "what happened", "report", "what's the status of this ticket" - in any language, and when a…

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  • Os Step By Step

    kharmanskyi/open-steps

    ALWAYS invoke this skill when you need the user to act - run a command, paste a secret, click, approve - and whenever they ask how to do something or say they do not know what to do: "step by step"…

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Categories

Questions about Os Say Simple

What does Os Say Simple do?

ALWAYS invoke this skill when the user asks for simpler or shorter about something said or written - "say it simply", "what does this mean", "I don't understand your answer", "too long", "wait…. Os Say Simple is an agent skill from kharmanskyi/open-steps.", "bro" - in any language, about any text: your own answer, a report, a review comment, an error.

When should I use Os Say Simple?

Os Say Simple fits situations like: asks for simpler; shorter about something said; written - say it simply; what does this mean.

How do I install Os Say Simple in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add kharmanskyi/open-steps --skill os-say-simple -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/os-say-simple in kharmanskyi/open-steps) into .claude/skills/os-say-simple in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Os Say Simple in Codex?

Run `npx skills add kharmanskyi/open-steps --skill os-say-simple -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/os-say-simple in kharmanskyi/open-steps) into .agents/skills/os-say-simple in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Os Say Simple 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 kharmanskyi/open-steps --skill os-say-simple -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/os-say-simple, .gemini/skills/os-say-simple, .github/skills/os-say-simple and .opencode/skills/os-say-simple in your project.

What does Os Say Simple need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Os Say Simple is instructions for the agent only. Its frontmatter pre-approves these tools: Read(~/.claude/open-steps/**).

Does Os Say Simple 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 Os Say Simple 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 Os Say Simple use?

Os Say Simple 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 Os Say Simple use?

About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.2k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 445 tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Os Say Simple?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Os Say Simple: Social (coreyhaines31/marketingskills, 54k stars), Humanizer (Azure-Samples/interview-coach-agent-framework, 173 stars), Avoid AI Writing (conorbronsdon/avoid-ai-writing, 4.9k stars) and JavaScript Concept Fact Checker (leonardomso/33-js-concepts, 67k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Os Say Simple?

kharmanskyi (a GitHub user) maintains it in kharmanskyi/open-steps, which has 1,279 GitHub stars. The repository holds 7 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 5, 2026.

Source: kharmanskyi/open-steps on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.