About rewrite
rewrite is a design skill for making existing content accessible to people with varied cognitive abilities and literacy levels while preserving meaning. It assesses readability, revises text, and presents the original and rewrite with annotations.
Key features
- 01Assesses reading level and content structure
- 02Identifies each section’s core message
- 03Rewrites with plain language and shorter sentences
- 04Improves link text for clarity
- 05Shows before-and-after text with change notes
Use cases
- 01Simplifying instructions without losing accuracy
- 02Making web content easier to scan
- 03Reviewing potential shifts in legal or technical meaning
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
npx skills add https:/After installing, type/rewritein Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMERewrite for Accessibility
Take existing content and rewrite it to be accessible to people with diverse cognitive abilities and literacy levels — without losing accuracy or meaning.
Process
Step 1: Assess Current Readability
Using readable-content, evaluate:
- Current reading level
- Sentence and paragraph length
- Jargon and specialist terms
- Content structure and scannability
Step 2: Identify the Core Message
For each section, answer: what is the one thing the reader must understand? Write that down in one plain sentence. This becomes the opening line of the rewritten section.
Step 3: Rewrite
- Replace jargon with plain alternatives
- Shorten sentences to 15–20 words
- One idea per sentence, one topic per paragraph
- Front-load each paragraph with the key point
- Use active voice throughout
- Address the reader as "you"
- Add examples to clarify abstract concepts
Step 4: Fix Links
Using link-text-design, rewrite any link text that doesn't make sense on its own. Replace "click here" and "read more" with descriptive link text.
Step 5: Present Before and After
Show the original alongside the rewrite with annotations explaining each change. Include the reading level of both versions.
Rules
- Never sacrifice accuracy for simplicity — if a term is essential, keep it and define it
- Don't condescend — plain language is clear language, not childish language
- Preserve the author's intent and tone where possible
- Flag any content where simplification might change the legal or technical meaning — let the team decide those tradeoffs
Output
Deliver the rewritten content with:
- Reading level of original vs. rewrite
- Change log of significant edits with rationale
- Flagged passages where meaning may have shifted