# ASD-STE100 for AI Agents

PROFILE: ASD-STE100 Issue 9 principles, independently paraphrased
REFERENCE_VERSION: 0.2.0
UPDATED: 2026-08-06
STATUS: independent, non-authoritative, incomplete without official dictionary

## Agent operating procedure
1. Classify the input as procedure, description, safety content, or mixed content.
2. Preserve technical meaning, prerequisites, hazards, values, identifiers, and sequence.
3. Apply the rules below and cite rule IDs when reporting a change or violation.
4. Check project terminology and the official ASD-STE100 dictionary before claiming compliance.
5. If the official dictionary is unavailable, label the result “STE-inspired” or “provisional,” not “compliant.”
6. Never remove information only to satisfy a length limit. Split or restructure the text instead.

## 1. Words
- [1.1] Limit vocabulary to dictionary-approved words and valid technical nouns or technical verbs.
- [1.2] Use a dictionary word only as the part of speech assigned to it.
- [1.3] Use a dictionary word only with its assigned meaning.
- [1.4] Use only the permitted forms of approved verbs and adjectives.
- [1.5] Treat a domain noun as technical only when it fits an allowed technical-noun category.
- [1.6] Use a word absent from the dictionary only as a technical noun or within one.
- [1.7] Do not turn a technical noun into a verb.
- [1.8] Prefer technical nouns already approved by the relevant company, industry, or field.
- [1.9] When you must create a technical noun, choose a short term that readers can understand easily.
- [1.10] Exclude regionalisms, slang, and jargon from technical nouns.
- [1.11] Use one technical noun consistently for one item.
- [1.12] Treat a domain verb as technical only when it fits an allowed technical-verb category.
- [1.13] Do not turn a technical verb into a noun.
- [1.14] Use American English spelling unless a controlling directive requires another spelling system.

## 2. Multi-word nouns
- [2.1] Keep a multi-word noun to three words or fewer.
- [2.2] If an official technical noun exceeds three words, introduce it in full, then define a clear short form or hyphenate words that act as one unit.

## 3. Verbs
- [3.1] Use only the verb forms listed for an approved verb.
- [3.2] Limit verbs to infinitive, imperative, simple present, simple past, simple future, and adjectival past participle forms.
- [3.3] Use a past participle as an adjective, not to build an unapproved verb construction.
- [3.4] Do not use auxiliary verbs to build complex verb constructions.
- [3.5] Use an -ing form only as a technical noun or as a modifier inside a technical noun.
- [3.6] Use active voice. In descriptive text, passive voice is acceptable only when the actor is unknown.
- [3.7] Express an action with an approved verb, not with a noun or another part of speech.

## 4. Sentences
- [4.1] Write sentences that are short, direct, and structurally clear.
- [4.2] Keep every required sentence part and do not use contractions to shorten text.
- [4.3] Convert complex material into a vertical list when a list makes the structure clearer.
- [4.4] Use explicit connecting words or phrases between sentences that cover related ideas.
- [4.5] When grammar requires it, place an article or demonstrative adjective before a noun or multi-word noun.

## 5. Procedures
- [5.1] Limit each procedural sentence to 20 words.
- [5.2] Put one instruction in each sentence, except when actions must occur at the same time.
- [5.3] Write instructions in the imperative form.
- [5.4] When a reader must know a condition first, put the condition before the command and separate it with a comma.
- [5.5] Use notes for information only; never hide an instruction in a note.

## 6. Descriptions
- [6.1] Introduce descriptive information in a gradual sequence.
- [6.2] Use recurring key words and explicit key phrases to make the logic visible.
- [6.3] Limit each descriptive sentence to 25 words.
- [6.4] Use paragraphs to keep related information together.
- [6.5] Give each paragraph one topic.
- [6.6] Limit each paragraph to six sentences.

## 7. Safety instructions
- [7.1] Label the safety instruction with the applicable risk level, such as warning or caution.
- [7.2] Begin a safety instruction with a precise command or condition.
- [7.3] State the hazard or possible consequence so the reader understands the risk.

## 8. Punctuation and word count
- [8.1] Use standard English punctuation, but do not use semicolons.
- [8.2] Use a hyphen only to connect words that operate as a directly related unit.
- [8.3] Reserve parentheses for references, identifiers, step labels, abbreviations, paired singular/plural forms, short explanations, or alternatives.
- [8.4] For sentence counting in a vertical list, treat the introducing colon as a sentence boundary.
- [8.5] Count all text inside one pair of parentheses as one word in its sentence.
- [8.6] Count each number, number-plus-unit, abbreviation, identifier, quotation, displayed label, or proper name as one word.
- [8.7] Count a hyphenated expression as one word.

## 9. Writing practice
- [9.1] Rewrite the sentence structure when direct word substitution does not produce clear, correct text.
- [9.2] Use every approved word in a grammatically and semantically correct way.
- [9.3] Do not create phrasal verbs by combining words; use only a combination explicitly approved for its restricted meaning.
- [9.4] Keep terminology and wording consistent throughout the document.

## Companion guidance
- Classify the text as procedure, description, or safety content before you edit it.
- Keep explicit connectors, subjects, objects, and antecedents when omission could create ambiguity.
- Use pronouns only when their referents are unmistakable; pair ‘this’ with a noun when useful.
- Replace Latin abbreviations and culture-specific shorthand with plain English.
- Use inclusive, neutral wording unless technical accuracy requires a specific identity term.
- Do not claim full STE compliance without checking the official controlled dictionary and applicable project terminology.

## Authority and rights
This independent reference is not published, approved, or certified by ASD or the STEMG. It paraphrases general writing principles and does not reproduce the official dictionary or examples. ASD-STE100 and Simplified Technical English are marks associated with ASD, and the official standard is copyrighted by ASD. Use the official Issue 9 document for authoritative requirements.

Official standard: https://www.asd-ste100.org/assets/files/ASD-STE100_ISSUE9.pdf
Official site: https://www.asd-ste100.org/