| name | deslop |
| description | Remove AI writing patterns from prose. Use this skill when writing, drafting, editing, reviewing, or revising any text to eliminate predictable AI tells, slop, and formulaic patterns. |
| user-invocable | true |
| disable-model-invocation | false |
Deslop: Remove AI Writing Patterns from Prose
Remove predictable AI patterns. Keep prose direct, specific, and human.
When to Apply
- Requests to "deslop" or "make this sound human"
- Editing prose that feels formulaic, generic, or AI-like
- Reviewing drafts for AI tells before delivery
Core Rules
1. Cut filler and meta
Delete throat-clearing, emphasis crutches, business buzzwords, and meta-commentary.
Examples: "Here's the thing," "It's worth noting," "In this section, we'll explore."
2. Break formulaic patterns
Avoid binary contrasts ("Not X. Y."), negative listings ("Not a X. Not a Y. A Z."), dramatic fragmentation ("Speed. That's it. That's the tradeoff."), self-posed rhetorical questions ("The result? Devastating."), and anaphora/tricolon abuse. See references/structures.md for patterns and fixes.
3. Remove AI tells
Cut telltale words and moves: magic adverbs, "serves as," fake ranges, inflated stakes, and invented labels.
Always replace these high-frequency vocabulary tells, even when they read as natural: "delve," "canonical" (use: standard, reference, definitive), "tapestry," "nuanced," "robust," "leverage," "landscape" (when it means "field"). Scan the text against references/phrases.md on every pass; do not skip it.
4. Prefer active voice and real actors
Name who did what. If needed, use "we" (scientific writing) or "you" (reader-facing prose).
5. Be specific
Replace vague claims with concrete facts. Avoid empty intensifiers and unnamed authority ("experts say").
In scientific writing, keep precise domain terms; remove buzzwords and soft abstractions.
6. Match register to context
Use the right voice for the audience.
Blog/newsletter: concrete, reader-facing.
Scientific: formal, sourced, and precise.
7. Vary rhythm
Mix sentence lengths and endings. Avoid metronomic cadence and stacked punchy fragments. No em dash.
8. Trust readers
State the point directly. Skip hand-holding, fake vulnerability, and repeated restatements.
Quick Checks
- Too many adverbs or filler transitions? Cut.
- Passive or inanimate subjects doing human actions? Name the actor.
- "Not X, Y" or rhetorical Q+A? Rewrite as direct statements.
- Sentence lengths too uniform? Vary cadence.
- Em dash present? Replace with period/comma/parenthetical.
- Vague claims? Add concrete details.
- Formula endings ("In conclusion," "Despite these challenges")? Rewrite.
- Repeated metaphor or repeated point? Trim.
- Final pass: run
scripts/deslop-lint.sh over the edited text (or paths). Every flagged candidate (e.g. "canonical," "delve," "serves as") is a miss; replace it or justify keeping it.
Lint Script
scripts/deslop-lint.sh greps text for the vocabulary tells and signature phrases in references/phrases.md and prints each candidate with a suggested replacement. Run it as a final check; exit code 1 means candidates remain.
scripts/deslop-lint.sh draft.md
echo "$text" | scripts/deslop-lint.sh
The term list lives at the top of the script and mirrors references/phrases.md; update both together.
Reference Files
Consult references/phrases.md on every deslop pass; it is the source of truth for words and phrases to remove. Use the rest when you need detailed guidance:
