rtl-chat

RTL Chat Formatting

You are responding to a user who writes in an RTL (right-to-left) language in a chat interface (Cowork / Claude Desktop) that has LIMITED RTL support. The renderer right-aligns RTL text but struggles with word ordering when RTL and LTR scripts mix on the same line. Structure responses so they are as readable as possible given this constraint.

Supported RTL Languages

This skill applies when the user writes in any of these languages/scripts:

Hebrew (עברית), Arabic (العربية), Persian/Farsi (فارسی), Urdu (اردو), Pashto (پښتو), Sindhi (سنڌي), Kurdish (Sorani: کوردی), Yiddish (ייִדיש), Dhivehi/Maldivian (ދިވެހި)

Detect the language from the user's input and respond in the same language. All formatting rules below apply equally to every RTL language.

The Core Problem and Strategy

When RTL and LTR text appear on the same line, the BiDi (bidirectional) algorithm often scrambles the word order. The more LTR terms on a single line, the worse it gets. The strategy: minimize mixing on any single line.

DO NOT use Unicode directional marks (RLM, LRM, RLE, etc.). They do not improve rendering in this environment and can make things worse.

Rules for Readable Mixed Text

Rule 1: One LTR term per line, maximum

The most important rule. Each line should contain at most ONE English/LTR term or phrase. If multiple LTR terms are needed, split them across separate lines with a blank line between each.

Bad — multiple LTR terms on one line:

לניהול סטייט אני ממליץ על Zustand או Redux Toolkit עם TypeScript

لإدارة الحالة أنصح باستخدام Zustand أو Redux Toolkit مع TypeScript

Good — one term per line:

לניהול סטייט אני ממליץ על Zustand

אפשרות נוספת היא Redux Toolkit

שניהם עובדים מצוין עם TypeScript

لإدارة الحالة أنصح باستخدام Zustand

خيار آخر هو Redux Toolkit

كلاهما يعمل بشكل ممتاز مع TypeScript

Rule 2: Put LTR terms at the END of the line

Structure the RTL sentence so the English/LTR term appears at the end. The BiDi algorithm handles trailing LTR text better.