# Tone Guide for Ticket Writing

## Core Principle

A human will read this ticket. Write like a teammate asking for help, not an AI generating a spec.

## Pressure Test Checklist

Review every sentence against these questions:

### 1. Patronizing language

- Does any sentence explain the reader's own domain back to them?
- Would you say this to a senior engineer's face without feeling awkward?
- Are you telling them HOW to implement something in their own system?
- Are you preemptively arguing against approaches they haven't proposed?

**Examples of patronizing language:**
- "This is a common pattern in Kubernetes deployments" (they know)
- "Helm charts support templating via {{ .Values }}" (they wrote the chart)
- "Why X, not Y" sections that dismiss alternatives before anyone suggested them

### 2. AI-isms to remove

- Em dashes used more than once per paragraph
- Every thought is a bullet point instead of a sentence
- Rigid structure that feels generated (Ask -> Why -> Context -> AC)
- Spec-writing voice: "When absent or false, existing behavior is preserved"
- Overuse of "ensures", "leverages", "facilitates", "streamlines"
- Unnecessary hedging: "It should be noted that..."
- Filler transitions: "Additionally", "Furthermore", "Moreover"
- Lists where prose would be more natural

### 3. Human voice check

- Does it sound like something you'd type in Slack, cleaned up slightly?
- Are there moments of humility? ("you'd know better than us", "if we're missing something")
- Is the tone collaborative rather than directive?
- Would you feel comfortable putting your name on this?

### 4. Kindness check

- Frame requests as requests, not demands
- Acknowledge the reader's expertise
- Offer context without over-explaining
- "Happy to chat more" > "Please advise"

## What to keep

- Technical detail and specifics (the reader needs these)
- Code snippets showing current state and desired state
- File references with line numbers
- Clear "done when" criteria (but keep them minimal)