---
name: tone-fixer
description: "Rewrite a message to the tone you actually want — less harsh, more confident, warmer, firmer, or shorter — without losing your point. Use when asked to make this sound less rude, soften this email, make me sound more confident, make this nicer/firmer, or fix the tone of a message. Produces two or three rewrites at the target tone, a note on exactly what was changed and why, and a flag if the original's tone was fine as-is."
---

# 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."