ui-copy

UI copy

Write interface language that tells people what state they are in, what changed, what is safe, and what they can do next. Match wording to actual product behavior and let tone vary appropriately with consequence.

Choose mode and scope

• Audit — inventory and diagnose copy without editing unless asked.
• Flow rewrite — repair one journey across all states and channels.
• Generate — create a copy specification for new screens or behavior.
• Implement — update source strings, localization resources, or content models and verify the running product.

Define in-scope surfaces, routes, flows, locales, channels, and states. For broad work, sample low-risk routine interactions and high-risk account, permission, payment, privacy, and destructive flows before expanding coverage.

Inspect the codebase and product evidence before asking questions. Recover the primary user, domain terminology, existing voice, product behavior, localization setup, content ownership, and design constraints. Ask only for unresolved product decisions or voice choices that materially alter the copy.

Read copy quality and state rules before the final writing pass or whenever errors, progress, localization, destructive actions, or voice consistency are in scope.

Build a copy manifest

Search components, route data, constants, locale files, CMS fixtures, server responses, form schemas, validation, toasts, notifications, emails, dialogs, empty states, accessible labels, and alt text.

Record each material source decision:

Surface/channel and flow:
Route/component and source location:
State and audience:
Rendered text:
Message ID, locale, variables, plural/select branches, fallback:
Actual system behavior or destination:
Claim/cause provenance when consequential:

Distinguish unique source strings from rendered instances. Exclude tests, logs, and non-user-facing examples unless the request includes documentation copy.

Model meaningful states