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Em Dash Avoidance Guide

Makes the agent avoid em and en dashes in code, comments and data, and explains punctuation.

Source Download skill
Repository
github/awesome-copilot
Stars
40,703
Licence
MIT
Files
1 file

What it does

This skill gives the agent a strong rule: when writing or reviewing code, comments, or data files, it avoids em dashes (—) and en dashes (–) and replaces any it finds with a plain hyphen (-). It also includes a history of the em dash and a reference on how other punctuation marks like commas, colons, and semicolons are used. It is mostly a style and text-hygiene rule rather than a tool that does anything on your computer.

Great for

  • Developers who want code comments to use only plain ASCII hyphens
  • Teams whose linters or parsers choke on typographic dashes in source or config files
  • Writers curious about the history and rules of the em dash

Skip it if

  • Prose or published writing where em dashes are a deliberate style choice, since the rule defaults to never using them and may distort the text
  • Data files where an existing em dash must be preserved, because the skill says to leave dashes already present in data alone, so it may conflict with a replace-everything goal

Try asking

  • “Review this Python module and replace any em or en dashes in the comments with hyphens.”
  • “Write a README section about punctuation history without using em dashes.”
  • “Check this JSON config file for em dashes and tell me which lines contain them.”
Step-by-step guide: how to use Em Dash Avoidance GuideInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Install in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Download the skill

    The ZIP contains the 1 original files, the MIT licence and an attribution note.

    em-dash.zip
  2. 2

    Add it to your agent

    Claude Code (all projects)

    mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip em-dash.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

    Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)

    mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip em-dash.zip -d .claude/skills/

    Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.

  3. 3

    Ask for the task

    No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.

Get better results

  • Be explicit about scope, such as 'only in code comments', since the skill's rules differ for code and data files.
  • Expect the agent to apply a strict default; review its replacements in text where dashes carry meaning.
  • The skill's rules are somewhat contradictory in places (for example the 'never' stance versus allowed uses), so check outputs against your own style needs.

What's inside

  • SKILL.md

Redistributed unmodified from github/awesome-copilot under the MIT licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.