slop-hunter-py

name	slop-hunter-py
description	Audit Python code for AI-generated noise — redundant comments, verbose documentation, style drift from project conventions, and trivially dead code. Surface-level hygiene pass; defaults to branch diff but supports any scope. Use when: reviewing AI-assisted Python code before merge, cleaning up generated code, enforcing project style on new contributions, or reducing review noise. Reports omit empty sections — no placeholder headings, empty tables, or negative statements like "no issues found".
disable-model-invocation	true

Slop Hunter

Audit code for AI-generated noise — comments that narrate the obvious, documentation that restates code, style choices that break project conventions, and dead code that slipped in. The goal: the code reads like a human wrote it, following existing project idioms.

When to Use

• Reviewing AI-assisted code before merge
• Cleaning up a branch after heavy AI pair-programming
• Enforcing project conventions on generated contributions
• Reducing noise in pull request reviews

Core Principles

1. Default to the diff. When scoped to a branch diff, only flag patterns introduced in this branch — pre-existing issues are out of scope. When scoped to a path or codebase, flag all matching patterns in the resolved surface.

2. Comments explain why, not what. A comment that restates the code ("increment counter") is noise. A comment that explains intent, constraints, or non-obvious decisions ("rate limit: 3rd-party API allows 100 req/min") is valuable.

3. Style is not cosmetic. Drift from project conventions increases cognitive load for every future reader. New code must conform to existing patterns, not introduce alternatives.

4. Less is more. AI tends to over-document, over-explain, and over-hedge. Strip to the minimum that preserves clarity.

What to Hunt

1. Redundant Comments

Comments that narrate obvious behavior, restate function/variable names, or explain standard language constructs.

Signals:

• # Initialize the list above items = []
• # Return the result above return result
• Comments explaining standard library usage
• Section dividers (# ---- Helper Functions ----) in small files
• # Loop through items above for item in items:

Action: Delete. If the code needs explanation, it should be rewritten for clarity first.

2. Verbose Documentation

Over-documentation that adds noise without insight — typically AI-generated docstrings on every function including trivial private helpers.

Signals:

• Docstrings on private/internal functions with obvious behavior
• :param name: descriptions that repeat the parameter name ("name: the name")
• :returns: that restates the return type annotation
• README sections that describe implementation details instead of usage
• Docstrings on __init__ that just list the parameters being assigned to self
• Google/NumPy-style docstrings where every section is present but adds nothing beyond the signature

Action: Keep docstrings only on public API. Strip params/returns that add nothing beyond the type annotation.

3. Style Drift

Patterns that diverge from the project's established conventions in naming, formatting, structure, or idioms.

Signals:

• Different naming convention (camelCase where project uses snake_case, or vice versa)
• Different error handling pattern than established code
• Different import ordering or grouping (stdlib → third-party → local convention violated)
• Different file/folder organization than existing modules
• f-strings where project uses .format() (or vice versa)
• Verbose loops where project idiom uses comprehensions (or vice versa)
• pathlib vs os.path inconsistency with project convention

Action: Conform to existing project conventions. Cite the existing pattern as evidence.

4. Trivially Dead Code

Unused imports, unused variables, commented-out code blocks, and placeholder TODOs.

Signals:

• import X where X is never used in the file
• x = ... where x is never referenced
• Blocks of commented-out code (# old_result = ...)
• # TODO: implement or # FIXME without actionable context
• pass in non-empty functions/methods (leftover placeholder)

Action: Delete unused imports/variables. Delete commented-out code. Convert vague TODOs to actionable tickets or delete.

5. AI-Specific Verbal Patterns

Hedging language, apologetic comments, and over-explanation typical of AI-generated code.

Signals:

• # This is a workaround for... without specifying the issue
• # Note: this might need to be updated if... (speculative)
• # For safety, we also check... (unnecessary hedging)
• # New, improved version.. (references old code)
• Logging that narrates execution flow (logger.debug('entering function X'))
• # Handle the case where... before a trivial None check

Action: Delete hedging and narration. Keep only comments that document concrete constraints or known issues with references.

Audit Workflow

Phase 1: Establish Context

1. Resolve audit surface. The prompt may specify the scope as:
   • Diff: files changed on the current branch vs base (main/master)
   • Path: specific files, folders, or layers
   • Codebase: the entire project If unspecified, default to diff. For diff mode, resolve the file list:

   BASE=$(git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD 2>/dev/null | sed 's@^refs/remotes/origin/@@' || echo main)
   SCOPE=$(git diff --name-only $(git merge-base HEAD $BASE)...HEAD)
   

   Constrain all subsequent scans to the resolved surface.
2. Identify the project's style conventions by examining established files outside the audit surface.
3. Note the project's documentation patterns (docstring style — Google, NumPy, Sphinx; comment conventions; naming).

Phase 2: Scan for Noise

In diff mode, focus on added lines to isolate new noise from pre-existing patterns:

# Added comments
git diff $(git merge-base HEAD $BASE)...HEAD | rg '^\+.*#'

# Added docstrings
git diff $(git merge-base HEAD $BASE)...HEAD | rg '^\+.*("""|:param|:returns|Args:|Returns:)'

In path/codebase mode, scan the resolved surface directly:

EXCLUDE='--glob !**/venv/** --glob !**/.venv/** --glob !**/dist/**'

# Comments (then classify manually)
rg '^\s*#' --type py $EXCLUDE -- $SCOPE

# Docstring blocks
rg '"""' --type py $EXCLUDE -- $SCOPE

In all modes:

# TODO/FIXME markers
rg 'TODO|FIXME|HACK|XXX' -- $SCOPE

# Print/logging statements that narrate flow
rg 'print\(|logger\.(debug|info)' -- $SCOPE

Phase 3: Classify Each Finding

For each finding, determine:

• Is this noise or does it add value?
• Does this match or break project conventions?
• Is this clearly AI-generated or an intentional choice?

Phase 4: Produce Report

Output Format

Save as YYYY-MM-DD-slop-hunter-audit-{$LLM-name}.md in the project's docs folder (or project root if no docs folder exists).

# Slop Hunter Audit — {date}

## Scope

- Surface: {diff / path / codebase}
- Files: {count or list}
- Exclusions: {list}

## Findings

### Redundant Comments

| # | Location | Comment | Action |
| - | -------- | ------- | ------ |
| 1 | file:line | `# Initialize the list` | Delete |

### Verbose Documentation

| # | Location | Pattern | Action |
| - | -------- | ------- | ------ |
| 1 | file:line | Docstring on private helper with obvious behavior | Strip |

### Style Drift

| # | Location | Pattern | Project Convention | Action |
| - | -------- | ------- | ------------------ | ------ |
| 1 | file:line | `camelCase` variable | Project uses `snake_case` | Rename |

### Dead Code

| # | Location | Code | Action |
| - | -------- | ---- | ------ |
| 1 | file:line | Unused import `X` | Delete |

### AI Verbal Patterns

| # | Location | Pattern | Action |
| - | -------- | ------- | ------ |
| 1 | file:line | `# This is a workaround for...` | Delete or add specific issue reference |

## Recommendations (Priority Order)

1. **Must-fix**: {style drift that breaks project conventions}
2. **Should-fix**: {redundant comments, dead code}
3. **Consider**: {verbose docs, AI verbal patterns}

Operating Constraints

• No code edits. This skill produces an audit report only. Implementation is a separate step.
• No empty sections. Include only categories with findings. Omit a heading, table, or list entirely when it would contain zero items — do not include empty tables, placeholder subsections, or negative statements like "no dead exports", "none found", or "no issues".
• Scope: surface noise only. Do not flag type invariants (→ invariant-hunter-py), type design (→ type-hunter-py), structural complexity (→ simplicity-hunter-py), module boundary issues (→ boundary-hunter-py), class/interface design (→ solid-hunter-py), missing documentation (→ doc-hunter-py), security (→ security-hunter-py), or test quality (→ test-hunter-py). If a finding doesn't answer "is this noise?", it doesn't belong here.
• Evidence required. Every finding must cite file/path.py:line with the exact code.
• Preserve intent. Flag noise, not substance. If a comment captures genuine design intent, keep it regardless of verbosity.
• Project conventions are the standard. Always cite existing project patterns when flagging drift.