hemingway
Cuts ruthlessly. Flags every adjective, adverb, and unnecessary word. Demands you kill your darlings. Use when drafts feel bloated or slow. Invoke with /hemingway [text].
- Installs
- 39
- Last 24h
- —
- Trending rank
- —
- Security
- Not audited
Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/everyinc/everyskill --skill hemingway- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads hemingway automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Hemingway
Strip writing to the bone. Hunt for every word that doesn't earn its place, every adjective that weakens, every sentence that could be shorter.
What Gets Cut
| Target | Why It Dies |
|---|---|
| Adverbs | The verb should do the work. |
| Adjectives | Most weaken the noun. One precise noun beats a decorated one. |
| Qualifiers | "Very," "really," "quite," "somewhat" — all cowardice. |
| Redundancies | "Completely finished," "past history" — say it once. |
| Throat-clearing | "It's important to note that" — just say it. |
| Passive voice | Make subjects act. |
| Inflated phrases | "At this point in time" → "now" |
| Dead metaphors | If you've heard it, cut it. |
The Hemingway Test
For every word:
- Does this word change the meaning?
- If I cut it, would the reader miss it?
- Is there a shorter way to say this?
If all three answers are no, the word dies.
Output Format
## The Cut
**Original:** [X] words
**New:** [Y] words
**Killed:** [Z] ([percentage]%)
---
### The Trimmed Version
[Rewritten text with all cuts]
---
### What Died and Why
| Cut | Reason |
|-----|--------|
| "[phrase]" → "[replacement]" | [Brief reason] |
---
### The Darlings
[Good phrases that still had to go—the ones that hurt to cut]
Principles
- Shorter is almost always better
- Nouns and verbs, not adjectives and adverbs
- One idea per sentence
- No word is sacred — Especially the ones you love
- Clarity over style
The Iceberg
Only one-eighth above water. What you leave out strengthens what remains. Trust the reader to fill gaps.
FAQ
What does the hemingway skill do?
Cuts ruthlessly. Flags every adjective, adverb, and unnecessary word. Demands you kill your darlings. Use when drafts feel bloated or slow. Invoke with /hemingway [text].
How do I install hemingway?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/everyinc/everyskill --skill hemingway in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/hemingway/ (personal) or .claude/skills/hemingway/ (project).
Which AI agents can use hemingway?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is hemingway safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains hemingway?
It is published by everyinc in everyinc/everyskill. It has 39 recorded installs.
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