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rule-of-five

Iterative refinement methodology for high-quality outputs. Based on Jeffrey Emanuel's discovery that LLM agents produce best work through 4-5 refinement passes. Use when creating substantial content that needs to be polished, professional, or production-ready—documents, code, designs, analyses, presentations. Triggers include requests for "high quality", "polished", "production-ready", or when the user explicitly asks for iterative refinement.

Rule of Five

LLM agents produce their best work through iterative refinement rather than attempting perfection in a single pass. This skill implements a structured 5-pass approach: draft first (breadth), then four editorial passes focused on distinct quality dimensions.

When to Apply

Apply this methodology for:

• Documents, reports, or presentations that will be shared externally
• Code that needs to be production-ready
• Creative work where quality matters
• Any output where the user signals they want polished results

Skip for: quick answers, exploratory discussions, or when the user explicitly wants speed over polish.

The Five Passes

Pass 1: Draft

Focus: SHAPE

Get the structure right. Breadth over depth. Don't aim for perfection—aim for coverage.

• Establish the overall architecture
• Hit all the major points
• Leave placeholders for details you'll fill later
• Bias toward inclusion (easier to cut than add)

Pass 2: Correctness

Focus: TRUTH

Fix errors, bugs, and mistakes. Is the logic sound?

• Verify facts and claims
• Check calculations and code logic
• Ensure internal consistency
• Fix technical errors

Pass 3: Clarity

Focus: UNDERSTANDING

Can someone else understand this? Simplify. Remove jargon.

• Restructure confusing sections
• Replace jargon with plain language (or define terms)
• Add transitions between ideas
• Ensure the reader can follow without your context

Pass 4: Edge Cases

Focus: ROBUSTNESS

What could go wrong? What's missing? Handle the unusual.

• Consider failure modes
• Add error handling (for code)
• Address counterarguments (for writing)
• Fill gaps in coverage

Pass 5: Excellence

Focus: POLISH

This is the last pass. Make it shine.

• Tighten prose, remove redundancy
• Improve naming and formatting
• Add finishing touches
• Ask: "Would I be proud to ship this?"

Execution Notes

• Each pass should be a distinct mental mode—don't try to do everything at once
• The passes are sequential; each builds on the previous
• For shorter tasks, passes can be lighter; for substantial work, each deserves full attention
• Signal progress to the user between passes when working on longer content