Messages Ops
affaan-m/ECC
Evidence-first live messaging workflow for ECC. An agent skill from affaan-m/ECC.
Review, critique, rewrite, or design product error messages and error-handling UX.
MITAuto-check passed
Install Write Better Error Messages
$ npx skills add vvedantb/eva --skill write-better-error-messages -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install vvedantb/eva write-better-error-messages --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/vvedantb/eva.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/write-better-error-messages .claude/skills/write-better-error-messages && 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 "write-better-error-messages" agent skill from https://github.com/vvedantb/eva/tree/main/.agents/skills/write-better-error-messages into .claude/skills/write-better-error-messages/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "write-better-error-messages", 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/vvedantb/eva/tree/main/.agents/skills/write-better-error-messagesType 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 vvedantb/eva --skill write-better-error-messages -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install vvedantb/eva write-better-error-messages --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vvedantb/eva.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/write-better-error-messages .agents/skills/write-better-error-messages && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "write-better-error-messages" agent skill from https://github.com/vvedantb/eva/tree/main/.agents/skills/write-better-error-messages into .agents/skills/write-better-error-messages/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "write-better-error-messages", 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 vvedantb/eva --skill write-better-error-messages -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install vvedantb/eva write-better-error-messages --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vvedantb/eva.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/write-better-error-messages .cursor/skills/write-better-error-messages && 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 "write-better-error-messages" agent skill from https://github.com/vvedantb/eva/tree/main/.agents/skills/write-better-error-messages into .cursor/skills/write-better-error-messages/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "write-better-error-messages", 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/vvedantb/eva.git --path .agents/skills/write-better-error-messages--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 vvedantb/eva --skill write-better-error-messages -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install vvedantb/eva write-better-error-messages --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vvedantb/eva.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/write-better-error-messages .gemini/skills/write-better-error-messages && 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 "write-better-error-messages" agent skill from https://github.com/vvedantb/eva/tree/main/.agents/skills/write-better-error-messages into .gemini/skills/write-better-error-messages/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "write-better-error-messages", 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 vvedantb/eva write-better-error-messagesInstalls 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 vvedantb/eva --skill write-better-error-messages -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vvedantb/eva.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/write-better-error-messages .github/skills/write-better-error-messages && 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 "write-better-error-messages" agent skill from https://github.com/vvedantb/eva/tree/main/.agents/skills/write-better-error-messages into .github/skills/write-better-error-messages/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "write-better-error-messages", 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 vvedantb/eva --skill write-better-error-messages -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install vvedantb/eva write-better-error-messages --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vvedantb/eva.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/write-better-error-messages .opencode/skills/write-better-error-messages && 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 "write-better-error-messages" agent skill from https://github.com/vvedantb/eva/tree/main/.agents/skills/write-better-error-messages into .opencode/skills/write-better-error-messages/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "write-better-error-messages", 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
write-better-error-messages- GitHub stars
- 101
- Used in
- 1 other repo
- Token cost
- ~1.8k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 900 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 23
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Review, critique, rewrite, or design product error messages and error-handling UX.
- Works in 5 steps: What happened? → Why did it happen, at the most useful… → What was not affected, if anything needs… → …
- Codex is asked to improve validation errors
- SKILL.md covers Attribution, Core Test, Avoid and Prefer, plus 4 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Write Better Error Messages is an agent skill from vvedantb/eva. Review, critique, rewrite, or design product error messages and error-handling UX. Use when Codex is asked to improve validation errors, server failure messages, empty/failure states, toast/dialog copy, support escalation paths, or error-message inventories so users understand what happened, what was not affected, and what to do next.
Its SKILL.md is about 1.8k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
The repository describes itself as: Orchestrate sandboxed agents that run in the cloud while you work. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Codex is asked to improve validation errors
- Server failure messages
- Empty/failure states
- Toast/dialog copy
Example prompts
- “/write-better-error-messages”
Workflow steps
5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- What happened?
- Why did it happen, at the most useful level of detail the product can honestly provide?
- What was not affected, if anything needs reassurance?
- What can the user do now?
- What can they do if that does not work?
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit a5a4df2. 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 (its code samples are markdown).
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):
wix-ux.com
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
Write Better Error Messages loads about 1.8k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 91 tokens; SKILL.md has 900 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 vvedantb/eva at commit a5a4df2, republished under its MIT licence (© vvedantb). 900 words, ~1,761 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/write-better-error-messages/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- write-better-error-messages
- description
- Review, critique, rewrite, or design product error messages and error-handling UX. Use when Codex is asked to improve validation errors, server failure messages, empty/failure states, toast/dialog copy, support escalation paths, or error-message inventories so users understand what happened, what was not affected, and what to do next.
Write Better Error Messages
Use this skill to make error messages specific, calm, accountable, and useful.
Attribution
This skill is adapted from Jenni Nadler's Wix UX article "When life gives you lemons, write better error messages", published by Wix UX. It incorporates the article's guidance and the lessons shown in its annotated screenshots: the bad-message modal, the improved-message modal, the generic-vs-unclear comparison, and the error-inventory board.
Core Test
Before writing or approving an error message, answer:
- What happened?
- Why did it happen, at the most useful level of detail the product can honestly provide?
- What was not affected, if anything needs reassurance?
- What can the user do now?
- What can they do if that does not work?
If the product cannot answer these questions, treat it as a product or engineering gap, not only a copy problem.
Avoid
- Do not use cutesy or casual tone when the stakes are high. Avoid "Oops", "Whoops", "Uh oh", "Yikes", and jokes for flows involving money, publishing, work continuity, account access, data, or user trust.
- Do not blame the user. Focus on the problem and the recovery path.
- Do not blame third parties when the user is operating inside your product. Prefer "We're having trouble connecting to [service]" over "[service] is not responding."
- Do not expose implementation details unless they help the user act. Replace terms like "fetch", "credentials denied", "500", or "unknown exception" with the outcome and next step.
- Do not ship "Something went wrong" when the system knows more. A generic fallback is acceptable only when no specific diagnosis is available, and even then it should include a next step or escape route.
- Do not confuse "specific" with "clear." A message can mention permissions, tokens, scopes, or settings and still be unclear if the user cannot tell what to do.
Prefer
- State the result first: "We couldn't connect your account", "Your image was not uploaded", or "Your changes were saved, but the email was not sent."
- Explain why when possible: "because the file is larger than 25 MB", "because your session expired", or "because of an issue on our end."
- Reassure users about preserved work: "Your draft is saved", "Your billing settings were not changed", or "No one has been invited yet."
- Give a concrete next step: "Try connecting again", "Choose a file under 25 MB", "Sign in again", or "Check that pop-ups are allowed."
- Provide a way out when the user may be blocked: link to support, a help article, retry, cancel, save draft, download data, or contact Customer Care.
- Use "please" sparingly for empathy in serious or unrecoverable situations, not as filler.
Rewrite Workflow
- Identify the context and stakes: user goal, surface, data at risk, whether the user can recover, and whether the error blocks the flow.
- Map the cause with engineering/product if needed: trigger, frequency, known causes, affected state, and realistic fixes.
- Classify the current message:
- Generic: hides available information, such as "Something went wrong and this action could not be completed."
- Unclear: tries to explain but leaves the user unsure what to do, such as "Make sure you allow the requested permissions and try again."
- Jargon-heavy: names internal mechanics rather than user-visible outcomes.
- Blaming: points at the user or an integration instead of owning the experience.
- Tone mismatch: too cute, dramatic, or casual for the stakes.
- Draft using this shape:
- Title: user-visible outcome.
- Body: concise cause plus reassurance, if relevant.
- Action: primary recovery step.
- Escape: support/help path if retrying may fail.
- Remove any sentence that does not help the user understand, recover, or trust the product.
- Verify the final copy against the Core Test.
Show full SKILL.md (293 more words)Show less
Screenshot-Derived Patterns
Use these patterns from the article's screenshots when reviewing UI copy:
- Bad annotated modal: "Whoops! Something went wrong" plus a third-party blame statement, technical wording about fetching data, and "Try again later." Diagnose this as tone mismatch, blame shifting, jargon, and a too-generic next step.
- Good annotated modal: "Unable to connect your account" plus "Your changes were saved", an honest cause on the product side, "Please try connecting again", and a Customer Care fallback. Use this as the target structure: outcome, reassurance, cause, next step, escape route.
- Generic vs unclear comparison: "Something went wrong..." is generic because it says almost nothing; "Make sure you allow the requested permissions..." is unclear because it uses confusing language without telling users where or how to act. Fix both with specific context and an actionable recovery path.
- Inventory screenshot: a board or spreadsheet should track message, trigger, owner, priority, error type, frequency, blocked flow, due date, status, and final copy. Error cleanup is cross-functional work, not only UX writing.
Inventory And Review
For a batch of errors, create or update a small inventory:
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Current message | The exact user-facing copy. |
| Trigger | What condition shows it. |
| Cause known? | Whether engineering can identify the reason. |
| Frequency | How often users hit it. |
| Blocking? | Whether it prevents task completion. |
| Affected state | What changed, failed, or was preserved. |
| Owner | Product, engineering, design, or writing owner. |
| Proposed copy | Revised title/body/actions. |
| Follow-up | Instrumentation, design change, support link, or backend fix. |
Prioritize errors that happen often or block users from completing important flows. Revisit launched errors after real usage data is available, especially for new products that shipped with broad fallback messages.
Output Format
When rewriting for the user, prefer:
Current: "..."
Issue: Generic / unclear / jargon / blame / tone mismatch / missing next step
Rewrite:
Title: ...
Body: ...
Primary action: ...
Fallback: ...
Reasoning: ...Keep the reasoning short and grounded in what changed for the user.
© vvedantb, 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 .agents/skills/write-better-error-messages of vvedantb/eva.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit a5a4df2
Used in 1 other repository
We found 2 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in vvedantb/eva, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.
Compare with similar skills
Write Better Error Messages 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Write Better Error Messages this skillvvedantb/eva | 101 | 1 repos | ~1.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Messages Opsaffaan-m/ECC | 275k | 1 repos | ~724 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Design Critiquepaperclipai/paperclip | 99k | — | ~1.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Better Interfacetrycompai/crm | 11k | — | ~2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Critique Theaternexu-io/open-design | 100k | — | ~640 | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Channel Message Flowsopenclaw/openclaw | 392k | 1 repos | ~306 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Questions about Write Better Error Messages
What does Write Better Error Messages do?
Review, critique, rewrite, or design product error messages and error-handling UX. Write Better Error Messages is an agent skill from vvedantb/eva. Review, critique, rewrite, or design product error messages and error-handling UX.
When should I use Write Better Error Messages?
Write Better Error Messages fits situations like: Codex is asked to improve validation errors; server failure messages; empty/failure states; toast/dialog copy.
How do I install Write Better Error Messages in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add vvedantb/eva --skill write-better-error-messages -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/write-better-error-messages in vvedantb/eva) into .claude/skills/write-better-error-messages in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Write Better Error Messages in Codex?
Run `npx skills add vvedantb/eva --skill write-better-error-messages -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/write-better-error-messages in vvedantb/eva) into .agents/skills/write-better-error-messages in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Write Better Error Messages 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 vvedantb/eva --skill write-better-error-messages -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/write-better-error-messages, .gemini/skills/write-better-error-messages, .github/skills/write-better-error-messages and .opencode/skills/write-better-error-messages in your project.
What does Write Better Error Messages need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Write Better Error Messages is instructions for the agent only.
Does Write Better Error Messages access the network?
SKILL.md names 1 domain. As links in the text: wix-ux.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Write Better Error Messages 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 Write Better Error Messages use?
Write Better Error Messages 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 Write Better Error Messages use?
About 1.8k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 7k 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 Write Better Error Messages?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Write Better Error Messages: Messages Ops (affaan-m/ECC, 275k stars), Design Critique (paperclipai/paperclip, 99k stars), Better Interface (trycompai/crm, 11k stars) and Critique Theater (nexu-io/open-design, 100k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Write Better Error Messages?
vvedantb (a GitHub user) maintains it in vvedantb/eva, which has 101 GitHub stars. The repository holds 23 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.
Source: vvedantb/eva on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.