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output-styles.md

Changed on 2026-05-13 15:47:45 EST

Unified Diff

--- a/output-styles.md
+++ b/output-styles.md
@@ -6,59 +6,29 @@
 
 > Adapt Claude Code for uses beyond software engineering
 
-Output styles change how Claude responds, not what Claude knows. They modify the system prompt to set role, tone, and output format while keeping core capabilities like running scripts, reading and writing files, and tracking TODOs. Use one when you keep re-prompting for the same voice or format every turn, or when you want Claude to act as something other than a software engineer.
+Output styles change how Claude responds, not what Claude knows. They modify the system prompt to set role, tone, and output format. Use one when you keep re-prompting for the same voice or format every turn, or when you want Claude to act as something other than a software engineer.
+
+A custom output style adds your instructions to the system prompt and lets you choose whether to keep Claude Code's built-in software engineering instructions. Keep them when you're changing how Claude communicates but still coding, like always answering with a diagram. Leave them out when Claude isn't doing software engineering at all, like a writing assistant or data analyst.
 
 For instructions about your project, conventions, or codebase, use [CLAUDE.md](/en/memory) instead.
 
 ## Built-in output styles
 
-Claude Code's **Default** output style is the existing system prompt, designed
-to help you complete software engineering tasks efficiently.
+Claude Code's **Default** output style is the existing system prompt, designed to help you complete software engineering tasks efficiently.
 
 There are three additional built-in output styles:
 
-* **Proactive**: Claude executes immediately, makes reasonable assumptions
-  instead of pausing for routine decisions, and prefers action over planning.
-  This applies the same guidance as
-  [auto mode](/en/permission-modes#eliminate-prompts-with-auto-mode) without
-  changing your permission mode, so you still see permission prompts before
-  tools run.
+* **Proactive**: Claude executes immediately, makes reasonable assumptions instead of pausing for routine decisions, and prefers action over planning. This applies the same guidance as [auto mode](/en/permission-modes#eliminate-prompts-with-auto-mode) without changing your permission mode, so you still see permission prompts before tools run.
 
-* **Explanatory**: Provides educational "Insights" in between helping you
-  complete software engineering tasks. Helps you understand implementation
-  choices and codebase patterns.
+* **Explanatory**: Provides educational "Insights" in between helping you complete software engineering tasks. Helps you understand implementation choices and codebase patterns.
 
-* **Learning**: Collaborative, learn-by-doing mode where Claude will not only
-  share "Insights" while coding, but also ask you to contribute small, strategic
-  pieces of code yourself. Claude Code will add `TODO(human)` markers in your
-  code for you to implement.
-
-## How output styles work
-
-Output styles directly modify Claude Code's system prompt.
-
-* Custom output styles exclude instructions for coding (such as verifying code
-  with tests), unless `keep-coding-instructions` is true.
-* All output styles have their own custom instructions added to the end of the
-  system prompt.
-* All output styles trigger reminders for Claude to adhere to the output style
-  instructions during the conversation.
-
-Token usage depends on the style. Adding instructions to the system prompt
-increases input tokens, though prompt caching reduces this cost after the first
-request in a session. The built-in Explanatory and Learning styles produce
-longer responses than Default by design, which increases output tokens. For
-custom styles, output token usage depends on what your instructions tell Claude
-to produce.
+* **Learning**: Collaborative, learn-by-doing mode where Claude will not only share "Insights" while coding, but also ask you to contribute small, strategic pieces of code yourself. Claude Code will add `TODO(human)` markers in your code for you to implement.
 
 ## Change your output style
 
-Run `/config` and select **Output style** to pick a style from a menu. Your
-selection is saved to `.claude/settings.local.json` at the
-[local project level](/en/settings).
+Run `/config` and select **Output style** to pick a style from a menu. Your selection is saved to `.claude/settings.local.json` at the [local project level](/en/settings).
 
-To set a style without the menu, edit the `outputStyle` field directly in a
-settings file:
+To set a style without the menu, edit the `outputStyle` field directly in a settings file:
 
 ```json theme={null}
 {
@@ -66,78 +36,84 @@
 }
 ```
 
-Because the output style is set in the system prompt at session start,
-changes take effect the next time you start a new session. This keeps the system
-prompt stable throughout a conversation so prompt caching can reduce latency and
-cost.
+Because the output style is set in the system prompt at session start, changes take effect the next time you start a new session. This keeps the system prompt stable throughout a conversation so prompt caching can reduce latency and cost.
 
 ## Create a custom output style
 
-Custom output styles are Markdown files with frontmatter and the text that will
-be added to the system prompt:
+A custom output style is a Markdown file: frontmatter for metadata, then the instructions to add to the system prompt.
 
-```markdown theme={null}
----
-name: My Custom Style
-description:
-  A brief description of what this style does, to be displayed to the user
----
+<Steps>
+  <Step title="Create a Markdown file">
+    Save it at one of three levels. The file name becomes the style name unless you set `name` in the frontmatter.
 
-# Custom Style Instructions
+    * User: `~/.claude/output-styles`
+    * Project: `.claude/output-styles`
+    * Managed policy: `.claude/output-styles` inside the [managed settings directory](/en/settings#settings-files)
+  </Step>
 
-You are an interactive CLI tool that helps users with software engineering
-tasks. [Your custom instructions here...]
+  <Step title="Add frontmatter and instructions">
+    Decide whether to keep Claude Code's software engineering instructions. Set `keep-coding-instructions: true` if you're changing how Claude communicates but still want it coding the same way. Leave it out if Claude won't be doing software engineering.
 
-## Specific Behaviors
+    This example leads every explanation with a diagram while keeping Claude's coding behavior:
 
-[Define how the assistant should behave in this style...]
-```
+    ```markdown theme={null}
+    ---
+    name: Diagrams first
+    description: Lead every explanation with a diagram
+    keep-coding-instructions: true
+    ---
 
-You can save these files at three levels:
+    When explaining code, architecture, or data flow, start with a Mermaid diagram showing the structure, then explain in prose.
 
-* User: `~/.claude/output-styles`
-* Project: `.claude/output-styles`
-* Managed policy: `.claude/output-styles` inside the [managed settings directory](/en/settings#settings-files)
+    ## Diagram conventions
+
+    Use `flowchart TD` for control flow and `sequenceDiagram` for request paths. Keep diagrams under 15 nodes.
+    ```
+  </Step>
+
+  <Step title="Switch to your style">
+    Run `/config` and select your style under **Output style**. It takes effect the next time you start a session.
+  </Step>
+</Steps>
 
 [Plugins](/en/plugins-reference) can also ship output styles in an `output-styles/` directory.
 
 ### Frontmatter
 
-Output style files support frontmatter for specifying metadata:
+Output style files support these frontmatter fields:
 
-| Frontmatter                | Purpose                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      | Default                 |
-| :------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :---------------------- |
-| `name`                     | Name of the output style, if not the file name                                                                                                                                                                                               | Inherits from file name |
-| `description`              | Description of the output style, shown in the `/config` picker                                                                                                                                                                               | None                    |
-| `keep-coding-instructions` | Whether to keep the parts of Claude Code's system prompt related to coding.                                                                                                                                                                  | false                   |
-| `force-for-plugin`         | Plugin output styles only: apply this style automatically whenever the plugin is enabled, without requiring users to select it. Overrides the user's `outputStyle` setting. If multiple enabled plugins set this, the first one loaded wins. | false                   |
+| Frontmatter                | Purpose                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  | Default                 |
+| :------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :---------------------- |
+| `name`                     | Name of the output style, if not the file name                                                                                                                                                                                                           | Inherits from file name |
+| `description`              | Description of the output style, shown in the `/config` picker                                                                                                                                                                                           | None                    |
+| `keep-coding-instructions` | Keep Claude Code's built-in software engineering instructions                                                                                                                                                                                            | `false`                 |
+| `force-for-plugin`         | Plugin output styles only: apply this style automatically whenever the plugin is enabled, without requiring users to select it. Overrides the user's `outputStyle` setting. If multiple enabled plugins set this, Claude Code uses the first one loaded. | `false`                 |
+
+## How output styles work
+
+Output styles directly modify Claude Code's system prompt.
+
+* All output styles have their own custom instructions added to the end of the system prompt.
+* All output styles trigger reminders for Claude to adhere to the output style instructions during the conversation.
+* Custom output styles leave out Claude Code's built-in software engineering instructions, such as how to scope changes, write comments, and verify work, unless `keep-coding-instructions` is set to `true`.
+
+Token usage depends on the style. Adding instructions to the system prompt increases input tokens, though prompt caching reduces this cost after the first request in a session. The built-in Explanatory and Learning styles produce longer responses than Default by design, which increases output tokens. For custom styles, output token usage depends on what your instructions tell Claude to produce.
 
 ## Comparisons to related features
 
-### Output Styles vs. CLAUDE.md vs. --append-system-prompt
+Several features customize how Claude Code behaves. Output styles modify the system prompt directly and apply to every response. The others add instructions without changing the default system prompt, or scope them to a specific task.
 
-Choose based on whether Claude should stop acting as a coding assistant or keep
-its default role and learn more. Output styles replace the software-engineering
-parts of Claude Code's system prompt with your own role and voice, so use one
-when Claude should adopt a different identity, like a writing editor or a
-data-analysis assistant. CLAUDE.md and `--append-system-prompt` both keep
-Claude Code's default identity and add to it, so use them when Claude should
-remain a coding assistant that also follows your project conventions or extra
-instructions.
+| Feature                  | How it works                                                 | Use it when                                                             |
+| :----------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------- | :---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| Output styles            | Modifies the system prompt                                   | You want a different role, tone, or default response format every turn  |
+| [CLAUDE.md](/en/memory)  | Adds a user message after the system prompt                  | Claude should always know your project conventions and codebase context |
+| `--append-system-prompt` | Appends to the system prompt without removing anything       | You want a one-off addition for a single invocation                     |
+| [Agents](/en/sub-agents) | Runs a subagent with its own system prompt, model, and tools | You want a separately scoped helper for a focused task                  |
+| [Skills](/en/skills)     | Loads task-specific instructions when invoked or relevant    | You have a reusable workflow                                            |
 
-The mechanisms differ as well. Output styles edit the system prompt directly.
-CLAUDE.md adds its contents as a user message after the system prompt.
-`--append-system-prompt` appends content to the end of the system prompt without
-removing anything.
+## Related resources
 
-### Output Styles vs. [Agents](/en/sub-agents)
-
-Use an output style to change how the main conversation responds in every
-session. Use a [subagent](/en/sub-agents) when you want a separately scoped
-helper that the main conversation delegates to. Output styles affect only the
-system prompt of the main agent loop. Agents handle specific tasks and can carry
-their own model, tools, and context about when to invoke them.
-
-### Output Styles vs. [Skills](/en/skills)
-
-Output styles modify how Claude responds (formatting, tone, structure) and are always active once selected. Skills are task-specific prompts that you invoke with `/skill-name` or that Claude loads automatically when relevant. Use output styles for consistent formatting preferences; use skills for reusable workflows and tasks.
+* [Settings](/en/settings): where the `outputStyle` field lives and how settings precedence works
+* [Permission modes](/en/permission-modes): the Proactive style mirrors auto mode without changing your permission mode
+* [Plugins](/en/plugins): package and distribute output styles alongside skills, hooks, and agents
+* [Debug your configuration](/en/debug-your-config): diagnose why an output style isn't taking effect