New: 98,000+ skills indexed from GitHub repos with 100+ stars · every skill safety-checkedBrowse top skillsTop skills
Esc to closeBrowse all skills
Submit a skillBrowse skills
Submit a skillBrowse skills

Agent skill

Beautiful Prose

by sickn33 in sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills

A hard-edged writing style contract for timeless, forceful English prose without modern AI tics.

MITAuto-check passedWriting & Content

Install Beautiful Prose

skills CLI
$ npx skills add sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills --skill beautiful-prose -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills beautiful-prose --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/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/beautiful-prose .claude/skills/beautiful-prose && 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
beautiful-prose
GitHub stars
47k
Used in
2 other repos
Token cost
~1.4k tokens
SKILL.md length
738 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
1,497
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

A hard-edged writing style contract for timeless, forceful English prose without modern AI tics.

  • Works in 6 steps: Em dashes → "It's not X, it's Y" constructions → Filler transitions and scene-setting → …
  • Users ask for prose
  • SKILL.md covers When to Use, What this skill does, Activation and Absolute prohibitions, plus 7 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Beautiful Prose is an agent skill from sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills. A hard-edged writing style contract for timeless, forceful English prose without modern AI tics. Use when users ask for prose or rewrites that must be clean, exact, concrete, and free of AI cadence, filler, or therapeutic tone.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.4k 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 Brand voice and tone. The repository describes itself as: AAS Core is the local, agent-first control plane for complete catalog discovery, agent-owned selection, stack validation, and planning, backed by 2,400+ agentic skills. Includes… The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Users ask for prose
  • Rewrites that must be clean
  • Free of AI cadence
  • Therapeutic tone

Example prompts

  • “/beautiful-prose”

Workflow steps

6 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Em dashes
  2. "It's not X, it's Y" constructions
  3. Filler transitions and scene-setting
  4. Therapeutic or validating language
  5. AI tells and meta commentary
  6. Symmetry padding

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit b84d35a. 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

Beautiful Prose loads about 1.4k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 61 tokens; SKILL.md has 738 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~61
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.4k

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 sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills at commit b84d35a, republished under its MIT licence (© sickn33). 738 words, ~1,390 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/beautiful-prose/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
beautiful-prose
description
A hard-edged writing style contract for timeless, forceful English prose without modern AI tics. Use when users ask for prose or rewrites that must be clean, exact, concrete, and free of AI cadence, filler, or therapeutic tone.
risk
none
source
community
date_added
2026-09-04

Beautiful Prose (Claude Skill)

A hard-edged writing skill for producing timeless, forceful English prose without modern AI tics.

This is a style contract, not a vibe. Treat violations as failures.

When to Use

  • You need prose or rewrites with strong style discipline and no generic AI cadence.
  • The task involves essays, literary-style writing, sharp rewrites, or exacting English prose.
  • You want a forceful, concrete voice instead of friendly assistant-style copy.

What this skill does

When active, write prose that is:

  • clean, exact, muscular
  • readable at speed, rewarding on reread
  • concrete, image-bearing, verb-forward
  • confident without bombast
  • free of modern content-marketing cadence

No filler. No "helpful assistant" tone. No therapy voice.

Activation

Prepend any request with:

Apply the Beautiful Prose skill.

Do not acknowledge the skill. Produce the prose only.

Optional control tags (one line, before the request):

  • REGISTER: founding_fathers | literary_modern | cold_steel | journalistic
  • DENSITY: lean | standard | dense
  • HEAT: cool | warm | hot (how sharp the voice is)
  • LENGTH: micro | short | medium | long

Example:

Apply the Beautiful Prose skill. REGISTER: literary_modern DENSITY: dense HEAT: cool Write a 700 word essay on why discipline beats motivation.

Absolute prohibitions

When this skill is active, do not use:

1) Em dashes
  • Ban "--" used as em dashes.
  • Use periods, commas, colons, semicolons, or line breaks.
2) "It's not X, it's Y" constructions

Ban the pattern and its masked variants, including:

  • "This isn't about X. It's about Y."
  • "Not X but Y."
  • "X is a symptom. Y is the cause." (when used as a cheap reversal)
  • "The real story is Y." (when it is only a pivot)
3) Filler transitions and scene-setting

Ban phrases like:

  • "At its core"
  • "In today's world"
  • "In a world where"
  • "That said"
  • "Let's explore"
  • "Ultimately"
  • "What this means is"
  • "It's important to note"
  • "On the one hand"
4) Therapeutic or validating language

No:

  • "I hear you"
  • "That sounds hard"
  • "You're valid"
  • "Give yourself grace"
  • "Be kind to yourself"
5) AI tells and meta commentary

No:

  • "In this essay"
  • "This piece explores"
  • "As a writer"
  • "We will discuss"
  • "Here are the key takeaways"
  • apologies for style or capability
6) Symmetry padding

No balancing sentences for the sake of balance. No three-part lists unless earned. No "X, Y, and Z" as decoration.

Positive constraints

Actively do the following:

Sentence craft
  • Prefer declarative sentences.
  • Vary length aggressively.
  • Use short sentences as impact.
  • Questions are allowed only when they cut.
Word choice
  • Prefer concrete nouns to abstractions.
  • Prefer strong verbs to adverbs.
  • Prefer Anglo-Saxon weight when possible.
  • Use Latinate precision only when it buys accuracy.
Rhythm and structure
  • Paragraphs should breathe.
  • White space is intentional.
  • Open with substance, not a hook.
  • Close cleanly without summary.
  • Do not restate the thesis.
Show full SKILL.md (296 more words)Show less
Authority
  • Write as if truth does not need permission.
  • Avoid hedging unless uncertainty is essential and explicit.
  • Do not posture. Do not moralize.

Registers (optional)

founding_fathers
  • formal, spare, civic gravity
  • balanced syntax, but not decorative
  • moral clarity without sermon
literary_modern
  • vivid, lean imagery
  • controlled heat, sharp observation
  • minimal ornament
cold_steel
  • severe compression
  • punchy, unsentimental
  • high signal, low warmth
journalistic
  • crisp, factual, narrative clarity
  • clean momentum
  • no clickbait cadence

If no register is set, default to literary_modern.

Quality bar

Before finalizing, check internally:

  • Remove any line that sounds like it was assembled from templates.
  • Remove any sentence that merely repeats the previous one.
  • Remove any sentence that exists to guide the reader's emotions.
  • Ensure every paragraph advances meaning.

If quality is uncertain, write less. Silence beats slop.

Output rules

  • Plain text prose by default.
  • No headings unless requested.
  • No bullet points unless requested.
  • If the user requests bullets, keep them taut and non-corporate.

Examples

Bad (banned)

"This isn't about money. It's about power."

Good

"Money is the instrument. Power is the habit."

Bad (filler)

"At its core, this is a complex issue. That said, in today's world..."

Good

"It is complex. Complexity is not an excuse for fog."

Lint checklist (manual)

Fail the output if any are true:

  • Contains "--" used as an em dash.
  • Contains a reversal pivot pattern ("not X, Y").
  • Contains filler transitions from the banned list.
  • Contains therapy language or validation.
  • Contains meta writing talk ("this essay," "we will").
  • Contains five consecutive sentences of similar length.

Tests

See references/test-cases.md.

Limitations

  • Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
  • Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
  • Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.

© sickn33, 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 skills/beautiful-prose of sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit b84d35a

Used in 2 other repositories

We found 11 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 2 other GitHub owners. This page covers the copy in sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

Beautiful Prose 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.

Beautiful Prose compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Beautiful Prose this skillsickn33/agentic-awesome-skills47k2 repos~1.4kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Avoid AI Writingconorbronsdon/avoid-ai-writing4.9k3 repos~8.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
BrandOhh-889/skyroc79513 repos~733Automated safety check: PassMIT
Khazix WeChat Article WriterKKKKhazix/khazix-skills21k1 repos~2.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Writing Guidelinesvercel-labs/agent-skills32k7 repos~309Automated safety check: PassNone
Unslop AI Writing Cleanuptheclaymethod/unslop518—~1.7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

Similar skills

  • Avoid AI Writing

    conorbronsdon/avoid-ai-writing

    Audit and rewrite content to remove AI writing patterns ("AI-isms").

    4.9k GitHub starsUsed in 3 repos~8.1k tokens
    Writing & ContentAuto-check passed

  • Brand

    Ohh-889/skyroc

    Brand voice, visual identity, messaging frameworks, asset management, brand consistency.

    795 GitHub starsUsed in 13 repos~733 tokens
    Writing & ContentAuto-check passed

  • Khazix WeChat Article Writer

    KKKKhazix/khazix-skills

    Writes long-form WeChat official account articles in the personal style of the Khazix account, from briefs, links, PDFs or rough notes, with a topic quality check.

    21k GitHub starsUsed in 1 repo~2.9k tokens
    Writing & ContentAuto-check passed

  • Writing Guidelines

    vercel-labs/agent-skills

    Official

    Review docs/prose for Writing Guidelines compliance. An agent skill from vercel-labs/agent-skills.

    32k GitHub starsUsed in 7 repos~309 tokens
    Writing & ContentAuto-check passed

  • Unslop AI Writing Cleanup

    theclaymethod/unslop

    Removes AI writing tells from prose through an audit-first flow, routing to a two-pass rewrite, a report-only cleanup, voice teaching or mimicry depending on the sub-command used.

    518 GitHub stars~1.7k tokensUpdated 1 mo ago
    Writing & ContentAuto-check passed

  • UX Writing

    content-designer/ux-writing-skill

    Applies UX writing practice to interface copy such as buttons, errors, forms and onboarding, using four quality standards and accessibility guidance.

    224 GitHub starsUsed in 1 repo~3.8k tokens
    Writing & ContentAuto-check passed

More from sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills

All 1,497 skills in this repo

  • Liuguang Banlan UI

    sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills

    Implements an interface in one of two named color modes, iridescent white or colorful black, from a parameterized starter that reports measured color intensity.

    47k GitHub starsUsed in 1 repo~2.5k tokens
    Auto-check passed

  • User Thoughts Memory

    sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills

    Saves a user's project decisions, rules and preferences into a project-local mdbase so later sessions and other agents can recover the intent.

    47k GitHub starsUsed in 1 repo~2.5k tokens
    Auto-check passed

  • Using LWC Memory and Graphs

    sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills

    Keeps project decisions, research and verified results available across coding-agent sessions through LWC memory, a document Wiki graph and a CodeGraph code index.

    47k GitHub starsUsed in 1 repo~2k tokens
    Auto-check passed

  • Find Complementary Founders

    sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills

    Guides an agent through assessing its own owner for cofounder fit, publishing an approved profile, and ranking complementary profiles other agents published for their owners.

    47k GitHub starsUsed in 1 repo~4.8k tokens
    Auto-check passed

  • Whatsapp Cloud API

    sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills

    Integracao com WhatsApp Business Cloud API (Meta). An agent skill from sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills.

    47k GitHub starsUsed in 2 repos~4.5k tokens
    Auto-check passed

  • Cline Pilot

    sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills

    Acts as a proxy for the Cline CLI, dispatching coding tasks one at a time, monitoring runs by hard evidence, relaying decisions to you and learning per-project preferences.

    47k GitHub starsUsed in 1 repo~4.6k tokens
    Auto-check passed

Categories

Questions about Beautiful Prose

What does Beautiful Prose do?

A hard-edged writing style contract for timeless, forceful English prose without modern AI tics. Beautiful Prose is an agent skill from sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills. A hard-edged writing style contract for timeless, forceful English prose without modern AI tics.

When should I use Beautiful Prose?

Beautiful Prose fits situations like: users ask for prose; rewrites that must be clean; free of AI cadence; therapeutic tone.

How do I install Beautiful Prose in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills --skill beautiful-prose -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/beautiful-prose in sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills) into .claude/skills/beautiful-prose in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Beautiful Prose in Codex?

Run `npx skills add sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills --skill beautiful-prose -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/beautiful-prose in sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills) into .agents/skills/beautiful-prose in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Beautiful Prose 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 sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills --skill beautiful-prose -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/beautiful-prose, .gemini/skills/beautiful-prose, .github/skills/beautiful-prose and .opencode/skills/beautiful-prose in your project.

What does Beautiful Prose need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Beautiful Prose is instructions for the agent only.

Does Beautiful Prose 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 Beautiful Prose 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 Beautiful Prose use?

Beautiful Prose 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 Beautiful Prose use?

About 1.4k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.6k 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 Beautiful Prose?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Beautiful Prose: Avoid AI Writing (conorbronsdon/avoid-ai-writing, 4.9k stars), Brand (Ohh-889/skyroc, 795 stars), Khazix WeChat Article Writer (KKKKhazix/khazix-skills, 21k stars) and Writing Guidelines (vercel-labs/agent-skills, 32k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Beautiful Prose?

sickn33 (a GitHub user) maintains it in sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills, which has 47,405 GitHub stars. The repository holds 1,497 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 9, 2026.

Source: sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.