Clarity Modes — Attention-Adaptive Output Skill for Claude

Give Claude five output containers — Skim, Executive Brief, Plain-Language, Deep-Study, and Default — plus detection logic, a pre-send self-check, and a persisted reader preference, so every response matches how the reader actually processes text instead of forcing everyone through the same wall of prose.

What this Claude Skill does

• Detects the reader's mode from explicit requests ("short version," "I have ADHD," "plain English please," "brief for my exec," "explain step by step") or strong implicit cues — never by interrogating the user first
• Applies one of five formatting specs: answer-first bullets for Skim, BLUF-first structure for Executive Brief, short-sentence jargon-defined prose for Plain-Language/ESL, sequenced worked-example steps for Deep-Study, or normal prose for Default
• Runs a pre-send self-check against the matched mode's checklist so the reformatting actually happens instead of being described and skipped
• Ships a working, standard-library-only Python script that mechanically flags paragraph-length, sentence-length, idiom, and structure violations in longer written deliverables before they go out
• Persists the reader's mode in a one-line project file so they never have to ask twice — and re-detects per message instead of treating a mode as a permanent personality

Built for

• Consultants, coaches, and support teams writing for readers with different attention spans, reading levels, or English fluency
• Teams and solo builders who get "just give me the short version" or "I have ADHD, keep it tight" as a recurring request and want it handled automatically instead of re-explained every time
• Anyone drafting exec-facing briefs, plain-language customer communication, or step-by-step learning material inside Claude

What's inside

• SKILL.md — the full skill file with frontmatter, the four-phase methodology (detect, apply, self-check, persist), and anti-patterns + recovery guidance
• reference/output-modes.md — full formatting rules, pre-send checklists, and before/after rewrite examples for all five modes
• reference/detection-heuristics.md — explicit-phrase and implicit-cue tables, ambiguity handling, and what should never be treated as a signal
• templates/reader-profile-template.md — the one-line persisted mode-preference file format
• scripts/check_mode_compliance.py — standard-library-only Python script that checks a drafted response against a mode's checklist mechanically
• LICENSE.md — usage terms

How a Claude Skill works

This is a Claude Skill — a single SKILL.md file Claude reads as instructions for a specific kind of work. Drop it in your Claude Project, .claude/skills/ folder, or wherever Claude can read it. Claude triggers the skill automatically when your prompt matches its description, then runs the methodology end to end.

Author

Built by Ukiyo Productions — a strategy-led branding and growth agency. Part of a 100+ skill marketplace built for founders, operators, consultants, and agencies.

Download the Clarity Modes package