From 101e79de2738fa15fcf79bbe2411c7a0db8c9cfd Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "prompt.ac/@jeffrey" Date: Wed, 20 May 2026 10:09:23 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] mail: add register, closers, and drafts rules to style guide Codify the proper-caps register for professional collaborators (research labs, clients, institutions), the no-motivational-closers rule, and the drafts-first authorization policy for first-deliverable emails. --- toolchain/email/style-guide.md | 45 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 45 insertions(+) diff --git a/toolchain/email/style-guide.md b/toolchain/email/style-guide.md index a937d1dc4..062c94544 100644 --- a/toolchain/email/style-guide.md +++ b/toolchain/email/style-guide.md @@ -14,3 +14,48 @@ append_signature_if_missing: true - set `preserve_case: true` in `mail_send` when casing must be preserved - set `signature` in `mail_send` to override the default sign-off for a specific email + +## Register — when to override the lowercase default + +The lowercase voice is for **internal, personal, peer, and Fia threads.** +Switch to proper caps + punctuation when the recipient is a **professional +collaborator** — external research lab, client, vendor, institution, +grant officer, deliverable-bearing first impression. + +In the proper-caps register: + +- Sentences start with capitals; proper nouns capitalized (Jeffrey, Dask, + Linux, Allen, Google Drive). +- Tech / product / project names keep canonical casing (brainreg, + atlas.roi — software stays as its authors style it). +- Acronyms uppercase (MIPs, ROI, OME-XML, AP/ML/DV). +- Code identifiers in backticks stay verbatim. +- Sign with the capitalized first name ("Jeffrey"), not the lowercase + handle, unless the thread has already established the lowercase voice. + +Set `preserve_case: true` in `mail_send` for these. + +## Closers — no motivation, no hype + +Cut motivational and enthusiasm-filler lines from the draft. Examples to +strip before sending: + +- "excited about this" +- "looking forward" +- "this is going to be great" +- "happy to help" +- generic trailing "thanks!" when there's nothing being thanked for + +End on the last functional sentence + signature. Concrete next-step +phrasing ("send the JSON back") is information, not hype — keep that. +The substance carries the energy; performed enthusiasm reads as filler +and undercuts the work. + +## Drafts and authorization + +Do NOT auto-send applications, pitches, outreach, or first-deliverable +emails. Compose the draft, show the headers + body + attachment paths +in the conversation, and wait for explicit authorization ("send it" / +"go ahead") before calling `mail_send`. Replies in a long-running +already-active thread can be sent without the explicit step IF the +prompt makes the intent unambiguous, but when in doubt — draft first. -- 2.51.2