DocumentationExperience League Authoring Guide

RedPen Scoring installation and usage guide

Last update: August 18, 2026

RedPen AI is a VS Code extension (also compatible with Claude and other VS Code-based editors) designed to assist technical writers in producing clearer, more consistent, and higher-quality documentation. It allows you to score content across six quality dimensions and resolve issues directly from a convenient sidebar interface.

A RedPen action is run on any new or updated file in pull requests of repos that point to production. The scoring contributes to CQI scores.

Install RedPen AI

RedPen AI works in VS Code and any VS Code-based editor.

NOTE
If upgrading from a previous version, uninstall it first. Open the Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X), find RedPen Extension, click the gear icon, and select Uninstall. Then follow the steps below.

  1. Authenticate to VPN (required).

  2. Download the latest RedPen Extension VSIX file from the GitHub Releases page.

    Scroll down to find the latest file v1.2.1.

  3. Open VS Code or your VS Code-based editor.

  4. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux, Cmd+Shift+P on Mac).

  5. Type Extensions: Install from VSIX… and select it.

  6. Navigate to the downloaded location and select the redpen-extension-1.2.1.vsix file.

  7. Reload the editor when prompted.

Sign in

RedPen requires authentication via your Adobe ID to enable full functionality.

  1. Authenticate to VPN (required).

  2. Click the Pencil icon in the Activity Bar to launch RedPen.

    • In VS Code, the Activity Bar is on the left sidebar

  3. On Welcome to RedPen, click Sign in with Adobe ID.

    A browser window opens.

  4. Click Open, then enter your Adobe credentials.

    After authentication, you are redirected back to the editor with full access.

  5. To continue, click Score the document.

  6. To log out, click Logout (next to your profile in the sidebar).

Score the document score

You can score any open Markdown file across six quality dimensions.

  1. Authenticate to VPN (required).

  2. To begin analysis, open the Score tab (click the Pen icon), then click Score the document.

Category
Measurement focus
Clarity
Readability, sentence complexity, and ease of understanding
Grammar
Spelling, punctuation, and grammatical correctness
Tone
Consistency with professional technical writing voice
Terminology
Adherence to standard and preferred terminology
Inclusive Language
Use of bias-free and inclusive phrasing
Consistency
Uniform formatting, naming, and style standards

Review and resolve issues review-issues

  • Contextual review: Clicking any flagged issue jumps to the corresponding line in the editor.
  • Apply fix: Most suggestions include an Apply Fix button that rewrites the flagged text in place. Always review the result — automated fixes can occasionally be incorrect.
  • Ignore or report: Use the three-dot menu on each flag to ignore or report individual issues.
  • Dynamic scoring: Fixing an issue triggers an immediate recalculation of your overall score.

Requirements requirements

  • VPN authentication to install and use.
  • VS Code or any VS Code-based editor (such as Claude).
  • The document must be a text file open in the editor.
  • The file is preferably inside a Git repository so RedPen can resolve its identity, though this requirement is not strictly enforced.

License license

Adobe Internal Use Only. This extension is proprietary software developed exclusively for use by Adobe employees and contractors.

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