Individual skill

anti-defensive-writing

Reduce defensive writing in drafts and revisions by removing unnecessary caveats, disclaimers, hedges, apology-like framing, negative self-limiting statements, and over-explanations while preserving necessary scope, accuracy, safety, legal, ethical, and methodological limits. Use when drafting or revising academic writing, papers, essays, abstracts, introductions, contribution statements, discussions, conclusions, technical explanations, grant writing, product writing, policy writing, professional reports, or any text the user wants to be clearer, stronger, more direct, more concise, more confident, less verbose, less caveated, less apologetic, or less defensive.

skill/anti-defensive-writing/SKILL.md

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Source commit f516147d017a3fe43ae99192cb89d8261b0c8679

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Matches the observed repository HEAD: Yes
Scanner rules are current: Yes
Repository scan complete: Yes
Skill scan complete: Yes
Observed behavior: Instructions only
Last checked: Nov 9, 2026

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Claude Code

Destination .claude/skills/anti-defensive-writing

(
  set -euo pipefail
  destination='./.claude/skills/anti-defensive-writing'
  if [ -e "$destination" ] || [ -L "$destination" ]; then printf '%s\n' 'Destination already exists; nothing overwritten.' >&2; exit 1; fi
  work=$(mktemp -d)
  trap 'rm -rf -- "$work"' EXIT
  git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout -- 'https://github.com/Kiterlin/anti-defensive-writing.git' "$work/repo"
  git -C "$work/repo" checkout --detach f516147d017a3fe43ae99192cb89d8261b0c8679
  git -C "$work/repo" archive --format=tar 'f516147d017a3fe43ae99192cb89d8261b0c8679:skill/anti-defensive-writing' > "$work/skill.tar"
  mkdir -p -- './.claude/skills'
  mkdir -- "$destination"
  tar -xf "$work/skill.tar" -C "$destination"
)

Codex

Destination .agents/skills/anti-defensive-writing

(
  set -euo pipefail
  destination='./.agents/skills/anti-defensive-writing'
  if [ -e "$destination" ] || [ -L "$destination" ]; then printf '%s\n' 'Destination already exists; nothing overwritten.' >&2; exit 1; fi
  work=$(mktemp -d)
  trap 'rm -rf -- "$work"' EXIT
  git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout -- 'https://github.com/Kiterlin/anti-defensive-writing.git' "$work/repo"
  git -C "$work/repo" checkout --detach f516147d017a3fe43ae99192cb89d8261b0c8679
  git -C "$work/repo" archive --format=tar 'f516147d017a3fe43ae99192cb89d8261b0c8679:skill/anti-defensive-writing' > "$work/skill.tar"
  mkdir -p -- './.agents/skills'
  mkdir -- "$destination"
  tar -xf "$work/skill.tar" -C "$destination"
)

Cursor

Destination .cursor/skills/anti-defensive-writing

(
  set -euo pipefail
  destination='./.cursor/skills/anti-defensive-writing'
  if [ -e "$destination" ] || [ -L "$destination" ]; then printf '%s\n' 'Destination already exists; nothing overwritten.' >&2; exit 1; fi
  work=$(mktemp -d)
  trap 'rm -rf -- "$work"' EXIT
  git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout -- 'https://github.com/Kiterlin/anti-defensive-writing.git' "$work/repo"
  git -C "$work/repo" checkout --detach f516147d017a3fe43ae99192cb89d8261b0c8679
  git -C "$work/repo" archive --format=tar 'f516147d017a3fe43ae99192cb89d8261b0c8679:skill/anti-defensive-writing' > "$work/skill.tar"
  mkdir -p -- './.cursor/skills'
  mkdir -- "$destination"
  tar -xf "$work/skill.tar" -C "$destination"
)

Gemini CLI

Destination .gemini/skills/anti-defensive-writing

(
  set -euo pipefail
  destination='./.gemini/skills/anti-defensive-writing'
  if [ -e "$destination" ] || [ -L "$destination" ]; then printf '%s\n' 'Destination already exists; nothing overwritten.' >&2; exit 1; fi
  work=$(mktemp -d)
  trap 'rm -rf -- "$work"' EXIT
  git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout -- 'https://github.com/Kiterlin/anti-defensive-writing.git' "$work/repo"
  git -C "$work/repo" checkout --detach f516147d017a3fe43ae99192cb89d8261b0c8679
  git -C "$work/repo" archive --format=tar 'f516147d017a3fe43ae99192cb89d8261b0c8679:skill/anti-defensive-writing' > "$work/skill.tar"
  mkdir -p -- './.gemini/skills'
  mkdir -- "$destination"
  tar -xf "$work/skill.tar" -C "$destination"
)

GitHub Copilot

Destination .github/skills/anti-defensive-writing

(
  set -euo pipefail
  destination='./.github/skills/anti-defensive-writing'
  if [ -e "$destination" ] || [ -L "$destination" ]; then printf '%s\n' 'Destination already exists; nothing overwritten.' >&2; exit 1; fi
  work=$(mktemp -d)
  trap 'rm -rf -- "$work"' EXIT
  git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout -- 'https://github.com/Kiterlin/anti-defensive-writing.git' "$work/repo"
  git -C "$work/repo" checkout --detach f516147d017a3fe43ae99192cb89d8261b0c8679
  git -C "$work/repo" archive --format=tar 'f516147d017a3fe43ae99192cb89d8261b0c8679:skill/anti-defensive-writing' > "$work/skill.tar"
  mkdir -p -- './.github/skills'
  mkdir -- "$destination"
  tar -xf "$work/skill.tar" -C "$destination"
)

OpenCode

Destination .opencode/skills/anti-defensive-writing

(
  set -euo pipefail
  destination='./.opencode/skills/anti-defensive-writing'
  if [ -e "$destination" ] || [ -L "$destination" ]; then printf '%s\n' 'Destination already exists; nothing overwritten.' >&2; exit 1; fi
  work=$(mktemp -d)
  trap 'rm -rf -- "$work"' EXIT
  git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout -- 'https://github.com/Kiterlin/anti-defensive-writing.git' "$work/repo"
  git -C "$work/repo" checkout --detach f516147d017a3fe43ae99192cb89d8261b0c8679
  git -C "$work/repo" archive --format=tar 'f516147d017a3fe43ae99192cb89d8261b0c8679:skill/anti-defensive-writing' > "$work/skill.tar"
  mkdir -p -- './.opencode/skills'
  mkdir -- "$destination"
  tar -xf "$work/skill.tar" -C "$destination"
)

Repository context

Repository stars (not skill ratings): 1,864
Repository last updated: Oct 17, 2026
License: MIT

Observed agent integration: No specific integration evidence. Standard SKILL.md installation does not imply verified compatibility.

academic-writing Repository topic
codex Repository topic
codex-skill Repository topic
editing Repository topic
writing Repository topic
agent-skill Repository topic
legal Derived category
writing Derived category
research Derived category

Files and excerpt

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SKILL.mdcore · 22,797 bytes

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# Anti-Defensive Writing

## Core Rule

Advance the claim directly.

Say what is true, what the text argues, what the evidence shows, or what the method does. Do not default to explaining what the text does not claim, does not prove, does not imply, does not cover, or does not attempt.

Use a calm, competent authorial posture. Write as an author explaining an argument to the reader, not as an author negotiating with an imagined critic.

## Preserve Necessary Precision

Keep limitations when they are necessary for accuracy, ethics, law, safety, or methodological transparency.