Write an Error Message Users Understand
Added 2026-10-31
Rewrite technical errors as what happened, what to do, and who to contact.
Below is a technical error. Rewrite it into three sentences a user can act on: 1) what happened without using the error code as the explanation; 2) what they can do right now, two steps max; 3) who to contact or what to send if it persists. Keep the raw code in brackets at the end. No empty phrases like "system error" or "try again later".
Site original
Chinese original
How to use
报错的价值在「下一步」，不在技术细节。
Try tweaking it
- Ask for three openings in different tones, then pick one.
- Replace "make it better" with concrete limits: length, reader, facts to keep.
What you should get
- A publishable draft, not an outline
- A short changelog: what changed and why
Common mistakes
- Letting it guess the facts, so plausible-looking sources get invented.
- Dumping the whole text with just "polish it" — the result still has no point.
How to check the output
- The conclusion comes first; deleting the opening paragraph does not break it.
- Every fact, number and quote traces back to the source text.
Where it works
- Good for: turning a rambling draft into a conclusion-first, shorter version.
- Watch out: keep sources and figures verbatim — do not let it invent citations.