Verbiage

Manage repository terminology dictionary.

Purpose

Every project develops its own vocabulary – terms that have specific meaning within the codebase. This skill creates and maintains a VERBIAGE.md file that serves as a living glossary for your project.

Usage

• No parameters: Create empty VERBIAGE.md with table structure
• With terms: Add specified term definitions

File Location

{repo-root}/VERBIAGE.md

Format

# Verbiage

Project terminology dictionary.

| Term | Definition |
|------|------------|
| Activity Bar | Vertical icon strip on the far left of the app |
| Workload | A unit of work that can be scheduled and executed |
| Conductor | The orchestration service that manages workload execution |

When to Use

• When a term has specific meaning in your project that differs from common usage
• When onboarding new team members who need to learn project vocabulary
• When documenting APIs or user-facing features with domain-specific terms
• When you find yourself repeatedly explaining what a term means in PRs or docs

Actions

Create VERBIAGE.md

1. Check if VERBIAGE.md exists in repo root
2. If not, create with header and empty table
3. Inform user the file is ready for terms

Add Terms

When user provides terms:

• "Activity Bar: Vertical icon strip" → Add as new row
• Multiple terms can be added at once
• Keep entries alphabetically sorted

Update Terms

When a term’s meaning evolves:

1. Find the existing term in the table
2. Update the definition
3. Preserve alphabetical order

Example Workflow

User: "Add verbiage: Workload - A unit of work that can be scheduled"

Agent:
1. Opens or creates VERBIAGE.md
2. Adds row: | Workload | A unit of work that can be scheduled |
3. Sorts table alphabetically
4. Confirms addition

Best Practices

• Be concise – Definitions should be one sentence when possible
• Be specific – Explain what the term means in this project
• Update regularly – Add terms as they emerge during development
• Link from docs – Reference VERBIAGE.md from README or CONTRIBUTING