Cut Gratuitous UI Text
Agents fill interfaces with taglines, helper text and eyebrow labels. Tell them to cut it, and to fix the layout instead.
The prompt
"no gratuitous text/additions or eyebrow elements, read less is more by jakub" (@michael_chomsky)
It answered @nedoleary's question about why coding agents add text everywhere in UI. Source: X/@nedoleary, 2026-10-20
A standing version for AGENTS.md has two lines: cut taglines, helper text and secondary labels, and if a screen needs them to make sense, fix the layout; and make the decision that improves user, developer and agent experience together without breaking anything. Source: X/@Voxyz_ai, 2026-10-22
Why it works
Models were trained on marketing pages, where every block has an eyebrow, a heading, a subheading and a caption. Asked for an interface, they reproduce that pattern because it looks complete. Naming the pattern ("gratuitous text", "eyebrow elements") gives the agent a category to remove, and pointing at a reference essay gives it a standard. The AGENTS.md line goes further: it moves the fix from the copy to the layout, so the agent cannot delete a label and leave a screen that no longer makes sense.
When to use it
- As a standing line in every UI project's agent instructions.
- When reviewing generated screens: count the text that explains the interface instead of being the content.
Which skill runs it
less-is-more-web carries the rule: cut taglines, helper text and labels, and fix the layout instead. Kevin adopted both AGENTS.md lines; they appear almost word for word in Kevin's agent rules. Taste Enforcement - Anti-Slop Frontend Rules lists other signs of generated UI.
The same rule in a team's CLAUDE.md
A product team's CLAUDE.md line: no subtitles, helper text or descriptive copy under headings, labels, cards or settings by default; prefer one self-explanatory heading; add supporting copy only when the user asks or it prevents a real mistake, and never to restate the heading. Source: X/@charlieholtz, 2026-08-03, screenshot reviewed
Timeline
- 2026-11-03 | Page created from the gratuitous-text prompt, the question that prompted it, and the
AGENTS.mdlines. Source: X bookmarks, 2026-10-20 and 2026-10-22