tone-fixer

Tone Fixer

The most-sent-and-deleted message in the world is the one where the words are right but the tone is off — too blunt, too apologetic, too eager, too cold. This keeps your meaning and your facts exactly, and only moves the register: it shows you the rewrite, names the specific phrases that were doing the damage, and won't invent problems if your draft was already fine.

What This Skill Produces

• 2–3 rewrites at the requested tone (and a "dial it further" version if useful)
• The change log — the exact words/phrases that set the wrong tone, and what they became
• The honesty flag — if the original tone was already appropriate, it says so instead of over-editing

Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:

• The message — paste it
• The target tone — less harsh / more confident / warmer / firmer / more formal / shorter (or describe it)
• The context — who it's to and what's at stake (a boss, a customer, a landlord — the ceiling for "firm" shifts)

Framework: Move the Register, Not the Meaning

1. Preserve the point and the facts. Tone-editing never changes what you're actually saying or the details.
2. Find the tone-carriers. A few words do most of the damage — hedges ("just," "sorry to bother"), absolutes ("you always"), or curtness. Target those.
3. Confidence = remove the apology tax. "I just think maybe we could…" → "I recommend we…". Drop the pre-emptive sorries.
4. Warmth = acknowledge the person, not more words. One line of recognition beats a softer everything.
5. Firm ≠ rude. Clear, direct, and calm; state the ask and the consequence without heat.

Output Format

Rewrites → [target tone]

Option A: …

Option B (a touch more [tone]): …

What changed

| Original phrase | Became | Why |

|---|---|---|

Verdict

• [If applicable] Your original was already appropriate for this context — here's a lighter touch, or leave it.

Quality Checks

• [ ] Meaning and all facts are unchanged — only the register moved
• [ ] The change log names specific phrases, not vague "made it nicer"
• [ ] For "more confident": hedges and reflexive apologies were removed
• [ ] For "firmer": still calm and professional, not aggressive
• [ ] If the original tone was fine, that was stated rather than changes invented

Anti-Patterns

• Changing the message's substance while "fixing tone."
• Over-softening into mush — "warmer" shouldn't bury the ask.
• Inventing problems to justify a rewrite when the draft was already right.
• Making "firm" mean hostile — heat undermines authority.

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Make this email sound less harsh: [paste]"
• "Rewrite this so I sound more confident, not apologetic."
• "Soften this message to my landlord but keep it firm."
• "This came out rude — fix the tone: [paste]"
• "Make this shorter and warmer."