output-style-authoring

philoserf's avatarfrom philoserf

Guide for authoring output-styles that transform Claude's behavior and personality. Use when creating, writing, designing, building, reviewing, or improving output-styles, persona modes, role transformations, or behavior modifications. Helps design style files, choose when to keep coding instructions, write clear personas, and decide between output-styles, agents, and skills. Also triggers when asking how to create output-styles, what makes a good style, learning about style development, or understanding when to use output-styles. Expert in persona design, behavior transformation, and style best practices.

⭐0stars🔀0forks📁View on GitHub🕐Updated Jan 4, 2026
[Prompt Templates and Packaging]

When & Why to Use This Skill

This Claude skill provides a comprehensive framework and expert guide for authoring output-styles to transform Claude's behavior and personality. It enables users to create, refine, and deploy specialized personas and role transformations using standardized templates and design principles. By mastering persona strength, behavioral directives, and file structures, users can effectively customize Claude for diverse use cases ranging from technical auditing to creative writing, ensuring consistent and high-quality AI interactions through optimized prompt engineering.

Use Cases

  • Scenario 1: Designing a specialized 'Technical Writer' persona that enforces specific clarity and accessibility standards across all documentation tasks.
  • Scenario 2: Creating a 'Teaching Mode' output-style that transforms Claude into a tutor who uses Socratic methods to guide students rather than providing direct answers.
  • Scenario 3: Developing project-specific personas in shared repositories to ensure all team members interact with an AI that follows a consistent brand voice or specific professional standards.
  • Scenario 4: Optimizing Claude for non-technical roles, such as a 'Market Analyst', by disabling engineering-specific instructions and focusing on data interpretation and reporting styles.
  • Scenario 5: Auditing and refining existing AI personas using the provided anti-patterns checklist to reduce prompt bloat and improve behavioral reliability.
nameoutput-style-authoring
descriptionGuide for authoring output-styles that transform Claude's behavior and personality. Use when creating, writing, designing, building, reviewing, or improving output-styles, persona modes, or behavior modifications. Helps with style files, keep-coding-instructions decisions, persona design, and choosing between output-styles, agents, and skills. Expert in style best practices.
# modelinherit

Reference Files

Start here:

Deep dives:

Output-Style Authoring

Guide for creating output-styles that transform Claude's behavior and personality.

This skill is part of the authoring skill family:

  • author-agent - Guide for creating agents
  • author-skill - Guide for creating skills
  • author-command - Guide for creating commands
  • author-output-style - Guide for creating output styles (this skill)

For validation, use the corresponding audit skills:

  • audit-output-style - Validate output-style configurations
  • audit-coordinator - Comprehensive multi-faceted audits

Quick Start

New to output-styles? Start with minimal-template.md—a 40-line baseline.

What Are Output-Styles?

System prompts that transform Claude into specialized personas. They modify behavior, personality, and approach for an entire session while keeping all tools available.

Use when:

  • Transforming into different roles (writer, analyst, teacher)
  • Changing response style for entire session
  • Non-engineering use cases need different behavior
  • Want persistent personality change

Don't use when: Need tool restrictions or separate context (use Agent or Skill instead)

Core Principles

See design-principles.md for deep dive.

  1. Transform WHO, not HOW - Define persona and approach, not rigid processes
  2. Start at 40-60 lines - Add complexity only when proven necessary
  3. Choose strength wisely - Most should be Active, not Passive or Dominant (see persona-strength-spectrum.md)

File Structure

Required:

  • YAML frontmatter with name and description
  • Clear persona definition
  • Concrete behavioral directives

Optional:

  • keep-coding-instructions: true/false (default: false)
  • Output format specification
  • Boundaries (what you don't do)

Location:

  • User: ~/.claude/output-styles/style-name.md (just you)
  • Project: .claude/output-styles/style-name.md (whole team)

Patterns: See design-patterns.md for Role Transformation, Teaching Mode, Specialized Professional, and Quality/Audit templates.

Creation Process

Prefer starting with minimal-template.md and customizing.

Step 1: Define Role

  • What persona should Claude adopt?
  • Is this engineering-related? (determines keep-coding-instructions)
  • Does similar style exist? (/output-style to list)
  • Use AskUserQuestion if unclear

Step 2: Choose Scope

  • User (~/.claude/output-styles/): Just you, all projects
  • Project (.claude/output-styles/): Whole team, in git

Step 3: Decide Coding Instructions

  • keep-coding-instructions: false - Non-engineering roles (writer, teacher, analyst)
  • keep-coding-instructions: true - Engineering roles (security, DevOps, QA)
  • Default: false

Step 4: Write Persona

Good: "You are a technical writer focused on clarity and accessibility." Bad: "You help write documentation." (too vague)

Include WHO Claude is, primary goal, and key differentiators.

Step 5: Define Behaviors

Use concrete directives, not adjectives.

Good: "1. Start with why it matters 2. Use examples within 3 paragraphs 3. Define terms on first use" Bad: "Be helpful and explanatory" (doesn't change behavior)

See anti-patterns.md #7 for more on this.

Step 6: Write Description

200-400 chars, explains what + when to use

Good: "Clear, beginner-friendly documentation with examples" Bad: "Helps with writing" (too vague)

Step 7: Create File

  • Filename: style-name.md (lowercase-with-hyphens)
  • Location: ~/.claude/output-styles/ or .claude/output-styles/
  • Use minimal-template.md as starting point

Step 8: Test

Activate with /output-style style-name and verify:

  1. Appears in menu
  2. Behavior changes noticeably
  3. Adds value to session
  4. Test mid-session deactivation (shouldn't break conversation)

When to Use What

See when-to-use-what.md for complete guide.

Quick:

  • Output-Style: Transform behavior for entire session (writer, analyst, teacher)
  • Agent: Separate context with tool restrictions
  • Skill: Conditional knowledge, auto-triggers

Critical Warnings

See anti-patterns.md for full diagnostic checklist.

Common smells:

  1. Persona vs process blur - Specifying HOW to execute, not WHO Claude is
  2. Over 100 lines - Likely over-built; audit each section
  3. Reads like user checklist - Instructions for user, not Claude's behavior
  4. Mid-session removal breaks conversation - Too invasive
  5. Trying to restrict tools - Can't enforce; use Agent/Skill instead

Quick tests:

  • Can you describe persona in one sentence?
  • Would mid-session deactivation break conversation?
  • Is this WHO or HOW? (should be WHO)

Examples & Resources

Quick Checklist

  • Clear role/persona
  • User or project scope
  • keep-coding-instructions decision
  • Concrete behaviors (not adjectives)
  • 40-80 lines (justify if longer)
  • Test activation and deactivation
  • Refine based on usage