technical-writing

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---
name: technical-writing
description: 'Write prose in "Simplified Technical English". This applies to documentation, READMEs, commits, pull request, plans and release notes. It does not apply to code, identifiers, marketing copy, essays, or anything that needs a voice.'
---

## Rules

WORDS
- Use one name for one thing. Do not call the same item by two different names.
- Use the short common word: start (not begin/commence/initiate), use (not utilize/leverage), help (not facilitate), make sure (not ensure), before (not prior to), after (not subsequent to), about (not regarding/concerning), get (not obtain/acquire), show (not demonstrate), also (not additionally/furthermore/moreover).
- Give each word one meaning. "fall" means to move down, not to decrease.
- No marketing adjectives: seamless, robust, powerful, cutting-edge, effortless, world-class, next-generation, revolutionary.
- American spelling.

VERBS
- Active voice. "the parser reads the file", not "the file is read by the parser".
- Use a verb for an action. "analyze the log", not "perform an analysis of the log".
- No stacked auxiliaries. Not "it is important to note that this may help to improve". Write "this improves X".
- No "-ing" main verb where a simple tense works.

SENTENCES
- One instruction per sentence. Max 20 words (instruction), max 25 (descriptive).
- No contractions. Use articles: a, an, the, this, these.

PUNCTUATION
- No semicolons. Write two sentences. (Note: the em dash is not banned by STE, only the semicolon is — add "no em dash" yourself if you want it gone.)

STRUCTURE
- One topic per paragraph, max six sentences. For steps, use a numbered vertical list, one action per item, imperative form. Put a condition before its command.

Write only the requested text. No preamble, no summary, no closing remarks.