[H1][OUTPUT-STYLE-BUILDER]

Dictum: Parsing clarity requires structured serialization.

Build agent response formats. Configure scope-based style.

[DELEGATE] Voice, formatting, constraint rules → style-standards skill.

Tasks:

• Read index.md — Reference file listing for navigation

• Select domain — FORMATS (structured data) or CONFIGURATION (response style scope)

• (formats) Read formats.md — Selection metrics, embedding, validation scoring

• (configuration) Read configuration.md — Scope hierarchy, embedding patterns

• (schema) Read schema.md — Delimiter syntax, canonical examples

• (structure) Read structure.md — Ordering patterns, composition

• (prose) Load style-standards skill — Voice, formatting, constraints

• Execute per domain — Apply Guidance and Best-Practices

• Validate — Quality gate; see §VALIDATION

Scope:

• Formats: Structured data serialization (JSON, YAML, Markdown-KV, XML) for agent output.

• Configuration: Response style scope hierarchy (global → project → skill → command).

Domain Navigation:

• [FORMATS] — Structured data output. Load for: agent schemas, API responses, validation scoring.

• [CONFIGURATION] — Scope hierarchy. Load for: CLAUDE.md output sections, precedence rules.

• [SCHEMA] — Delimiters, examples. Load for: syntax reference, canonical patterns.

• [STRUCTURE] — Ordering, composition. Load for: section sequencing, chaining.

[REFERENCE]: index.md — Complete reference file listing

[1][FORMATS]

Dictum: Format optimization requires accuracy-token tradeoff analysis.

[IMPORTANT] Format choice impacts accuracy (16pp variance) and tokens (6.75x variance).

Guidance:

• Selection — Markdown-KV: 60.7% accuracy, 2.7x tokens. JSON: 52.3% accuracy, 0.85x tokens.

• Embedding — Inline for single use. Reference (@.claude/styles/ ) for 3+ consumers.

• Validation — 100-point scoring. Deployment requires score >= 80.

Best-Practices:

• Single format per output type.

• Max 5 variables per format; every optional has default.

• Constrained decoding guarantees 97-100% schema compliance.

References:

• →formats.md: Selection, embedding, validation.

• →format.template.md: Format scaffold.

[2][CONFIGURATION]

Dictum: Narrow context requires specialized output rules.

[IMPORTANT] Higher precedence overrides lower (command level 5 > global level 1).

Guidance:

• Global — CLAUDE.md [OUTPUT] section. 50-100 LOC optimal.

• Project — PROJECT.md overrides. Document divergence reason.

• Skill/Agent — Inline or reference pattern. Match reuse requirements.

• Command — Narrowest scope. Specialized output for single invocation.

Best-Practices:

• Global rules in CLAUDE.md; overrides minimal (max 30 LOC).

• Reference style-standards for voice/formatting rules—no duplication.

• Place weight-10 constraints first in all scopes.

References:

• →configuration.md: Scope hierarchy, embedding.

• →style.template.md: Style scaffold.

• [DELEGATE] style-standards skill: Voice, formatting, constraints.

[3][SCHEMA]

Dictum: Performance consistency requires delimiter standardization.

[IMPORTANT] Maintain delimiter consistency throughout output.

Guidance:

• Delimiters — Code fence (``` ), separator (--- ), soft break (<br> ).

• Consistency — Prohibit mixed delimiter styles within single output.

References:

• →schema.md: Syntax reference.

[4][STRUCTURE]

Dictum: Attention decay requires priority-first placement.

[IMPORTANT] Primacy effect assigns 5.79x weight to early items.

Guidance:

• Ordering — Action-first, Priority-first, or Context-first patterns.

• Hierarchy — Maximum 3 levels. 2-7 items per container.

• Composition — Base-override inheritance. Shallow or deep merge.

References:

• →structure.md: Sequencing, composability.

[5][TEMPLATES]

Dictum: Structural consistency requires scaffold reuse.

FORMATS Domain:

• →format.template.md: Structured data format scaffold.

CONFIGURATION Domain:

• →style.template.md: Response style scaffold.

[6][VALIDATION]

Dictum: Gates prevent incomplete artifacts.

[VERIFY] Completion:

• Domain: Selected FORMATS or CONFIGURATION scope.

• References: Required domain files loaded per Tasks.

• Style: style-standards delegation applied—zero duplication.

• Format: Validation score >= 80 (formats domain).

• Quality: LOC within limits, weight-10 constraints first.

[REFERENCE] Operational checklist: →validation.md