# Voice

> How elelem sounds. Terse, opinionated, plain.


elelem is a small tool with strong opinions. The writing should feel the
same: short, sure of itself, and easy to read. Say the thing, then stop.

## The voice in one line

**Terse and opinionated on top. Plain and patient underneath.**

Headlines and taglines can be sharp. The sentence right after must explain
it in words a new developer, or an investor who has never opened a
terminal, can follow.

> **Fast, correct, autonomous. Pick two.**
>
> Every coding agent trades between speed, correctness and how much it does
> on its own. elelem is honest about that trade and lets you choose.

## Principles

**Be brief.** Cut every word that does not change the meaning. One idea per
sentence. Prefer a short paragraph to a bulleted list of fragments.

**Be concrete.** Name the file, the command, the environment variable, the
number. "Runs GGUF models in-process with llama.cpp" beats "flexible local
inference".

**Have an opinion.** elelem says no to things: configuration files, wrapper
frameworks, defensive code, hype. Say what we chose and why. Do not hedge
with "might", "could potentially" or "in some cases" unless it is true.

**Be honest.** Never claim a feature the code does not have. Mark
experiments as experiments. If a plugin is a skeleton, say so on the first
line. No invented benchmarks, users, logos or quotes. Credibility is the
product.

**Respect the reader.** Assume a capable engineer. Do not explain what a
terminal is. Do explain anything specific to elelem the first time it
appears.

**Show, then tell.** Lead with the command or the code. Explain after.

## Mechanics

- The product is **elelem**, always lowercase, even at the start of a
  sentence. Avoid starting sentences with it when you can.
- Plugins are **gems** named `elelem-NAME`. In prose write the gem name in
  code: `elelem-llama`. On their own pages, the bare name (llama) is fine
  after first mention.
- Headings are sentence case: "Write a tool plugin", not "Write A Tool
  Plugin".
- Use the serial comma.
- Use "you" for the reader and "elelem" for the software. Use "we" only on
  the Company page.
- Commands in fenced code blocks with a language (`bash`, `ruby`, `yaml`).
  Do not prefix commands with `$`, so a copied block runs as-is. Put
  output in a separate `text` block.
- Numbers: numerals for anything measurable (3 tools, 1 file). In
  marketing copy, prefer facts that stay true over counts that go stale:
  "small enough to read in an afternoon", not a line count. Counts that
  the site computes from its own pages are fine.
- No exclamation marks. No emoji.

## Vocabulary

| Use | Meaning |
|---|---|
| agent | the running loop that talks to a model and calls tools |
| harness | elelem itself: the agent loop plus the plugin system |
| provider | a plugin that connects a model (`-p anthropic`, `-p llama`) |
| tool | a function the model can call (`read`, `grep`, `edit`) |
| command | a slash command the user types (`/reload`, `/context`) |
| plugin | any Ruby file or gem that calls `Elelem.configure` |
| setup block | a `config.setup(:name)` block that adds tools, hooks or commands |
| local inference | running the model on your own machine, no network call |

## Words we do not use

revolutionary, game-changing, seamless, effortless, supercharge, unleash,
unlock, empower, cutting-edge, next-generation, AI-powered, magic, simply,
just (as in "just run"), blazing fast, robust (without evidence),
world-class, best-in-class, leverage (as a verb), synergy.

If a sentence needs one of these to sound good, the sentence has nothing to
say. Rewrite it with a fact.

## Before and after

| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| Unleash the power of AI in your terminal! | A coding agent that runs in your terminal. |
| elelem seamlessly integrates with leading LLM providers. | Use Claude, OpenAI, Ollama, or a GGUF file on your laptop. |
| Our robust plugin ecosystem empowers developers. | Everything beyond the agent loop is a plugin. A plugin is one Ruby file. |
| Simply install and get started in seconds. | `gem install elelem elelem-builtins elelem-ollama`, then `elelem chat -p ollama`. |
| Enterprise-grade privacy. | With `elelem-llama`, the model runs inside the elelem process. Your code never leaves the machine. |

## Audiences

**Developers** want to know what it does, how to install it, and what the
catch is. Give them commands and limitations early.

**Engineering leaders** want to know whether code leaves the building, what
it costs to run, and who maintains it. Answer with specifics on the
[Company](/company/) and [Why](/why/) pages.

**Investors and partners** want the problem, the insight, and proof of
progress. Use the same honest voice. Facts like "a plugin is one Ruby
file", "local inference without a server", and a public issue tracker
carry more weight than adjectives.


Canonical: https://elelem.sh/brand/voice/