deslop-copy

name	deslop-copy
description	Remove AI slop from marketing copy, blog posts, product descriptions, emails, and editorial content — and humanize the result. Use when asked to deslop, humanize, or anti-slop marketing copy, landing pages, product descriptions, email campaigns, blog posts, or any AI-generated prose. Trigger phrases: "deslop", "anti-slop", "remove AI slop", "humanize this copy", "this sounds AI-generated", "make this sound human", "clean up marketing copy", "remove AI clichés". NOT for UI microcopy or interface text (use deslop-ui). NOT for code cleanup (use ai-slop-cleaner). NOT for creating brand-new copy from scratch (use storytelling or prompt-engineering). NOT for preventing AI detector flags specifically (use deslop-detect).
allowed-tools	["Read","Write","Edit"]

Marketing and Editorial Copy Deslop

AI models write the same copy. Every LLM-written landing page delves into your unique value proposition, leverages cutting-edge technology, and empowers teams to achieve unprecedented results. Every AI-generated email ends with "Don't hesitate to reach out." Every blog post opens with "In today's fast-paced world."

Human writers don't write like this. They're specific. They use contractions. They interrupt themselves. They vary sentence length. This skill removes the AI fingerprint from prose.

When to Use

✅ Use for:

• Landing page copy and product descriptions
• Email campaigns, newsletters, cold outreach
• Blog posts, articles, and editorial content
• Social media copy and ad copy
• About pages, team bios, company descriptions
• Any prose that sounds like a generic AI assistant wrote it

When NOT to Use

❌ NOT for:

• UI microcopy, buttons, and error messages — use deslop-ui
• Code and technical artifact cleanup — use ai-slop-cleaner
• Creating copy from scratch — use storytelling or prompt-engineering
• Evading AI content detectors specifically — use deslop-detect
• Technical documentation — not slop territory; accuracy > voice

The AI Prose Fingerprint

The blacklist

These words and phrases mark AI-generated text. Flag every instance and replace or delete:

Verbs (AI favorites)

• delve, delves, delving
• leverage (as a verb meaning "use")
• empower, empowers, empowering
• unlock (abstract sense: "unlock your potential")
• harness (abstract: "harness the power of")
• utilize (→ use)
• streamline (overused)
• facilitate (→ help, enable, make possible)

Adjectives (filler superlatives)

• comprehensive
• robust
• cutting-edge
• state-of-the-art
• innovative (unless something is actually new)
• groundbreaking, revolutionary
• seamless, frictionless
• intuitive
• holistic
• transformative
• unprecedented

Opener phrases (throat-clearing)

• "In today's fast-paced world..."
• "In an era where..."
• "As we navigate the complexities of..."
• "It's no secret that..."
• "Now more than ever..."
• "At the end of the day..."
• "In conclusion..." / "To summarize..."
• "It's important to note that..."
• "It's worth mentioning that..."
• "First and foremost..."

Closing clichés

• "Don't hesitate to reach out"
• "Feel free to contact us"
• "We look forward to hearing from you"
• "Thank you for considering us"
• "We're excited to connect"

Filler connectives (at sentence/paragraph start)

• "Furthermore" / "Moreover" / "Additionally" (→ specific connector or delete)
• "Therefore" / "Thus" / "Hence" (→ "So" or show the connection)
• "Nevertheless" (→ "But", "Still", or restructure)
• "In addition to the above" (→ delete, just say the thing)

Contrastive parallelism (AI's rhetorical reflex)

• "It's not about X; it's about Y" — flag every instance
• "It's not just sales; it's relationships"
• "Not working harder, but working smarter"
• "The question isn't what AI can do — it's what should we do with AI" These frames feel deep but are empty. Replace with a direct statement of the actual position.

Em-dash overuse AI uses em-dashes as emphasis machinery — constantly. One per paragraph is fine. More than two in a piece is a tell. Delete or restructure; don't replace every em-dash with another form of the same pause.

New AI tell phrases (2025–2026 vintage)

• "Picture this" / "Imagine this" (story-setup cliché)
• "The implications are clear" (vague conclusory statement)
• "The takeaway?" (fake-Socratic transition)
• "Here's the thing:" (overused pivoting device)
• "At its core," / "At the heart of," (nesting abstraction opener)
• "Game-changer" / "paradigm shift"
• "In the age of AI," / "In this AI-driven era,"

Vague outcome claims

• "achieve unprecedented results"
• "drive growth and success"
• "take your business to the next level"
• "make informed decisions"
• "gain valuable insights"
• "deliver exceptional value"

AI structural patterns

Beyond individual words, AI prose has structural tells:

• Uniform sentence length — every sentence is 15–25 words
• Three-item lists everywhere — "fast, reliable, and secure"; "plan, execute, and deliver"
• Every paragraph the same length — 2–3 sentences, then a transition
• Benefits listed as abstract nouns — "efficiency", "clarity", "performance"
• Problem-agitate-solution every time — used correctly occasionally, formulaic at scale
• No examples, no numbers, no names — abstract claims without evidence
• No personality or opinion — AI never takes a controversial position

Humanization Techniques

Apply these after clearing the blacklist:

1. Vary sentence length deliberately

After a long sentence, write a short one. Stop. Then go long again when it serves the point. Rhythm matters more than rules.

2. Use contractions

"You're", "it's", "don't", "we'll", "they've". Formal register doesn't mean avoiding contractions — it means being precise. Contractions make copy sound like a person wrote it.

3. Start sentences with And, But, So

"And that's where we come in." "But here's the thing." "So we built something different." Trained-on-formal-text AI avoids this. Humans do it constantly.

4. Be specific instead of general

"Reduces onboarding time" → "Cut onboarding from 3 weeks to 4 days for Acme's 200-person team." Specificity signals real experience. Vague claims signal fabrication.

5. Use questions as transitions

"So why does this matter?" "What does that look like in practice?" Questions break up the rhythm and create a conversational forward pull.

6. Add asides and qualifications

Use em dashes and parenthetical asides: "We spent two years — longer than we'd like to admit — figuring out the right architecture." AI rarely second-guesses itself mid-sentence.

7. Acknowledge the obvious

"Yes, this is basic stuff." "You've probably heard this before." "This isn't a new insight." Acknowledging the mundane signals honesty. AI writes as though everything it says is novel.

8. Take a position

"We think most X tools get this wrong." "The conventional wisdom on Y is backwards." "This approach is slower, and that's a feature, not a bug." Opinions signal a human author.

9. Use imperfect transitions

"Anyway." "Right." "Here's the thing." These short pivots feel colloquial. AI transitions are elaborate bridging sentences.

10. Let short paragraphs stand alone

Like this one. A single sentence is fine. It creates emphasis.

Workflow

1. Scan and flag — list every blacklist hit and structural pattern before touching anything
2. Rewrite in passes:
   • Pass 1: Delete or replace every blacklist item
   • Pass 2: Break up uniform sentence length — add a short punchy sentence (≤8 words) and one long flowing one (≥25 words)
   • Pass 3: Inject one specific example or number per major abstract claim
   • Pass 4: Add contractions where natural (you're, it's, don't, we'll)
   • Pass 5: Replace abstract outcome claims with concrete alternatives; take a clear position where the original is vague
3. Word budget — the rewrite must not exceed the original word count; trim if it does
4. Explain your changes — name which humanization techniques you applied (e.g., "shortened opener, added contraction, varied sentence length, replaced 'leverage' with 'use'")
5. Read aloud — if a sentence sounds like you'd say it in a meeting, keep it; if it sounds like a press release, cut it

Anti-Pattern: Synonym Swapping

Symptom "Leverage" gets replaced with "harness", "utilize" becomes "employ", "comprehensive" becomes "extensive". The text now fails the blacklist check but reads identically flat.

Problem AI slop is a register problem, not a vocabulary problem. The AI wrote in corporate marketing voice — an entire mode of expression characterized by abstract claims, passive sentiment, and inflated language. Swapping words within that register doesn't change the register.

Solution Rewrite at the sentence level, not the word level. "Our comprehensive platform leverages AI to empower teams" → "We built this so small teams can do what used to take an enterprise department." Completely different construction, same fact.

Anti-Pattern: Over-Humanization

Symptom Every sentence now starts with "And" or "But". Every paragraph is one sentence. The copy reads like a stream-of-consciousness Twitter thread, not a product description.

Problem Humanization techniques exist to vary rhythm and register — not to be applied maximally to every sentence. Human writers use contractions, questions, and short sentences selectively. Applying every technique everywhere creates a different kind of uniform prose.

Solution Use humanization techniques as punctuation, not as the base register. The default is clear, direct prose. Contractions, asides, and short punchy sentences appear when they serve emphasis or rhythm — not on autopilot.

Anti-Pattern: Specificity Theater

Symptom Generic claims get replaced with made-up numbers: "Reduces costs" → "Reduces costs by 47%". The text passes the "be specific" check but the numbers are invented.

Problem Fabricated specificity is worse than honest vagueness. Readers notice when numbers are too round (50%) or too precise to be credible without a source. Invented statistics erode trust.

Solution Specificity must be real. Use actual customer data, real timelines, actual names. If you don't have real data, use qualitative specificity instead: "Our customers typically see results in the first week, not the first quarter."

Reference: Sentence Patterns Before and After

AI default	Human alternative
"Leverage our comprehensive suite of tools"	"Use the tools we built for this exact problem"
"Empower your team to achieve unprecedented results"	"Give your team what they need to close deals faster"
"In today's fast-paced world, businesses must adapt"	"Things move fast. Here's how to keep up."
"Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions"	"Questions? Reply to this email."
"Furthermore, it's worth noting that our platform..."	"Also:" / "One more thing:" / (just say it)
"Deliver exceptional value to your customers"	"Make your customers happy" / (specific outcome)
"Gain valuable insights from your data"	"See which pages convert, which drop" / (specific insight)
"Our innovative solution transforms the way you work"	"We changed how [specific process] works"