smith89k

Three output styles for Claude Code: IT Guy, Lead Engineer and Solutions Engineer

3 min read

Claude Code lets you change how it talks to you with output styles: small Markdown files that rewrite part of its instructions. I wrote three that I switch between depending on who will read the answer, and packaged them so they install with one command.

What an output style is#

An output style is a Markdown file with a short header (a name and a description) followed by instructions. Claude Code looks for them in .claude/output-styles/ inside your project, or in ~/.claude/output-styles/ for every project. All three styles here set keep-coding-instructions: true, so Claude keeps its normal coding behavior and only changes how it reports back to you.

The three styles#

If you only install one, make it this one. Every answer comes back as a short, plain summary: the result first, then What was wrong, What I did, How to check, and a one-to-three sentence Summary. It uses short sentences and common words, with no code or file paths, so you can read it in seconds and forward it to people who don't write code.

Lead Engineer#

For big refactors and tricky bug fixes. It opens with the result, explains the root cause by comparing how the old code behaved with what the framework expects, counts the work done (controllers, views, lines changed), and ends with exact steps and endpoints so you can test the fix straight away.

Solutions Engineer#

For explaining technical work to clients. No small talk. Every answer has The Translation, which covers what was done, which risk it reduces and how it helps, and a Jargon Breakdown that explains each technical term in plain words.

Install it#

Run this in your project. An install script copies the styles into the project's .claude/output-styles/ folder:

npm install --save-dev github:smith89k/output-style

# or with the full Git address
npm install --save-dev git+https://github.com/smith89k/output-style.git

With pnpm or yarn, use your own package manager instead:

# pnpm
pnpm add -D github:smith89k/output-style

# pnpm 10 and newer block install scripts until you approve them once
pnpm approve-builds

# yarn
yarn add -D github:smith89k/output-style

Option 2: npx (adds nothing to your project)#

# install into this project
npx github:smith89k/output-style

# or install for every project
npx github:smith89k/output-style --global

Option 3: from a clone of the repository#

npm install

# or choose where to install
npm run install:project
npm run install:global

Option 4: shell script#

From a clone of the repository:

chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

This copies the styles to ~/.claude/output-styles/, so they work in every project.

Use it#

Start Claude Code in your project:

claude

Then switch to a style with the slash command:

/output-style it-guy

Or run /config, choose Output style, and pick one from the list.

Get it#

The styles are free and MIT-licensed. The code and full instructions are on GitHub.