Docs
A tutorial is hard to follow
Check whether headings, steps, examples, and prerequisites follow the user's task rather than the author's implementation notes.
01 / The skill · Documentation · Editorial review
Writing Guidelines: review the docs you actually ship
A writing-review Skill that fetches Vercel's current handbook, reads the files you specify, and reports concrete prose or structure issues.
Publisher, source, and installation
Published by Vercel Labs · Type: Documentation review Skill
Independent guide. Vercel Labs has not endorsed Floatboat.
Upstream installation
npx skills add vercel-labs/agent-skills --skill writing-guidelinesInstalls upstream instructions. Reviews also require fetching the publisher's current writing handbook.
A realistic request
The Skill is not a general-purpose copy generator. Its documented workflow retrieves the latest writing guidelines and checks named docs or prose files, with terse file-and-line findings.
Ask the agent
“Review these onboarding docs against the current Vercel writing guidelines. Give file:line findings; do not rewrite factual claims.”
A useful result
A useful review distinguishes unclear instructions from house-style preferences and points to each affected line.
What the writing review is for
Use it for concrete docs or prose files that need a standards-based pass.
Reference
An API reference hides key conditions
Review names, parameter descriptions, code formatting, and the placement of limits or caveats.
Copy
A release note sounds vague
Look for unsupported adjectives, missing user impact, and phrases that obscure the actual change.
What it cannot decide alone
- Fact-checking product behavior that is absent from the provided source.
- Replacing a company's own editorial policy with Vercel's house style without approval.
How the docs review works
The Skill reads current guidelines and named files, then returns specific findings rather than rewriting without context.
- 01
Name the documents
Provide files or a pattern and state whether they are tutorials, references, or another content type.
- 02
Fetch the current handbook
The source instructs a fresh fetch before every review.
- 03
Accept edits deliberately
Review located findings against factual accuracy and your own editorial voice.
02 / Practical guide
Review words in their document context
A tutorial, reference page, and troubleshooting guide make different promises. Identify the content type before applying a rule.
Does the Skill write new documentation?
Its documented purpose is review: fetch the latest handbook, inspect named files, and report located issues. An agent may help revise a draft afterward, but that is a separate instruction and editorial decision.
Should another team adopt Vercel's style rules unchanged?
Not necessarily. The rules are Vercel's publisher-specific writing handbook. Compare findings with your own voice, localization needs, and documentation contract before accepting an edit.
What you can take away
- File-and-line prose findings
- Structure and clarity issues tied to the document
- A shortlist of edits to accept or reject
What to check first
- Were current guidelines fetched?
- Does the finding preserve the document's facts?
- Is Vercel's house style appropriate for this publisher?
Explore More Agent Skills
Read another Skill guide and check its original source before using it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Writing Guidelines a writing generator?
No. The documented workflow reviews existing docs or prose and reports issues. Generating new content would need a separate task.
Where are the rules stored?
The installed SKILL.md points to the separate Vercel writing-handbook source and asks the agent to fetch it fresh for each review.
Can I apply it to non-Vercel docs?
You can use it as a review lens, but its style preferences belong to Vercel. Keep your own brand and documentation requirements authoritative.
What input does it need?
Provide a file or pattern to review. The original workflow asks for target files if none are specified.
03 / Put it to work · Refine the draft
Work through the draft and review notes together
Bring the target document and revision decisions into Floatboat, while keeping Vercel's handbook as the attributed source.