Icosa Canon

Agent guide

Use Icosa Canon with an LLM

Give an LLM this page and the writing you want reviewed. Canon tools report deterministic rule findings; the reference pages support a separate, clearly labeled interpretive review.

Choose the first available method

  1. WebMCP: use canon_check when this page exposes it in a compatible browser. The tool runs the Canon checker locally in the browser.
  2. Configured MCP: outside the browser, use the existing Canon MCP server when it is already connected to the agent.
  3. Scoped static references: consult the specificrule, term,notation, orcomposition pages needed for the review.
  4. Complete static reference: usecanon.md when scoped pages are insufficient or browsing several pages is unavailable.

canon.json is the generated structured form for consumers that need exact fields. WebMCP and MCP are capabilities, not prerequisites: every reference linked here is ordinary static content.

Tool vocabulary

canon_check
Check writing with an explicit format oftext, markdown, or mdx and asurface of docs or marketing.
canon_resolve
Resolve a Canon reference, optionally constrained by kind.
canon_compose
Compose validated operands using a named Canon composition.
canon_decompose
Decompose a value using a named Canon composition.

Review contract

  • Never invent a Canon rule or present an inference as authored Canon.
  • Distinguish deterministic checker findings from interpretive observations, and cite rule IDs for rule-based findings.
  • Do not silently rewrite meaning. Preserve the author’s intent and present authored suggestions only when Canon supplies them.
  • Treat an entry without explanatory prose as unspecified; its name, code, kind, and relationships do not supply a missing definition.

Expected response

  1. Canon revision, when a tool returns one.
  2. Deterministic findings with severity, rule ID, source location, explanation, and authored suggestion when present.
  3. Interpretive observations in a separately labeled section.
  4. A revised passage only when the user asks for one.

Copyable prompt

Check the writing I provide against Icosa Canon.

Use the canon_check tool when it is available. Otherwise, consult only the relevant Canon rule and term pages, using the complete Markdown reference only when scoped references are insufficient.

Separate deterministic checker findings from interpretive review. Cite the Canon rule ID for every rule-based finding. Do not invent Canon rules, infer meaning for entries whose explanation is absent, or silently rewrite the author's meaning.

Return the Canon revision when a tool provides it. For each finding, report its severity, rule ID, location, explanation, and authored suggestion when present. Label any interpretive observations as interpretive rather than deterministic.

Writing to check:
[PASTE WRITING HERE]

Agent resources

Discovery file: llms.txt.