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ux-copyby Anthropic

UX Copy Skill.

A Claude Code and Codex skill for UX research: writes or reviews UX copy: microcopy, error messages, empty states, CTAs.

  • UX & Research
anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins · design/skills/ux-copy/SKILL.mdSKILL.md
--- name: ux-copy description: Write or review UX copy — microcopy, error messages, empty states, CTAs. Trigger with "write copy for", "what should this button say?", "review this error message", or when naming a CTA, wording a confirmation dialog, filling an empty state, or writing onboarding text. --- ## Usage ## What I Need From You ## Principles ## Copy Patterns ## Voice and Tone ## Output
Front matter and section headings read from the upstream file on 2026-09-14 · 3,424 characters in full

01 What it does

What the ux-copy Skill Does in Claude Code and Codex

Summary, workflow and outputs, all read from the skill's SKILL.md.

From the SKILL.mdRead 2026-09-14 · not a recorded run

In the Skill's Own Terms

A write-or-review pass over interface text: microcopy, error messages, empty states, CTAs, confirmation dialogs, tooltips, loading states and onboarding. You supply the screen or flow, what the user is trying to do and how they feel, a tone and any character limits, and it returns a recommended string per element plus three labelled alternatives with tone and best-for, a rationale and localization notes.

What makes it specific is that it applies fixed structures instead of freeform suggestions: errors as what happened plus why plus how to fix, empty states as what this is plus why it is empty plus how to start, dialogs that name the action and its consequence. With connectors it can pull brand voice or read the flow in Figma.

What it produces

  • A recommended string for each named element of the screen
  • An alternatives table of options A, B and C, each with its tone and when to use it
  • A short rationale explaining why the copy works in that user context
  • Localization notes flagging idioms to avoid, character expansion and cultural context
See the example prompt ↗

How It Works

  1. 01
    Collect the Context First

    Before writing, it asks for the screen, flow or feature and what the user is trying to do and feeling at that moment.

  2. 02
    Screen the Copy Against Five Principles

    Clear, concise, consistent, useful, human is the filter every proposed string has to pass.

  3. 03
    Match the Element to Its Pattern

    CTAs, error messages, empty states, confirmation dialogs, tooltips, loading states and onboarding each have their own rule in the Copy Patterns section.

  4. 04
    Dial the Tone to the Situation

    Success, error, warning and neutral states each get a different register rather than one house voice.

  5. 05
    Return the Templated Output

    Recommended copy per element, an alternatives table with three options, a rationale, and localization notes for translators.

02 Find your fit

When to Use the ux-copy Skill

Use the ux-copy skill in Claude Code or Codex when the job is UX research of this kind. Fit and limits below are taken from the skill's own file.

Good Fit

  • Naming a CTA, wording a confirmation dialog, filling an empty state or writing onboarding text
  • A payment failure error that needs a plain-language rewrite: "Payment declined. Your card was declined by your bank.
  • A product with a brand voice guide already written down, so the copy can be matched to it
  • A screen you are designing in Figma, where the flow and layout constraints are visible
  • Any string that will be translated and needs notes on idioms, expansion and cultural context

Know the Boundaries

  • It will not guess your context: you have to supply the screen or flow, the user state, the tone and the constraints.
  • Brand voice lookup and Figma screen context only happen when those connectors are actually connected.
  • Tooltips get a single line of guidance, with no structure or examples behind them.

What to Provide

  • ToneFormal, friendly, playful or reassuring, or a description of your brand voice.
  • ConstraintsCharacter limits and platform guidelines that bound the wording.
  • The copy itself, if reviewingThe invocation takes either context to write from or the copy to review.

03 Inside the skill

Rules the ux-copy Skill Gives Claude Code and Codex

7 concrete instructions, defaults and limits the SKILL.md sets for the agent — the part of the file that changes the result.

  1. Error Messages Have Three Parts

    Structure them as what happened, why it happened, and how to fix it, in that order.

  2. Empty States Have Three Parts

    Say what this is, why it is empty, and how to start.

  3. Name the Action in Confirmations

    Ask the real question in the title, for example "Delete 3 files?", rather than generic "Are you sure?".

  4. Label Buttons with the Action

    Buttons carry the verb of what they do, so "Delete files" / "Keep files" instead of "OK" / "Cancel".

  5. CTAs Start with a Verb

    Open the label with a verb and make it specific, so the outcome matches the label: "Create account" not "Submit".

  6. One Term per Thing

    Use the same words for the same concepts everywhere in the interface.

  7. Onboard One Concept at a Time

    Onboarding copy uses progressive disclosure rather than explaining everything up front.

04 Put it to work

Install ux-copy in Claude Code or Codex

One npx skills add command, then a first task in your agent and a checklist for the result.

Add ux-copy to Claude Code, Codex or Your Agent

Run in your project; the installer asks which agent to add it to.

Terminal
npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill ux-copy

Generic skills CLI form for design/skills/ux-copy/SKILL.md; the repository may document its own path.

Give the Skill a First UX Research Task

Written in the skill's own terms; replace the bracketed parts with your material.

Starter prompt
Write copy for the [checkout] screen. The user just tried to pay and their card was declined, so they are frustrated and need to know what to do next. Tone should be empathetic but not wordy, and the retry button has a [20] character limit on [iOS].

Source: written from the SKILL.md in the skill's own terms.

Check the First Result

What the SKILL.md itself says a correct result looks like:

  • Read each line for word count: the shortest version that still carries the full meaning wins.
  • Ask of every word whether it helps the user accomplish their goal.
  • Confirm loading copy sets expectations and reduces anxiety rather than just spinning.
  • Compare the result against the brand voice you shared and adjust for the user's emotional state.
  • Re-check that the context you gave was specific enough, e.g. naming the failure condition rather than just "error message".

In OpenDesign import ux-copy from its SKILL.md link: Plugins → Add → Skill → Import from link, then pick it in the top bar.

05 Open source, traceable

Source, License and Verification

Where this page's facts come from, and when they were last checked.

Author
Anthropic
Skill file
design/skills/ux-copy/SKILL.md Content checksum recorded at verification; commit 8f877b6
License
Apache-2.0 From LICENSE.
Repository stars
24,012 GitHub snapshot taken 2026-09-14 for the whole anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins repository, which contains 7 skills in this catalog. Not a rating or usage count for ux-copy.
Verified by OpenDesign
2026-09-14 Source file, path, license text and star count were checked. Not bundled in OpenDesign main (checked 2026-08-28); a live run has not been recorded on this page.

Inside the SKILL.md

  1. UsageHow to invoke it: slash command taking context or copy as the argument
  2. What I Need From YouThe four inputs to supply: context, user state, tone and constraints
  3. PrinciplesThe five qualities every string must have: clear, concise, consistent, useful, human
  4. Copy PatternsPer-element rules for CTAs, errors, empty states, dialogs, tooltips, loading, onboarding
  5. Voice and ToneHow tone shifts across success, error, warning and neutral moments
  6. OutputThe markdown template: recommended copy, alternatives table, rationale, localization notes
  7. If Connectors AvailableWhat a connected knowledge base or design tool adds to the copy
  8. TipsBe specific about context, share brand voice, consider emotional state
The Skill's Own Description
“Write or review UX copy — microcopy, error messages, empty states, CTAs. Trigger with "write copy for", "what should this button say?", "review this error message", or when naming a CTA, wording a confirmation dialog, filling an empty state, or writing onboarding text.”

Front-matter description from SKILL.md. The full file is about 3,424 characters. Read the full file on GitHub.

06 Before you install

Questions About the ux-copy Skill

Answers come from the SKILL.md as read on 2026-09-14, not from a recorded run.

Can it just use our existing brand voice?

Only if a knowledge base connector is connected, in which case it pulls your brand voice guidelines and content style guide and checks existing copy patterns and terminology. Otherwise you describe the voice in the request.

What exactly comes back?

A markdown block titled UX Copy with the context, a recommended string per element, a table of three alternatives each tagged with tone and best-for, a rationale, and localization notes for translators.

Can it look at my actual screens?

If a design tool connector is connected it views the screen context in Figma to understand the full user flow and checks character limits and layout constraints from the design. Without that, describe the flow in words.

UX Copy

Run ux-copy on a Real UX Research Task.

Download OpenDesign, import ux-copy from its SKILL.md link, paste the prompt above, and read the plan before the result.

Terminal
npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill ux-copy

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