Lint Commit PR
Tresjs/tres
Lint local changes, auto-fix, conventional commit, and optionally create PR
A document is done when a reader with no project context can understand it; this skill runs that check as a Vale lint plus a context-free reviewer pass and a scorecard.
Install Cold Reader
$ npx skills add kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude --skill cold-reader -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude cold-reader --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/kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader .claude/skills/cold-reader && 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 "cold-reader" agent skill from https://github.com/kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude/tree/main/plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader into .claude/skills/cold-reader/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cold-reader", 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/kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude/tree/main/plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-readerType 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 kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude --skill cold-reader -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude cold-reader --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader .agents/skills/cold-reader && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "cold-reader" agent skill from https://github.com/kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude/tree/main/plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader into .agents/skills/cold-reader/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cold-reader", 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 kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude --skill cold-reader -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude cold-reader --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader .cursor/skills/cold-reader && 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 "cold-reader" agent skill from https://github.com/kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude/tree/main/plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader into .cursor/skills/cold-reader/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cold-reader", 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/kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude.git --path plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader--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 kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude --skill cold-reader -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude cold-reader --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader .gemini/skills/cold-reader && 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 "cold-reader" agent skill from https://github.com/kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude/tree/main/plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader into .gemini/skills/cold-reader/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cold-reader", 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 kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude cold-readerInstalls 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 kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude --skill cold-reader -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader .github/skills/cold-reader && 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 "cold-reader" agent skill from https://github.com/kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude/tree/main/plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader into .github/skills/cold-reader/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cold-reader", 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 kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude --skill cold-reader -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude cold-reader --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader .opencode/skills/cold-reader && 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 "cold-reader" agent skill from https://github.com/kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude/tree/main/plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader into .opencode/skills/cold-reader/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cold-reader", 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
cold-reader- GitHub stars
- 114
- Token cost
- ~5.7k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 3,427 words
- Files
- 10 (incl. references, assets)
- Skills in repo
- 12
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- None found
At a glance
A document is done when a reader with no project context can understand it; this skill runs that check as a Vale lint plus a context-free reviewer pass and a scorecard.
- Works in 2 steps: lint → cold read and report
- Asks whether a document makes sense to someone new
- SKILL.md covers Stage 1: lint, Stage 2: cold read and report, How detection works and Extending the rules
- Calls brew
What it does
Cold Reader is an agent skill from kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude. A document is done when a reader with no project context can understand it; this skill runs that check as a Vale lint plus a context-free reviewer pass and a scorecard. This skill SHOULD be used when reviewing, finalizing, or being asked to critique a persisted project document: a spec, blueprint, RFC, ADR, design or discovery document, research or solution document, proposal, planning doc, runbook, README, or Jira ticket. It SHOULD also be used when the user asks whether a document makes sense to someone new, or…
Its SKILL.md is about 5.7k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 13 other files, including reference files and assets (for example `assets/styles/ColdRead/AgentlessClaims.yml`, `assets/styles/ColdRead/BareTicketId.yml` and `assets/styles/ColdRead/ChangeNarration.yml`).
It sits in Development, covering Linting and formatting, Skill authoring and Commit messages. It works with Jira and Slack. The repository describes itself as: Practical minimalism for AI assisted programming with Claude Code.
When your agent uses it
- Asks whether a document makes sense to someone new
- Asks for a jargon
Example prompts
- “/cold-reader”
Workflow steps
2 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
- lint
- cold read and report
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 5224fc7. 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
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
brew
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):
vale.sh
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
Cold Reader loads about 5.7k tokens when it runs, and up to ~9.1k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 216 tokens; SKILL.md has 3,427 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
Without a licence we can't republish the file, so here is its outline and opening line. It has 3,427 words (~5,662 tokens).
“A document is done when a reader with no project context can understand it. This skill checks that in two stages. A Vale lint catches the defect families a fresh reader resolves without friction and therefore never reports as confusing…”
- name
- cold-reader
Files
SKILL.md and 9 other files (references, assets) in plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader of kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude.
- SKILL.md
- assets/.vale.ini
- assets/styles/ColdRead/AgentlessClaims.yml
- assets/styles/ColdRead/BareTicketId.yml
- assets/styles/ColdRead/ChangeNarration.yml
- assets/styles/ColdRead/EvidenceNarration.yml
- assets/styles/ColdRead/UnattributedClaims.yml
- references/audience-vocabulary.md
- references/defect-taxonomy.md
- references/reviewer-brief.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 5224fc7
Compare with similar skills
Cold Reader 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Reader this skillkylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude | 114 | — | ~5.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Lint Commit PRTresjs/tres | 3.8k | — | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| PR Pushicebear0828/codex-proxy | 1.8k | — | ~2.2k | Automated safety check: Notes | Custom licence | |
| PR Pushicebear0828/codex-proxy | 1.8k | — | ~2.3k | Automated safety check: Notes | Custom licence | |
| Create PRRLinf/RLinf | 5.5k | — | ~2.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Plain Writingdocwriter-org/plain-writing-skill | 462 | — | ~3.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Related
Categories
Questions about Cold Reader
What does Cold Reader do?
A document is done when a reader with no project context can understand it; this skill runs that check as a Vale lint plus a context-free reviewer pass and a scorecard. Cold Reader is an agent skill from kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude. A document is done when a reader with no project context can understand it; this skill runs that check as a Vale lint plus a context-free reviewer pass and a scorecard.
When should I use Cold Reader?
Cold Reader fits situations like: asks whether a document makes sense to someone new; asks for a jargon.
How do I install Cold Reader in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude --skill cold-reader -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader in kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude) into .claude/skills/cold-reader in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Cold Reader in Codex?
Run `npx skills add kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude --skill cold-reader -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/sc-docs/skills/cold-reader in kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude) into .agents/skills/cold-reader in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Cold Reader 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 kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude --skill cold-reader -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/cold-reader, .gemini/skills/cold-reader, .github/skills/cold-reader and .opencode/skills/cold-reader in your project.
What does Cold Reader need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Cold Reader needs the command-line tools its instructions call (brew).
Does Cold Reader access the network?
SKILL.md names 1 domain. As links in the text: vale.sh. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Cold Reader 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 Cold Reader use?
No licence was found for Cold Reader or its repository. Without one, default copyright applies: ask the author before reusing or redistributing it.
How many tokens does Cold Reader use?
About 5.7k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 23k 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 3.5k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to Cold Reader?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Cold Reader: Lint Commit PR (Tresjs/tres, 3.8k stars), PR Push (icebear0828/codex-proxy, 1.8k stars), PR Push (icebear0828/codex-proxy, 1.8k stars) and Create PR (RLinf/RLinf, 5.5k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Cold Reader?
kylesnowschwartz (a GitHub user) maintains it in kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude, which has 114 GitHub stars. The repository holds 12 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 11, 2026.
Source: kylesnowschwartz/SimpleClaude on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.