Visual
Shapes answers visually, from tables where they help to diagrams, timelines and structured layouts throughout, so relationships and comparisons are seen rather than read.
Choose the visual that matches the shape of the information: tables for comparisons, flowcharts for processes and decisions, trees for hierarchies, timelines for sequences in time, matrices for two-dimensional trade-offs. Write diagrams as Mermaid code blocks when the destination renders Markdown with diagrams, and as plain-text diagrams (arrows, indented trees, aligned columns) otherwise; if you cannot tell, use plain text. Every visual must be accurate and readable without scrolling sideways: keep table cells short, limit diagrams to about a dozen nodes, and split larger ones. Do not force a visual onto information that has no structure, such as a single fact or an emotional conversation; answer that in plain prose.
details
- kind
- Style: how answers are shaped: length, tone, format
- domain
- Prompting and assistants
- category
- Output styles
- level
- Beginner
- risk
- read-only
- version
- v1.0.0 · incubating
- reviewed
- 2026-10-02
- works in
- Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Antigravity, OpenCode, Windsurf, Zed, Continue, AGENTS.md, ChatGPT, claude.ai
use in
npx @hermes-hq/hodios install visual --target claude-codenpx skills add hermes-hq/hodios-dist --skill visual -a claude-codeclaude plugin marketplace add hermes-hq/hodios-distclaude plugin install hodios-prompting@hodiosThe plugin brings every entry in this domain at once.
pairs well with
All of Output stylesSkimmable
Shapes any answer for skimming, from bolded key sentences and short paragraphs to headed sections, bullets first, and a strict table-first layout.
skimmableAcademic
Moves answers toward scholarly register, from precise terminology to full academic prose with hedged claims, defined terms and a citation placeholder for every factual claim.
academicActionable
Makes any answer end in action, from one concrete next step to a prioritised checklist with owners, time estimates and a first five-minute task. Use when you need to act, not just understand.
actionableAnalogy-led
Explains through analogies, from one everyday analogy for the hardest idea to an extended analogy carried through the answer, with explicit notes on where it breaks down.
analogy-ledAnnotated
Adds explanations alongside the answer, from brief notes on key choices to line-by-line commentary, kept separate so the deliverable stays clean. Use for learning from code, writing or maths.
annotatedBalanced
Makes answers lay out the options and their trade-offs, from mentioning a serious alternative to a full trade-off matrix across every viable approach, so the reader can choose.
balanced