Imported from pinklightultra/doc-skills-library (skills/redline/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add pinklightultra/doc-skills-library --skill redline. Copyright stays with the author.

Redline

Guardrails: this skill inherits the shared rules in GUARDRAILS.md.

Contract-grade read of an article for anything construable as an SLA, warranty, or commitment. Stricter and narrower than /steelman-this-note, oriented specifically to legal and contractual exposure. The lawyer in the room.

When to use this

Final gate before publishing anything a customer could treat as a promise: capability statements, timing, guarantees, API behavior contracts. Narrower and harder-edged than the steelman pass.

Inputs

An article (slug/ID) or draft. If none, ask.

What To Do

1. Read as opposing counsel. Assume every sentence may be quoted back in a dispute. What did your organization commit to, warrant, or guarantee, intentionally or not?

2. Flag contract-risk language specifically:

   • Warranty words: "guarantee", "ensure", "will always", "never fails", "fully compliant", "all cases"
   • SLA-like statements: specific timings, uptime, response commitments stated as fact
   • Absolute quantifiers: "all", "every", "any", "complete" applied to capability
   • Forward commitments: "will support", "is planned", "coming in vX" read as a delivery promise
   • Compliance assertions: claims of regulatory compliance that could bind your organization

3. Rate exposure. High = creates a plausible contractual obligation or warranty. Medium = loose but arguable. Low = stylistic.

4. Propose defensible rewrites. Replace absolutes with scoped, accurate language ("supports X" not "guarantees X"; "designed to" not "ensures"). Preserve meaning, remove the binding edge.

5. Gate. Any HIGH exposure on a live or about-to-publish article means recommend a hold for legal and product review. Do not soften commitment language on your own authority. Propose it.

Output Format

## Redline: [article], [date]

### HIGH exposure:
- "[exact phrase]" → construable as [warranty/SLA/commitment]
  Rewrite: "[scoped version]"

### MEDIUM / LOW: ...

Gate: [clear / hold for legal review on HIGH items]

Notes

• Stricter and narrower than /steelman-this-note: a pure legal and contractual lens. Run steelman first for the broad misread pass, then this for the binding-language pass.
• HIGH items may need legal sign-off, not just your edit.
• Absolutes are the usual culprits. Hunt "all", "always", "ensure", "guarantee", "never", and "fully" first, then read the verbs.
• A sentence can be factually true and still contractually dangerous. Accuracy is not the test here. Bindingness is.