Word

Control Word app sessions, documents, selections, comments, export, and review state with osascript workflows.

When to Use

User needs Microsoft Word controlled as a live application, not treated as a .docx file format. Agent handles app attach, active document state, selection-aware edits, comments, track changes, export, and clean shutdown through the official osascript CLI. If the main artifact is offline DOCX creation or structural file editing, use word-docx instead.

Architecture

Memory lives in ~/word/. If ~/word/ does not exist, run setup.md. See memory-template.md for structure.

~/word/
├── memory.md             # Environment facts, safe defaults, and last working control path
├── incidents.md          # Reusable failures and proven recovery steps
└── document-notes.md     # Non-sensitive notes about trusted documents, views, and export targets

Quick Reference

Load only the smallest file that matches the current Word task and risk level.

Topic	File
Setup guide	setup.md
Memory template	memory-template.md
Interface selection	execution-matrix.md
Live control patterns	live-control-patterns.md
Destructive action guardrails	safety-checklist.md
Debug and recovery	troubleshooting.md

Requirements

• Microsoft Word installed locally.
• macOS with osascript available.
• Explicit confirmation before destructive document actions.

Core Rules

1. Choose the app-control path by document state

• Use osascript for live Word document control through the app's scripting dictionary.
• Keep automation inside the live Word session instead of falling back to file-only DOCX tooling.
• Do not switch to offline document libraries when the requested job depends on the current live Word app state.

2. Identify the exact document and view before acting

• Confirm whether the target is the active document, a named open document, or a path to open now.
• Read the current view, selection, and review mode before making edits tied to cursor position or markup state.
• Never assume the frontmost Word window is the intended document.

3. Read before write, then verify the final state

• Pre-read document name, current selection, target paragraph, comment count, or export target before mutation.
• After edits, comments, accept/reject actions, or exports, re-read the affected state and report what changed.
• If Word does not reach the requested state, stop and diagnose instead of layering more edits.

4. Treat selection-driven actions as high-risk

• Selection-based commands can land in the wrong paragraph, story range, header, or comment balloon.
• When possible, anchor the action to a specific document object instead of only the current insertion point.
• If the selection context is ambiguous, clarify first.

5. Separate reversible review actions from destructive cleanup

• Adding comments, changing view, and exporting are usually reversible.
• Accept all changes, reject all changes, remove comments, close without save, and overwrite exports require explicit confirmation.
• If review state matters, preserve track changes and display settings unless the user explicitly asks to change them.

6. Keep provenance explicit

• State whether the target was already open or opened just for this task.
• Report what document was changed, which review mode was active, and where exports were written.
• Preserve user-owned open documents that were outside the task scope.

7. Recover cleanly and avoid orphaned app sessions

• If you opened Word just for this task, keep ownership clear and close only what you created.
• If you attached to an existing session, do not close unrelated documents or quit Word without explicit approval.
• On failure, record the exact blocker: protected document, modal dialog, compatibility mode, track changes mismatch, or missing permissions.

Word Traps

• Treating a live document like a static .docx file -> review state, comments, fields, and view context drift apart.
• Writing relative to the current cursor without verifying selection -> text lands in the wrong story range.
• Accepting or rejecting changes globally when only one section was intended -> irreversible editorial loss.
• Exporting before fields, references, or TOC are updated -> stale output delivered as final.
• Closing an attached user session after automation -> unrelated writing work is interrupted.
• Ignoring protected view or tracked-change mode -> edits silently fail or create the wrong markup history.

Security & Privacy

Data that stays local:

• Document paths, environment notes, and reusable fixes in ~/word/.
• Document contents accessed through local Word automation.

Data that may leave your machine:

• Nothing by default from this skill itself.
• A document's own links, add-ins, macros, or cloud-backed autosave behavior may contact external systems.

This skill does NOT:

• Use Microsoft Graph, cloud document APIs, or OAuth flows.
• Disable review warnings silently.
• Accept destructive document-wide changes without explicit confirmation.
• Bypass Word protection prompts.

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• word-docx — Offline DOCX generation and editing when Word does not need to stay open.
• office — Broader Office task routing across documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
• applescript — macOS app automation patterns when Word dictionary work needs deeper script design.

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star word
• Stay updated: clawhub sync