# copy-editing

> A Claude Code skill that runs focused editing passes on existing marketing copy — tightening, sharpening, refreshing — without rewriting from scratch.

**Use case**: Tighten existing copy without rewriting it

**Canonical URL**: https://agentcookbooks.com/skills/copy-editing/

**Topics**: claude-code, skills, marketing, copywriting

**Trigger phrases**: "edit this copy", "tighten this up", "polish this", "copy sweep", "this content is outdated"

**Source**: [Corey Haines](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/tree/main/skills/copy-editing)

**License**: MIT

---

## What it does

`copy-editing` is a Claude Code skill from Corey Haines's [marketing-skills repo](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills). It turns Claude into a copy editor who runs systematic, focused passes on existing copy — clarity, voice, specificity, scannability, freshness — instead of producing one mushy "improved" version. The skill activates when you mention "edit this copy", "polish this", "tighten this up", or "this content is outdated".

The output of a session is the copy with tracked edits per pass: clarity pass (cut fluff, fix ambiguity), voice pass (consistent tone, contractions), specificity pass (numbers and proof), scannability pass (subheads, bullets, paragraph breaks), and freshness pass (dates, broken claims, outdated examples).

## When to use it

Reach for it when:

- You have a draft you mostly like and don't want a stranger's complete rewrite
- You're refreshing old content and need a structured sweep, not a full audit
- A teammate's copy is "almost there" and needs a finishing pass

When *not* to reach for it:

- The piece needs to be reconceived from scratch — that's `copywriting`, not editing
- You want big-picture structural feedback; this is line-level work

## Install

The skill is distributed via Corey Haines's [marketing-skills repo](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills). Install via the repo's recommended path — copy the [`copy-editing` SKILL.md](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/tree/main/skills/copy-editing) into your project's `.claude/skills/copy-editing/` directory, or use the repo's plugin install if you've set it up.

Once installed, the skill activates on the trigger phrases above. The first time it runs, it will check for `.agents/product-marketing-context.md` (or `.claude/product-marketing-context.md`) — populating that file with your product context first dramatically improves output quality across all of Haines's marketing skills.

## What a session looks like

A typical session has three phases:

1. **Pass selection.** Pick which passes apply — clarity, voice, specificity, scannability, freshness. You can run all five or just the one you need.
2. **Per-pass edits.** Each pass runs in isolation with its own rule set. You see what changed and why, not a black-box "improved" output.
3. **Final read-aloud check.** The skill flags sentences that fail the spoken-aloud test (jargon, run-ons, unintended formality).

The discipline that makes it work: pass isolation. Editing for clarity and voice in the same pass produces compromises on both; running them separately keeps each rule-set clean.

## Receipts

Honest reporting on what `copy-editing` produces and where it has limits:

**Where it works well:**
- The freshness pass catches "since 2022" stats that should now read "since 2024" — humans miss these constantly
- Specificity pass forces real numbers in places where vague claims used to live
- Scannability pass produces dramatic readability gains on dense pages without losing content

**Where it backfires:**
- It preserves your voice; if your voice is the problem, the edit looks like polishing wrong copy
- On highly stylized writing the rule-driven passes can flatten interesting moves

**Pattern that works:** run the freshness pass on every page once a quarter and the full five-pass sweep before any major launch or campaign reuses the copy.

## Source and attribution

Originally written by [Corey Haines](https://corey.co). The canonical SKILL.md and any supporting files live in the [`copy-editing` folder](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/tree/main/skills/copy-editing) of his [marketing-skills repository](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills).

License: MIT. You can install, adapt, and redistribute the skill, with attribution preserved.

This page documents the skill from a practitioner's perspective. For the formal spec and any updates, defer to the source repo.