Output styles

Output styles are single-file assets that define formatting instructions for agent output, deployed as symlinks and activated via manual settings.json registration.

Directory layout

output-styles/
├── concise.md
└── learning.md

File format

Each output style is a plain Markdown file describing the formatting behavior the agent should apply when the style is active. There is no required frontmatter.

Respond with minimal text. Use bullet points. No explanations unless asked.
Maximum 3 sentences per response.

Deploy behavior

nd symlinks the .md file into the target scope directory. After deployment, you must manually add the style to your agent’s settings.json to activate it. nd prints a reminder after deploying this asset type.

Scope rules

Register after deploy

After running nd deploy, open your agent’s settings.json and add the style to the output styles configuration. The exact key depends on your agent; for Claude Code it lives under the outputStyles array.

Related

• Asset type comparison for a side-by-side overview of all types

Create an output style

mkdir -p ~/my-assets/output-styles

cat > ~/my-assets/output-styles/concise.md << 'EOF'
Respond with minimal text. Use bullet points. No explanations unless asked.
Maximum 3 sentences per response.
EOF

nd deploy output-styles/concise
# After deploying, add the style to settings.json to activate it