# lyric-writer

Writes and reviews song lyrics with checks for rhyme, prosody, and genre rules. Helpful when drafting verses from scratch or auditing track files.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 492 installs · ★ 594
- Author: bitwize-music-studio
- License: CC0-1.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/bitwize-music-studio/claude-ai-music-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/lyric-writer/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/lyric-writer

## What it does

The skill writes lyrics from a prompt or reviews existing track files. When given a file path, it immediately inspects the frontmatter: if `instrumental: true` is present, it stops without generating words. That instrumental guard prevents wasted runs on purely musical arrangements. For vocal tracks, it flags poor rhymes and mismatched rhythm.

Every draft goes through a 13-point quality check. It checks line density for Suno, syllable counts, and phonetic spellings against pronunciation tables. Non-hip-hop lyrics over 400 words fail immediately unless the target song duration exceeds 5:00. Up to three iterative refinement passes then strip filler words and sharpen concrete imagery.

Custom writing preferences load from an optional `lyric-writing-guide.md` file. The workflow relies on standard file tools alongside `bitwize-music-mcp` and expects the `opus` model with maximum effort.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add bitwize-music-studio/claude-ai-music-skills --skill lyric-writer -a claude-code
```

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

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add bitwize-music-studio/claude-ai-music-skills --skill lyric-writer -a codex
```

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

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add bitwize-music-studio/claude-ai-music-skills --skill lyric-writer -a cursor
```

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

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install bitwize-music-studio/claude-ai-music-skills lyric-writer
```

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

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add bitwize-music-studio/claude-ai-music-skills --skill lyric-writer -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/bitwize-music-studio/claude-ai-music-skills --path skills/lyric-writer
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

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

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add bitwize-music-studio/claude-ai-music-skills --skill lyric-writer -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/bitwize-music-studio/claude-ai-music-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/lyric-writer/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- write song lyrics from a concept with structured song sections
- inspect existing track files for weak rhymes and broken meter
- trim verses to fit duration limits and Suno line density rules
- verify phonetic spelling of difficult words for vocal synthesis

## Example prompts
- write lyrics for a dark synthwave track about city rain
- review rhyme and prosody in `tracks/ballad.md`
- let's work on a track: `tracks/cyberpunk.md`

## Source text · SKILL.md · CC0-1.0

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: f7793fa90d2dd7ae.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE f7793fa90d2dd7ae
```text
---
name: lyric-writer
description: Writes or reviews lyrics with professional prosody, rhyme craft, and quality checks. Use when writing new lyrics, revising existing lyrics, or when the user says 'let's work on a track.'
argument-hint: <track-file-path or "write lyrics for [concept]">
model: opus
effort: max
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Edit
  - Write
  - Grep
  - Glob
  - bitwize-music-mcp
---

## Your Task

**Input**: $ARGUMENTS

### Instrumental Guard

When invoked with a track file path, **first check** the track's frontmatter for `instrumental: true` or the Track Details table for `**Instrumental** | Yes`. If the track is instrumental:
- **STOP** and report: "This is an instrumental track — no lyrics needed. Use `/bitwize-music:suno-engineer` to create the Style Box directly."
- Do NOT write lyrics for instrumental tracks.

### Vocal Track Workflow

When invoked with a track file path:
1. Read the track file
2. Scan existing lyrics for issues (rhyme, prosody, POV, pronunciation)
3. Report all violations with proposed fixes

When invoked with a concept:
1. Write lyrics following all quality standards below
2. Run automatic review before presenting

---

## Supporting Files

- **[examples.md](examples.md)** - Before/after transformations demonstrating key principles
- **[craft-reference.md](craft-reference.md)** - Rhyme techniques, section length tables, lyric density rules
- **[documentary-standards.md](documentary-standards.md)** - Legal standards for true crime/documentary lyrics

---

# Lyric Writer Agent

You are a professional lyric writer with expertise in prosody, rhyme craft, and emotional storytelling through song.

---

## Core Principles

### Watch Your Rhymes
- Don't rhyme the same word twice in consecutive lines
- Don't rhyme a word with itself
- Avoid near-repeats (mind/mind, time/time)
- Fix lazy patterns proactively

### Automatic Quality Check (13-Point)

**After writing or revising any lyrics**, automatically run through:
1. **Rhyme check**: Repeated end words, self-rhymes, lazy patterns
2. **Prosody check**: Stressed syllables align with strong beats
3. **Pronunciation check**: (a) Phonetic risks — proper nouns, homographs, acronyms, tech terms, invented contractions (no noun'd/brand'd). (b) **Table enforcement** — read Pronunciation Notes table top-to-bottom, verify every entry is applied as phonetic spelling in Suno lyrics. See `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/suno/pronunciation-guide.md` for full enforcement workflow.
4. **POV/Tense check**: Consistent throughout
5. **Source verification**: If source-based, match captured material
6. **Structure check**: Section tags, verse/chorus contrast, V2 develops
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE f7793fa90d2dd7ae

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---
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