feat(skills): refine string-reviewer guidelines and description (#20368)

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Mark McLaughlin
2026-03-06 14:46:11 -08:00
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---
name: string-reviewer
description: >
Use this skill when asked to review text and user-facing strings within the codebase. It ensures that these strings follow rules on clarity,
usefulness, brevity and style.
---
# String Reviewer
## Instructions
Act as a Senior UX Writer. Look for user-facing strings that are too long,
unclear, or inconsistent. This includes inline text, error messages, and other
user-facing text.
Do NOT automatically change strings without user approval. You must only suggest
changes and do not attempt to rewrite them directly unless the user explicitly
asks you to do so.
## Core voice principles
The system prioritizes deterministic clarity over conversational fluff. We
provide telemetry, not etiquette, ensuring the user retains absolute agency..
1. **Deterministic clarity:** Distinguish between certain system/service states
(Cloud Billing, IAM, the System) and probabilistic AI analysis (Gemini).
2. **System transparency:** Replace "Loading..." with active technical telemetry
(e.g., Tracing stack traces...). Keep status updates under 5 words.
3. **Front-loaded actionability:** Always use the [Goal] + [Action] pattern.
Lead with intent so users can scan left-to-right.
4. **Agentic error recovery:** Every error must be a pivot point. Pair failures
with one-click recovery commands or suggested prompts.
5. **Contextual humility:** Reserve disclaimers and "be careful" warnings for P0
(destructive/irreversible) tasks only. Stop warning-fatigue.
## The writing checklist
Use this checklist to audit UI strings and AI responses.
### Identity and voice
- **Eliminate the "I":** Remove all first-person pronouns (I, me, my, mine).
- **Subject attribution:** Refer to the AI as Gemini and the infrastructure as
the - system or the CLI.
- **Active voice:** Ensure the subject (Gemini or the system) is clearly
performing the action.
- **Ownership rule:** Use the system for execution (doing) and Gemini for
analysis (thinking)
### Structural scannability
- **The skip test:** Do the first 3 words describe the users intent? If not,
rewrite.
- **Goal-first sequence:** Use the template: [To Accomplish X] + [Do Y].
- **The 5-word rule:** Keep status updates and loading states under 5 words.
- **Telemetry over etiquette:** Remove polite filler (Please wait, Thank you,
Certainly). Replace with raw data or progress indicators.
- **Micro-state cycles:** For tasks $> 3$ seconds, cycle through specific
sub-states (e.g., Parsing logs... ➔ Identifying patterns...) to show momentum.
### Technical accuracy and humility
- **Verb signal check:** Use deterministic verbs (is, will, must) for system
state/infrastructure.
- Use probabilistic verbs (suggests, appears, may, identifies) for AI output.
- **No 100% certainty:** Never attribute absolute certainty to model-generated
content.
- **Precision over fuzziness:** Use technical metrics (latency, tokens, compute) instead of "speed" or "cost."
- **Instructional warnings:** Every warning must include a specific corrective action (e.g., "Perform a dry-run first" or "Review line 42").
### Agentic error recovery
- **The one-step rule:** Pair every error message with exactly one immediate
path to a fix (command, link, or prompt).
- **Human-first:** Provide a human-readable explanation before machine error
codes (e.g., 404, 500).
- **Suggested prompts:** Offer specific text for the user to copy/click like
“Ask Gemini: 'Explain this port error.'”
### Use consistent terminology
Ensure all terminology aligns with the project [word
list](./references/word-list.md).
If a string uses a term marked "do not use" or "use with caution," provide a
correction based on the preferred terms.
## Ensure consistent style for settings
If `packages/cli/src/config/settingsSchema.ts` is modified, confirm labels and
descriptions specifically follow the unique [Settings
guidelines](./references/settings.md).
## Output format
When suggesting changes, always present your review using the following list
format. Do not provide suggestions outside of this list..
```
1. **{Rationale/Principle Violated}**
- ❌ "{incorrect phrase}"
- ✅ `"{corrected phrase}"`
```

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# Settings
## Noun-First Labeling (Scannability)
Labels must start with the subject of the setting, not the action. This allows
users to scan for the feature they want to change.
- **Rule:** `[Noun]` `[Attribute/Action]`
- **Example:** `Show line numbers` becomes simply `Line numbers`
## Positive Boolean Logic (Cognitive Ease)
Eliminate "double negatives." Booleans should represent the presence of a
feature, not its absence.
- **Rule:** Replace `Disable {feature}` or `Hide {Feature}` with
`{Feature} enabled` or simply `{Feature}`.
- **Example:** Change "Disable auto update" to "Auto update".
- **Implementation:** Invert the boolean value in your config loader so true
always equals `On`
## Verb Stripping (Brevity)
Remove redundant leading verbs like "Enable," "Use," "Display," or "Show" unless
they are part of a specific technical term.
- **Rule**: If the label works without the verb, remove it
- **Example**: Change `Enable prompt completion` to `Prompt completion`

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## Terms
### Preferred
- Use **create** when a user is creating or setting up something.
- Use **allow** instead of **may** to indicate that permission has been granted
to perform some action.
- Use **canceled**, not **cancelled**.
- Use **configure** to refer to the process of changing the attributes of a
feature, even if that includes turning on or off the feature.
- Use **delete** when the action being performed is destructive.
- Use **enable** for binary operations that turn a feature or API on. Use "turn
on" and "turn off" instead of "enable" and "disable" for other situations.
- Use **key combination** to refer to pressing multiple keys simultaneously.
- Use **key sequence** to refer to pressing multiple keys separately in order.
- Use **modify** to refer to something that has changed vs obtaining the latest
version of something.
- Use **remove** when the action being performed takes an item out of a larger
whole, but doesn't destroy the item itself.
- Use **set up** as a verb. Use **setup** as a noun or adjective.
- Use **show**. In general, use paired with **hide**.
- Use **sign in**, **sign out** as a verb. Use **sign-in** or **sign-out** as a
noun or adjective.
- Use **update** when you mean to obtain the latest version of something.
- Use **want** instead of **like** or **would like**.
#### Don't use
- Don't use **etc.** It's redundant. To convey that a series is incomplete,
introduce it with "such as" instead.
- Don't use **hostname**, use "host name" instead.
- Don't use **in order to**. It's too formal. "Before you can" is usually better
in UI text.
- Don't use **one or more**. Specify the quantity where possible. Use "at least
one" when the quantity is 1+ but you can't be sure of the number. Likewise,
use "at least one" when the user must choose a quantity of 1+.
- Don't use the terms **log in**, **log on**, **login**, **logout** or **log
out**.
- Don't use **like** or **would you like**. Use **want** instead. Better yet,
rephrase so that it's not referring to the user's emotional state, but rather
what is required.
#### Use with caution
- Avoid using **leverage**, especially as a verb. "Leverage" is considered a
buzzword largely devoid of meaning apart from the simpler "use".
- Avoid using **once** as a synonym for "after". Typically, when "once" is used
in this way, it is followed by a verb in the perfect tense.
- Don't use **e.g.** Use "example", "such as", "like", or "for example". The
phrase is always followed by a comma.
- Don't use **i.e.** unless absolutely essential to make text fit. Use "that is"
instead.
- Use **disable** for binary operations that turn a feature or API off. Use
"turn on" and "turn off" instead of "enable" and "disable" for other
situations. For UI elements that are not available, use "dimmed" instead of
"disabled".
- Use **please** only when you're asking the user to do something inconvenient,
not just following the instructions in a typical flow.
- Use **really** sparingly in such constructions as "Do you really want to..."
Because of the weight it puts on the decision, it should be used to confirm
actions that the user is extremely unlikely to make.