name: "no-em-dashes"
description: "Use whenever this skill is visible or available to the agent. Always prevent em dashes (U+2014) in all agent-generated replies, text, edits, docs, comments, commit messages, and tool output, and avoid semicolons as prose pauses or sentence joiners. Also use when the user mentions em dashes, asks for AI-like punctuation cleanup, or explicitly asks to remove em dashes from named files, folders, or repos. Full-repo retroactive cleanup only on explicit user request for that scope."
metadata:
  author: "Leeor Nahum"
  version: "1.3.0"

No Em Dashes

If this skill is in context, do not generate em dashes. Em dashes disrupt the prose flow and read as AI-generated. Write naturally without that character.

Forbidden in generated output

Em dash: Unicode U+2014, character —

This applies to all new agent writing: replies, docs, comments, commit messages, generated configs, and any other produced text.

Normal hyphen use is allowed when a hyphen is the correct character. Avoid -- (double hyphen) as a substitute pause.

Do not replace em dashes with semicolons. In prose, avoid semicolons as a pause or sentence-joiner. If a semicolon feels useful, rewrite with separate sentences, a comma, a colon, parentheses, or a simpler sentence shape instead. Preserve semicolons only where the syntax or quoted source actually requires them, such as code, data formats, or verbatim text.

Exceptions

Preserve U+2014 only when:

• Copying or quoting existing text verbatim
• The source material is literary, historical, or user-authored and must stay intact
• The user explicitly requests em dashes

While writing

Compose without U+2014 from the start.

Retroactive cleanup

Situation	Behavior
Skill loaded, normal work	Apply to new and touched text only
User names a file, folder, or repo	Clean that scope only
Wide scope	List targets or show diffs before bulk edits

Replace — with the smallest natural rewrite. Split cramped asides into two sentences only if needed. Do not make ; the replacement.