Individual skill

error-message-writer

Write clear, helpful error messages that tell users what happened and how to fix it. Use when asked to write an error message, validation text, a failure/empty-error state, or to rewrite a cryptic system error. Produces human, blame-free error copy — what went wrong, why (if useful), and the next step — with options per surface (inline, toast, full page) and the related success/empty states.

skills/error-message-writer/SKILL.md

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Last checked: Nov 9, 2026

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Repository stars (not skill ratings): 1,540
Repository last updated: Nov 10, 2026
License: MIT

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# Error Message Writer Skill

An error is a moment of friction; a good error message turns it into a recovery. The formula is simple and
rarely followed: say **what happened**, in plain language, and **what to do next** — without blaming the user or
exposing a stack trace. This skill writes error copy that helps people get unstuck and keeps trust intact.

## Working from a brief

Given "the payment failed" or a raw system error, **write the message anyway** — infer the likely cause and the
recovery path, and label assumptions. Where the real cause is unknown to the user, focus on the next action.
Never hand back a question instead of the copy; never surface internal/technical detail to end users.

## Required Inputs