output-styles
Understanding output styles in Claude Code (deprecated feature). Use when user asks about customizing Claude's behavior, output styles, or explanatory/learning modes.
npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill output-styles --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Claude Code Output Styles ## Deprecation Status Output styles are **deprecated** as of November 5, 2025. The feature has been automatically converted to plugins and is no longer supported. ## What Output Styles Were Output styles allowed customization of Claude Code's behavior beyond software engineering tasks. They directly modified the system prompt while preserving core capabilities like file operations and script execution. ## Built-in Styles (Deprecated) **Default**: Standard software engineering assistance **Explanatory**: Provides educational 'Insights' in between helping you complete software engineering tasks **Learning**: Collaborative mode where Claude shares insights and requests user contributions, marked with `TODO(human)` comments ## How They Worked Output styles excluded default code generation instructions and substituted custom system prompt guidance instead. This differed from `CLAUDE.md` or `--append-system-prompt`, which only appended context rather than replacing the base prompt. ## Migration Path Users should transition to: 1. **SessionStart hooks** - for adding context at session start via plugin-based automation 2. **Subagents** - for specialized AI assis
- Deprecation Status
- What Output Styles Were
- Built-in Styles (Deprecated)
- How They Worked
- Migration Path
- Installation Example
- Recommended Alternatives
What does the output-styles skill do?
Understanding output styles in Claude Code (deprecated feature). Use when user asks about customizing Claude's behavior, output styles, or explanatory/learning modes.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill output-styles --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From majiayu000/claude-skill-registry, a repository with 534 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.