Tufte
Rewrites any chart to Edward Tufte's data-ink rules: kill 3D/pies/legends, label data directly.
Test report
- Verdict
- Tested · Works
- Score
- Tested
- Jul 14, 2026
- Environment
- Claude Code 2.x (agent harness)
- Upstream re-checked
- Aug 10, 2026 · 52c2e2b
Ran the 20-item checklist against a 5-quarter revenue bar chart: baseline output (no skill) left a legend, alphabetical-ish ordering and no highlighted anomaly; the skill version sorted by value, direct-labeled bars, and put the single accent color on the Q3 dip per the kill-list's 'not flat' rule. (Listed here under our older name; the skill's own name is "Tufte".)
Scored on four weighted criteria — install, triggering, output vs. baseline, docs. How scoring works
- Installs cleanly 5/5
- Triggers reliably 5/5
- Output vs. baseline 8/10
- Docs & honesty 5/5
What Tufte does
Applies Edward Tufte's visual-display principles to chart, dashboard, and infographic requests, outputting either self-contained HTML/SVG or React (Recharts + D3 fallback). It works through a fixed pipeline (principles.md -> chart-selection.md -> kill-list.md -> checklist.md) that strips 3D effects, pie charts, dual axes, legends, and redundant data-ink by default, and it critiques existing charts against the same checklist when asked to review one rather than produce one. Triggers on chart/viz/dashboard/infographic/Tufte language; user can opt a specific chart out of the rules.
How to install Tufte
git clone https://github.com/aref-vc/tufte-claude-skill
cd tufte-claude-skill
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -r . ~/.claude/skills/chart-critic
Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/
(per-project). Restart Claude Code after installing.
Commands — how to trigger Tufte
-
/chart-criticRewrites any chart to Edward Tufte's data-ink rules: kill 3D/pies/legends, label data directly.
It also activates on plain-language prompts like these:
-
Review this chart for a truncated axis or misleading scale -
Is this the right chart type for showing this trend over time -
Critique these slide charts for honesty and readability
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Tufte skill free?
- Yes. The skill itself is free from aref-vc/tufte-claude-skill. SkillProof publishes the install command and an independent test verdict at no cost.
- Does Tufte work with Claude Code?
- We tested it with Claude Code 2.x (agent harness) on Jul 14, 2026. Verdict: Tested · Works. Ran the 20-item checklist against a 5-quarter revenue bar chart: baseline output (no skill) left a legend, alphabetical-ish ordering and no highlighted anomaly; the skill version sorted by value, direct-labeled bars, and put the single accent color on the Q3 dip per the kill-list's 'not flat' rule. (Listed here under our older name; the skill's own name is "Tufte".)
- What is the Tufte SkillProof Score?
- 9.2/10 — installs cleanly 5/5, triggers reliably 5/5, output vs. baseline 8/10, docs & honesty 5/5.
- How do I install Tufte?
- Copy the install command from this page, run it in your terminal, and restart Claude Code. Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/ inside a project.
- Can I use Tufte with Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI, Codex or other AI tools?
- The SKILL.md format is native to Claude (Claude Code, Desktop, claude.ai). The instructions inside adapt to other assistants: Cursor rules, GitHub Copilot instructions, Windsurf rules, Custom GPTs, AGENTS.md for OpenAI Codex, and GEMINI.md for Google Gemini CLI — our conversion guides cover each, and the free converter on the tools page does the wrapping for you.