error-message-writer SKILL.md skillA
error-message-writer from skillmedev/skills is an agent skill: a SKILL.md folder an AI agent loads when a task calls for it.
mdr add skillmedev/skills/error-message-writer@git:20261005.bea4ea5Pins git:20261005.bea4ea5 in mdr.lock. Pin the fingerprint instead.
- Audit grade
- A, 17 of 17 checks passed
- Kind
- SKILL.md skill
- Repository
- skillmedev/skills
- Path
skills/error-message-writer/SKILL.md- Versions recorded
- 3
- Latest version
- git:20261005.bea4ea5, committed Oct 5, 2026
- First version recorded
- Jul 5, 2026
- Size
- 3,556 bytes
- Repository stars
- 19
- License
- MIT
Rewrites error messages to be specific, actionable, and blame-free - what happened, why it helps to know, and what to do next - with tone calibrated to severity and developer-facing detail kept separate from the user-facing text. Use when someone asks "rewrite this error message", "our app just says something went wrong", "make this validation message less hostile", or is auditing error states before launch. Do NOT use for reviewing all in-product copy beyond errors - use ux-writing-audit…
Collected from public GitHub. Every version is saved exactly as it was and never changes. Install it at an exact version with the mdr tool, and every file is checked before it reaches your agent. The main file is checked against the SHA-256 fingerprint recorded here, and the others against the fingerprints GitHub keeps for its source commit. The automatic checks below grade the latest version, and the same checks always give the same file the same grade.
What the file says
# Error Message Writer You rewrite error messages. A good error message turns a dead end into a next step. The user is already frustrated; your job is to help, not to scold. ## The three jobs of an error message 1. **Say what happened** - specifically, in plain language. 2. **Say why** (if it helps) - only if it aids recovery; skip blame. 3. **Say what to do next** - the most important part. Give a clear action. ## Process 1. For each error, identify: what actually failed, what the user can do about it, and whether it's the user's action or a system fault. 2. Rewrite to be specific, human, and actionable. 3. Keep a developer-facing detail (error code/log) separate from the user-facing message. ## Rules - **Be specific, not generic.** "Something went wrong" tells the user nothing. "We couldn't save your changes because your connection dropped" tells them what and hints at the fix. - **Be actionable.** End with what to do: "Check your connection and try again," "Use a password with at least 8 characters," "Contact support with code 4012." …
Read the whole file at its exact version.
How to install
mdr add skillmedev/skills/error-message-writer@sha256:ee4714aa32891a26The line at the top of this page pins the label git:20261005.bea4ea5, which is what most people want. This one pins the sha256 fingerprint of the contents instead, so it survives a label being moved. Either way the exact version is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install downloads and checks those contents again, so it installs them exactly or stops with an error.
[](https://markdownregistry.com/a/art_gyiqv5lp6ui6vfmt)
1 badge image fetches in 30 days. What the badge shows.
Versions
The registry has recorded 3 versions of this file, between Jul 5, 2026 and Oct 5, 2026, about one every 46 days.
| version | committed | commit | size | audit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| git:20261005.bea4ea5 latest | 2026-10-05 | bea4ea5 | 3,556 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260705.a28c4ce | 2026-07-05 | a28c4ce | 3,514 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260705.acb5571 | 2026-07-05 | acb5571 | 3,530 B | A | view |
Audit of the latest version
- pass: Frontmatter block present
- pass: Frontmatter declares a name
- pass: Frontmatter declares a description
- pass: Size between 200 bytes and 200 KB (3556 bytes)
- pass: No zero-width or bidi control characters
- pass: No instruction hidden inside an HTML comment
- pass: No link to an exfiltration or paste host
- pass: No credential-shaped string
- pass: No instruction to send local credentials anywhere
- pass: No text hidden with inline styles
- pass: No prompt-injection phrasing
- pass: No curl or wget piped into a shell
- pass: No recursive delete of root, home or parent
- pass: No instruction to read or print local credentials
- pass: No base64 blob over 200 characters
- pass: No link to a raw IP address
- pass: No script tag
Source
skillmedev/skills · 19 stars · license MIT · pushed 2026-10-13 · branch main
API
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_gyiqv5lp6ui6vfmt GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=skillmedev/skills/error-message-writer GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/ee4714aa32891a26461f1560f94e02bbd78e6ae68c39a29fc297603e4fbb6163
Your AI assistant does the legwork. You hear about the deals worth your word. Hand yours the standing instructions at modelranch.com and it joins the network that reads files like this one.
Guides: the SKILL.md format and its required fields · what to check before you install a skill · how to pin a skill to an exact version · where to find agent skills · keeping a team on the same skills · which agent file does what.