Changes

diff --git a/skills/job-cover-letter/references/best-practices.md b/skills/job-cover-letter/references/best-practices.md
index f202d30..0801494 100755
--- a/skills/job-cover-letter/references/best-practices.md
+++ b/skills/job-cover-letter/references/best-practices.md
@@ -99,6 +99,49 @@ The reader has the resume. The cover letter expands on a few selected
 items with the context and outcome that a resume bullet can't fit.
 Pick 2-3 items max.
 
+### No connector / "bridge" sentences
+
+Do not open a paragraph with a sentence whose only job is to announce
+that the next story is relevant. These read as AI optimizing for a
+skimming recruiter, not as a person talking. They are removable at zero
+cost: cut them and start the paragraph on the work itself. The
+relevance is self-evident from the content; a reader on the target team
+will see it without being pointed at it.
+
+Banned openers of this kind include:
+- "The work closest to [company] is the tooling."
+- "The part of my background that maps most directly to [company] is…"
+- "This is where my experience aligns with your need for…"
+- "What connects this to [role] is…"
+- "Most relevant to this position is…"
+
+Weak (connector + story):
+> The work closest to DX is the tooling. In 2026 I built a multi-agent
+> workflow that watches a bug component…
+
+Strong (story stands on its own):
+> In 2026 I built a multi-agent workflow that watches a bug component…
+
+The same applies to mid-paragraph phrases that explicitly map your past
+to their stack ("which directly maps to," "exactly the kind of work
+this role calls for"). State what you did and the number; let the
+reader draw the line.
+
+### No label-colon openers
+
+Do not open a sentence with a punchy noun phrase followed by a colon
+that frames what comes next. Real letters do not have section labels
+mid-paragraph. Use an ordinary connective clause instead.
+
+Banned:
+- "One honest note: my production depth is in telemetry, not Terraform."
+- "The takeaway: I ship fast."
+- "Bottom line: I close gaps quickly."
+
+Rewrite as a normal sentence:
+> However, I should also note that my production depth is in telemetry,
+> not yet in Terraform.
+
 ## 4. Soft skills
 
 Soft skills matter even in technical roles, but listing them ("strong
@@ -242,6 +285,8 @@ Run through this before presenting the draft.
       named project, or named technology
 - [ ] No restating of the resume — each story adds context or outcome
       the resume can't
+- [ ] No connector / "bridge" sentences announcing relevance — each
+      story paragraph opens on the work itself
 - [ ] Soft skills appear inside stories, not as adjective lists
 - [ ] No banned phrases or clichés, no buzzwords, no unnecessary
       em-dashes