## TL;DR

Directory listings with hard word caps get truncated silently; every word has to earn its place.
The pattern is always the same: action, audience, differentiator.
Applies to any directory with a short-description field.

## The query

```text
how to write a 50-word tool description for directories
```

## Use this when

- A directory limits the listing description to about 50 words.
- You need the description to survive truncation intact.
- You want a formula you can reuse across directories.

## Not for

- The directory allows 200+ words (write a fuller description instead).
- You are writing a landing page headline (different job: hook, not summarize).
- The tool has no clear audience yet (define that first; the description cannot do it for you).

## Steps

1. Draft the three facts first: the one action the tool performs, the user who needs it, the thing it does better than alternatives.
   Expected output: Three raw sentences, one per fact.
2. Compress into 50 words: lead with the action, name the audience, end with the differentiator.
   Expected output: A 48 to 50 word description that survives truncation.
3. Read it aloud and cut any adjective that does not change the meaning.
   Expected output: A description with no filler words like powerful, robust, or seamless.
4. Test it on someone unfamiliar with the tool and ask what it does.
   Expected output: A stranger can repeat back the tool's job from the description alone.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_moFto6X1VHNgU3Nym9t5gw