docx-tracked-changes

Word Doc Tracked Changes Skill

Produces properly-structured tracked changes for a Word document — insertions, deletions, replacements, and margin comments formatted so they can be applied directly to the source document. Built to leverage Opus 4.7 improvements in .docx redlining and tracked changes generation.

Required Inputs

Work from what is given. If any of these is missing, still produce the complete output: fill each gap with a reasonable assumption marked (assumed, confirm) and list those assumptions at the end. Ask a question first only when the core subject itself is missing (there is nothing to write about).

• The document (paste the text or upload the .docx)
• Review type (legal review / copy edit / substantive rewrite / compliance check / plain English rewrite)
• Review scope (full document / specific sections / specific clause type)
• Reviewer role (author / manager / legal counsel / subject matter expert)

Output Structure

1. Redline Summary

Document: [Name or identifier] Review type: [As stated] Reviewer: [Role] Total changes: [Insertions: N / Deletions: N / Comments: N] Overall assessment: [1-2 sentences — is this document close to final, or does it need substantial revision?]

2. Top-Level Changes

Changes that affect the meaning or structure of the document:

Change N — [Section or paragraph reference]

• Original: "[Exact original text]"
• Suggested: "[Proposed new text]"
• Reason: [Why this change — substantive/legal/clarity]

3. Line-by-Line Tracked Changes

For each paragraph that needs changes, format as:

[Paragraph reference — e.g. "Section 3, Paragraph 2"]

Original:

[Exact original paragraph]

Tracked changes:

[Same paragraph with deletions marked as strikethrough and insertions marked as bold]

Clean version:

[Final clean text after applying changes]

4. Margin Comments

Comments that flag issues without proposing a specific wording change:

Comment N — [Location] "[Comment text — written as the reviewer would write it. Direct, specific, actionable.]"

Comments are for things like:

• "This clause conflicts with Section 7 — please reconcile"
• "Missing definition of [term] used throughout"
• "Confirm figure with finance team"

5. Stylistic Edits

Line-level stylistic changes (if scope includes copy editing):

Location	Before	After	Reason
Para 3	[Text]	[Text]	[Readability/grammar/consistency]

6. Pattern Flags

Issues that repeat across the document:

[Pattern — e.g. "Passive voice overuse"]

• Instances: [count]
• Examples: [2-3 specific locations]
• Suggested approach: [How to address]

7. Review Completeness

Review dimension	Covered
Grammar and syntax	Yes / No
Clarity and readability	Yes / No
Substantive accuracy	Yes / No / N/A
Compliance/legal check	Yes / No / N/A
Consistency with referenced documents	Yes / No / N/A

8. How to Apply These Changes

Instructions for applying the redline:

In Microsoft Word:

1. Enable Track Changes (Review tab → Track Changes)
2. Apply the changes from Section 3 in order
3. Add comments from Section 4 using Review → New Comment
4. Send the redlined document back to the reviewer

In Google Docs:

1. Switch to Suggesting mode (top right pencil icon)
2. Apply the changes from Section 3
3. Add comments using the comment button in the margin

Quality Checks

• Every tracked change has the original text preserved exactly
• Substantive changes are separated from stylistic changes
• Comments are written as the reviewer would write them, not meta-commentary
• Pattern issues identified separately from individual changes
• Application instructions match the target platform

Anti-Patterns

• Do not paraphrase original text when creating tracked deletions — the original text must be preserved exactly, character for character, or the tracked change cannot be reviewed against source
• Do not mix substantive changes with stylistic edits in the same section — reviewers need to approve substantive changes at a different threshold than copy edits
• Do not write margin comments as meta-commentary about the review process ("This section needs work") — comments must be actionable instructions the author can act on
• Do not flag every imperfect sentence as a change — over-redlining trains authors to accept changes without reading, which defeats the purpose of tracked review
• Do not produce a redline without a summary of top-level changes — reviewers read the summary first and use it to decide which changes to scrutinise in detail

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Redline this contract"
• "Create tracked changes for this document"
• "Mark up this document with proposed edits"
• "Review this and suggest changes in tracked changes format"
• "Give me a redline version of this draft"

Why This Works Better on Opus 4.7

Tracked changes require the model to preserve source text exactly while suggesting alternatives — earlier models would paraphrase the original or lose track of which text was original vs suggested. Opus 4.7 improvements specifically target this workflow.