A Claude Code skill that makes Claude write the way the Google developer documentation style guide says to write: answer first, active voice, present tense, no filler.
It applies to chat replies, status updates, explanations, READMEs, commit messages, and anything else Claude writes for you.
Before:
Great news! I just went ahead and fixed the deploy script. Basically the issue was that it was using the wrong node version, so it will now simply use node 20. You should be good to go, let me know if you hit any snags!
After:
The deploy script now uses Node.js 20. The previous version pinned Node.js 16, which Firebase no longer supports. To confirm the fix, run the deploy:
npm run deploy
Clone the repository into your personal skills folder:
git clone https://github.com/aaronparsons-dev/google-dev-style ~/.claude/skills/google-dev-styleClaude Code loads skills when a task matches the skill's description. To apply the style
to every reply, add this to ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md (create the file if it doesn't exist):
Write every reply in Google developer documentation style. Read and apply the
`google-dev-style` skill at `~/.claude/skills/google-dev-style/SKILL.md`.To apply it to one project only, put the same lines in that project's CLAUDE.md.
Claude.ai doesn't read Claude Code files. Upload SKILL.md as a skill under
Settings > Capabilities > Skills, or paste its "Applying this in chat" section into
Settings > Profile > Personal preferences.
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
SKILL.md |
The rules: voice and tone, structure, lists, code and UI formatting, notices, and common word fixes. |
references/word-list.md |
About 130 word-list entries grouped by category. Claude reads it when it needs a specific term. |
- Lead with the answer. Background comes after, if at all.
- Address the reader as "you". Use active voice and present tense.
- Use sentence case for headings, serial commas, and American spelling.
- Put code, filenames, and commands in code font. Put UI elements in bold.
- Use numbered lists only for sequences, one action per step.
- Cut filler: "just", "simply", "easy", "please", "note that", "currently", "will".
- Don't use exclamation points, metaphors, or slang.
git -C ~/.claude/skills/google-dev-style pullOpen an issue or pull request. When adding a word-list entry, link the matching entry on the Google word list so the source stays traceable.
MIT. See LICENSE. The rules are adapted from Google's style guide, which is published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Google isn't affiliated with this project.