Grice's maxims for fleet communication

Enforce Grice's four maxims in agent-authored communication artifacts.

3|2|Updated May 12, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/kriscendobot/garden --skill grice-s-maxims-for-fleet-communication
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: Grice's maxims for fleet communication
Source: https://github.com/kriscendobot/garden/tree/main/skills/gricean-maxims
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/kriscendobot/garden --skill grice-s-maxims-for-fleet-communication

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

This skill addresses the issue of verbose, padded, or unclear communication from AI agents, which wastes the time and attention of human maintainers and peer agents.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Operationalized Communication Norms: Applies Grice's four maxims (Quantity, Quality, Relation, Manner) to all agent-authored text, including PR comments, reports, and code documentation.
  • Failure Mode Prevention: Specifically targets common AI communication failures like padding, buried decisions, irrelevant asides, and unevidenced claims.
  • Use Case: When an agent is drafting a complex PR completion summary, this skill ensures the output is concise, evidence-based, and structured to prioritize the reader's need for actionable information.

Quick Start

Review the current draft of the PR completion summary against the four Gricean maxims to ensure all required disclosures are present but stated with maximum brevity.

Frequently Asked Questions about Grice's maxims for fleet communication

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I make AI agent communication more concise and relevant?

To make AI agent communication more concise, apply Grice's four maxims of Quantity, Quality, Relation, and Manner to all agent-authored prose. This enforces strict relevance and brevity across PR summaries, review replies, and code comments.

What is the best way to stop AI agents from padding PR summaries with irrelevant asides?

The best way to stop AI agents from padding PR summaries is to enforce Gricean maxims, specifically targeting failure modes like padding and buried decisions. This ensures outputs are evidence-based and prioritize actionable information.

How does applying Grice's maxims improve code documentation and review replies?

Applying Grice's maxims improves code documentation and review replies by minimizing reader attention expenditure. It operationalizes communication norms to ensure all text is strictly concise, evidence-based, and free of unevidenced claims.

Can I enforce mandatory disclosure contracts while optimizing fleet communication for brevity?

You can enforce mandatory disclosure contracts while optimizing fleet communication for brevity. The process requires adherence to the four maxims to minimize attention expenditure without sacrificing required disclosures in journal entries or reports.

When do I need to apply communication standards to agent-authored artifacts?

You need to apply communication standards to agent-authored artifacts when verbose or unclear outputs waste human maintainer attention. Enforcing these norms early prevents common AI failures like buried decisions and irrelevant asides in reports.

Why does my agent's code comment contain unevidenced claims and irrelevant asides?

Agent code comments contain unevidenced claims and irrelevant asides due to unoptimized communication norms. Applying Grice's maxims of Quality and Relation specifically targets and prevents these common AI failure modes.