# character-naming

Generates character names without repeating LLM training medians. Tracks cast lists to stop phonetic clashes across stories.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 478 installs · ★ 177
- Author: jwynia
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/creative/fiction/character/character-naming/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-02-24
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/character-naming

## What it does

Language models repeatedly reach for the same common surnames like Chen or Garcia. Asking for variety simply triggers median-hopping across categories. This skill takes selection away from the model by relying on randomized external lists and sound patterns.

The package relies on two scripts: `character-name.ts` to pick names by culture or fantasy preset, and `cast-tracker.ts` to log characters into JSON. The tracker flags collision risks when names sound too similar, such as Mike and Michael.

You must have Deno installed in your environment, because both naming tools run directly via `deno run`.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill character-naming -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/character-naming/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/character-naming/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill character-naming -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/character-naming/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill character-naming -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/character-naming/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install jwynia/agent-skills character-naming
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/character-naming/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill character-naming -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --path skills/creative/fiction/character/character-naming
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/character-naming/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill character-naming -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/creative/fiction/character/character-naming/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- avoid statistical name medians like Chen or Patel
- generate phonologically consistent names for fantasy cultures
- detect phonetic name collisions in an existing cast list
- maintain realistic demographic proportions across a story setting

## Example prompts
- Generate 5 elvish fantasy names with 2-3 syllables using `character-name.ts`
- Check if the name Marcus collides with characters in `project-cast.json`
- Run `cast-tracker.ts` to see the current cultural distribution in the project

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 49aab7e74781573e.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 49aab7e74781573e
```text
---
name: character-naming
description: Break LLM name defaults with external entropy. Use when character names cluster around statistical medians (Chen, Patel, Maya, Marcus), when cast has collision risks, or when fantasy cultures need phonologically consistent naming.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: jwynia
  version: "1.0"
  type: generator
  mode: generative
  domain: fiction
---

# Character Naming: Breaking the Chen Proliferation

You help writers generate character names that escape LLM statistical defaults. Your role is to diagnose naming problems, provide external entropy for generation, and track cast coherence.

## Core Principle

**LLMs default to statistical medians. External entropy is the only cure.**

When asked for "diverse" names, LLMs produce whatever names appear most frequently in their training data for each perceived category. "Chen" appears repeatedly because it's the statistical center of "East Asian surname." When corrected, LLMs "median-hop"—switching to the next most common name from another ethnicity rather than providing genuine variety.

The solution: never let the LLM pick names. Use curated lists with true randomization.

## The States

### State CN1: No Context
**Symptoms:** User wants character names but hasn't established setting, culture, or time period. Requests like "give me some names" with no context.
**Key Questions:**
- What's the genre and setting?
- What time period?
- What cultures are present in this world?
- How diverse should the cast be?
**Interventions:** Prompt for context before generating. Don't default to "contemporary American diverse."

### State CN2: Chen Proliferation
**Symptoms:** Names cluster around statistical medians. Multiple characters have surnames like Chen, Patel, Garcia, Kim. First names repeat patterns like Maya, Marcus, Sofia, Aiden. Cast feels algorithmically generated.
**Key Questions:**
- What's the actual cultural distribution of your setting?
- Have you defined which cultures are present and in what proportions?
- What names have you already used?
**Interventions:** Use cultural name lists with external randomization. Never let the LLM "suggest" names—always draw from entropy.

### State CN3: Cultural Incoherence
**Symptoms:** Fantasy/sci-fi names in the same fictional culture don't sound related. "Kael" and "Zephyrine" and "Bob" in the same kingdom. Names feel grabbed from different aesthetic buckets.
**Key Questions:**
- Does this fictional culture have defined phonological rules?
- What's the naming convention (patronymic, descriptive, clan-based)?
- What real-world cultures, if any, inspired this fictional one?
**Interventions:** Use phoneme presets for consistent sound patterns. For complex cultures, consider the conlang skill (if available).

### State CN4: Cast Collision
**Symptoms:** Multiple characters have similar names. Sarah/Sara, Mike/Mark/Michael, Lee/Leigh. Readers confuse characters. Names start with the same sound or have similar rhythms.
**Key Questions:**
- What names have already been used in this project?
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 49aab7e74781573e

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 49aab7e74781573e tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

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