← Back to SKILL.mdVerification checklist
Run this pass on every draft before you deliver it. The checks are ordered from mechanical to judgment.
Mechanical checks (searchable)
Search the draft for each pattern. Every hit outside code blocks and quoted text is a violation.
| Search for | Violation | Fix |
|---|
'll, 're, 've, n't, it's | Contraction (Rule 4.2) | Expand it. |
has been, have been, had been | Present/past perfect (Rule 3.4) | Simple past or simple present. |
has / have + past participle | Present perfect (Rule 3.4) | Simple past. |
should, would, may, might, could | Unapproved modal (Rule 3.2) | See the modal ladder in SKILL.md. |
is being, are being, was being | Progressive passive (Rules 3.4, 3.5) | Active, simple tense. |
, making, , allowing, , enabling, , ensuring | "-ing" clause as verb (Rule 3.5) | New sentence with a real subject. |
; | Semicolon (Rule 8.1) | Two sentences. |
e.g., i.e., etc. | Latin abbreviation (GR-6) | "for example", "that is", name the items. |
simply, easily, seamlessly, robust | Filler (no fact) | Delete. |
if, when (mid-sentence) | Trailing condition (Rule 5.4) | Move the condition to the start of the sentence, add a comma. |
Countable checks
- Sentence length. Count words in each sentence. Procedural limit: 20. Descriptive limit: 25. Notes: 25.
Backticked commands, numbers with units, and identifiers count as one word each (Rule 8.6).
- Paragraph size. Maximum six sentences per paragraph (Rule 6.6).
- Multi-word nouns. Any noun chain over three words → break it with prepositions (Rule 2.1).
- Instructions per sentence. One, unless the actions are simultaneous (Rule 5.2).
Judgment checks
- Classification. Is each passage cleanly procedural or descriptive? Procedures in imperative, descriptions never in imperative.
- Voice. Any passive sentence: is the agent truly unknown, and is the passage descriptive? Otherwise make it active (Rule 3.6).
- Condition placement. Every "if/when" stands before its command, with a comma (Rule 5.4).
- Synonym rotation. One term per concept across the whole document (Rules 1.11, 9.4). Scan for check/verify/confirm, config/settings, run/execute.
- Warnings. Command or condition first, risk second (Rules 7.2, 7.3).
- Completeness. Articles present, "that" present after "make sure", no telegraph style (Rule 4.2).
- Untouchables intact. Code, identifiers, quoted errors, and proper nouns are unchanged.
When reporting violations (check mode)
For each violation give: the rule number, the offending text, and a compliant rewrite. Cite only rule numbers that appear in SKILL.md.
End the report with this statement when the user asked for STE compliance: "No tool can guarantee ASD-STE100 compliance. Final approval rests with the writer. The official standard is a free download at asd-ste100.org."
